What is Cheapest Day to Book Flight Tickets?

Traveling is a lot more than just going to a fancy destination and getting Instagram Mable photos. For some, it is a way of life, while it is about finding themselves for some. For some, traveling is pure passion. However, whether traveling is a passion for you or not, one thing that almost everyone looks out for while being on the planning stage is: Getting cheap tickets! And the catch here is ‘You don’t really have to wait for airline sales to book cheap tickets!’ 

Best Days to Book Flights

Booking cheap flights is an art and a science, and only a few people understand it. The flight booking starts well in advance; you have an option to book flight tickets months in advance. The ticket prices will vary from the day the booking starts and will fluctuate till the day the flight finally takes off. You will notice price changing, depending on the day of the week, the month of the year, and the time left from the departure date. 

Best Time to Book Flights

Whenever you plan to travel to any destination, you have a budget for your travel, right? The to and for flight tickets take the majority of your budget. If you can save on the flight tickets, it gives you the freedom to do more things on your trip. You may eat at better restaurants, have more fun activities, visit extra places etc. 

The general Thumb Rule here is that you should be booking your flight ticket well in advance. However, other variables come into the picture too; hence, this rule may not always hold true. The two major factors that it depends on are- your destination and the time of your travel. 

Trying to get the cheapest flight ticket can be tricky, but it is not impossible. The first thing you need to do is start tracking the flight prices as soon as you have finalized your travel plan. It also depends on whether you are looking for international travel or domestic travel.  

Read More: Best Credit Cards For International Travel

Here are few tricks that presently not everyone is aware of, and you can use it in your favor in order to get those cheap tickets: 

Try to Book Flights Beforehand: 

A common misconception is that prior booking doesn’t make much difference in flight rates, especially for domestic travel. However, recent studies have shown the best time to book a flight ticket for domestic travel is 76 days prior to your date of travel. This rule will not always hold true as it also depends on your travel date and in which season you are planning to travel. 

 If you are looking to travel during the festive time, you should look to book around 99 days in advance. If it is an offseason for your destination, you should book a flight 69 days prior. These are just average numbers. You will have to monitor the prices around the average days. 

Refer Well to Flight Comparison Websites:

Always make sure to refer to flight comparison websites and don’t book in haste. Many times a day before or after makes a difference. So, it helps if you search the scheduled flights for an entire month instead of specific dates. This is where flight comparison websites will help you get hold of cheaper deals.  

Use Incognito Mode While Surfing:

There is a reason why you end up seeing a hike in flight rates every time you visit that flight booking website. These portals record your cookies and server details, thus letting them know that you are revisiting these websites. Hence, it automatically shows you raised airfares. So, it is advisable that you use incognito mode while browsing these websites or at least clear the cookies. Opening that website from a different computer or browser also helps.  

Choose Different Airlines:

It is very easy to book return journey flights. However, sometimes you can try to opt for different airlines for a to-and-fro trip. This would enable you to save a considerable amount on flights compared to what you would have spent had you opted for a return journey via the same airlines.

Book Via Airline Website

Try to book your flights via airline websites directly. Booking your flights through platforms like GoIbibo, Booking.com or MakeMyTrip would be slightly expensive even after all the promotion codes and discounts, since the final rate would include the platform’s service charges.  

Is There A Best day of the week to Buy Airline Tickets ?

If you wonder, if there is the best day in a week to book flights, then the answer is a big Yes. As per the study done by flight price comparing website, FareCompare, the best day to book a flight is Tuesday, more specifically, Tuesday, early morning. You may also look for any offers that a particular site is offering; if so, the competitors will follow, and you can take advantage of it. 

By now, you will agree that, getting the cheapest flight is not that straightforward. However, you need to understand airlines are competing for customers, so you have some power and options – you can choose how and when to travel. Just prepare in advance, ensure you do comparison shopping, and keep the above points in mind, and you will get the best rates.