Airlines set the ticket prices by using an automated system that takes various factors into consideration. These factors consist of government rules and laws, demand, supply, taxes, season, competitors and many other unpredictable factors.
Even when we cannot predict the exact fare, we can still do some analysis that will help us reach the closest to the set fare. We can analyze data from the websites that compile all the historical published fares. By doing this, we can understand the fare model and get an idea about the cheapest and the most expensive days to fly.
Cheapest days to Fly
– A simple rule to start with: the cheapest days to fly are non-holiday days and low-season time. This will be majorly dependent on the weather, as summer is the most popular season to travel and winter is generally considered to be dead for tourism.
– According to the experts, cheapest days of the week to fly are generally considered to be Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Wednesday being the favorite. Other than these 2 days, the next cheapest days to fly are Thursdays and Saturdays.
– The cheapest days to fly even during the festival season is the day of the festival. Tickets are usually very expensive before and after Christmas but are comparatively cheaper on the day of Christmas.
Expensive days to Fly
– Christmas and New Years are one of the most expensive days to fly depending on when the weekend falls. As most travelers prefer to travel over long weekends.
– Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November every year. That makes Wednesday to Sunday the peak and the busiest travel days of the year.
– It’s usually expensive to fly during the spring break as most of the colleges and universities have holidays. Even families with school-age kids prefer to travel during this time.
– Summer is the popular tourism season and fares are generally high considering the demand during this period. Peak travel dates in summer are from Memorial Day to Labor Day. You won’t just end up paying higher for your flight tickets during summer but also end up paying higher for hotels and activities as well.
Ultimately, the best days to fly also depends on the route you’re planning to take and the airline you’re planning to book. You’ll find multiple offers all-round the year where an airline will be selling cheap tickets only for limited days. Such deals will break the cheapest ticket rules but for that, you’ve to be lucky enough to grab it at the right time.