Cheap Flight Day Date in the current year: August 23, 2024

Cheap Flight Day, sometimes referred to as National Cheap Flight Day, was created in 2015 to mark the day when airplane ticket prices supposedly drop from their summer highs: with summer vacations coming to an end and demand declining, airlines start offering “end of season” deals to customers.

Some sources claim that flight prices drop between 10 and 20 percent after August 23 (or sometimes August 21 or 22) compared to what they are in late June, July or early August. However, other sources insist that drop in pricing isn’t particularly significant and that it is possible to score affordable flight deals all the year round if you set your mind to it.

Be that as it may, it’s great that there is a day when people can learn about the ways to snag affordable plane tickets. On the occasion of the holiday, let us offer you a few tips that might help you save money on airfare and make travel work on a tight budget.

The rule of thumb is that you should book your tickets as early as possible because the airfare tends to rise as departure date approaches. It is recommended to book flights one to three months before your planned departure date for domestic flights and two to eight months for international flights to avoid any price surges. Last-minute flight deals do happen, but they are not very common and there is no guarantee you will be able to take advantage of one. It’s more likely that your flight will be sold out if you wait too long.

There is a common misconception that Tuesday (or Wednesday… or Thursday...) is the best day to book cheap tickets. However, the day when you actually get on the plane matters more than the day when you book your tickets. Airfare is constantly fluctuating because of supply and demand, which means you can stumble upon a good deal any day of the week, but the cheapest days of the week to travel are pretty consistent.

According to some studies, the cheapest days to fly domestically within the United States are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, followed by Saturdays and Mondays. Wednesdays and Thursdays are the cheapest days to fly internationally, although the price difference compared to other days of the week isn’t huge. Sunday is the most expensive day to travel, period. However, even this may vary depending on where you’re flying from and to, which airline you’re flying, your flight preferences, and other factors.

If you don’t mind taking your vacation off-season, you can score a cheaper flight by not traveling during peak seasons such as the winter holidays (from mid-December to mid-January) and peak summer travel season (from late June to mid-August). Being flexible with destination, airport and dates may also help you save money.

Finally, let travel search engines help you. Instead of compulsively checking flight prices, use Google Flights, Skyscanner or another travel search engine to set a price alert and get notifications when the price drops.