Don't buy your plane tickets on Friday, and other airfare advice from The Wall Street Journal


If you want to snag a good deal on a flight, book early, search on the weekends, and avoid Fridays, says Scott McCartney at The Wall Street Journal. Oh, and cross your fingers: Airlines change their prices for seats several times a day, so "when you see a good price, grab it." A new study by Expedia and the Airlines Reporting Corp. did find some patterns, after analyzing hundreds of millions of flights, starting with this good news: Airfares have been lower in 2015, after years of steady increases, amid dropping oil prices and increased capacity on discount airlines.
But when you buy does matter, statistically speaking. It used to be that Tuesdays were the best day to purchase your plane ticket, and that's still true if you're buying on a weekday (when business travelers shop, and pay more). But your best bet is buying Saturday and Sunday — average prices were 13 percent higher on Friday than on Sunday worldwide, the study found. Also, for domestic U.S. travel, the sweet spot is booking 57 days in advance, or 77 days for flying to the Caribbean, or 176 days if you plan to visit Europe. "That means that right now would be best time to book early summer trips to Europe," McCartney says.
Airlines used to offer discounts at the last minute, but they don't anymore — computers have figured out when to drop prices, and it's weeks before a flight takes off. "It's not like you can show up at the airport with your suitcase and get a ticket for half price," says Patrick Surry, chief data scientist at Hopper, a company that tracks airfares. "The sad truth for consumers is there is no golden rule you can use to beat the airlines." You can read more about how airlines price tickets and the best time to book tickets at The Wall Street Journal or Expedia, or watch the WSJ video below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Carney and Trump come face-to-face as bilateral tensions mount
IN THE SPOTLIGHT For his first sit-down with an unpredictable frenemy, the Canadian prime minister elected on a wave of anti-Trump sentiment tried for an awkward detente
-
What will be Warren Buffett's legacy?
Talking Points Observers call him 'the greatest investor of all time.'
-
Art review: "Wayne Thiebaud: Art Comes From Art"
Feature At the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, through Aug. 17
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine