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Before booking any trip, one of the first questions most travellers ask is when is the best time to book flights to get the best prices.
Unfortunately, there’s rarely a simple answer. That’s why the best way to get a snapshot of a complex scenario is to use data analytics. To that end, here’s KAYAK’s latest data on both domestic and international flights, looking at one-way and round-trip tickets.
While there isn’t a single best day to book, certain days consistently offer lower average fares.
When to fly domestically?
KAYAK’s data found that the average lowest domestic airfares are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with one-way fares averaging about £60 when aggregated on flights to everywhere in the UK. Thursday was a very close second with an average of around £62 for one-way fares. Friday and Monday were next with fares in the £66 to £68 range.
Not surprisingly, Saturday and Sunday were the most expensive on average at around £68 and £72, respectively. Clearly, if you can get on a plane midweek, it may prove to be a lot more cost-effective.
How to save when flying on a Friday within the UK
When flying domestically, midweek appears to be the best time to book flights. KAYAK’s data found that Tuesday and Wednesday had better deals when flying round trip, with an average ticket price of about £106.
Thursday was slightly more expensive at around £107, followed by Monday’s average price of around £110. Friday and Saturday were the most expensive on average, costing about £114 and £115 for departures, respectively.
The lowest average fares for domestic return flights
The lowest average fares for UK return flights anywhere were found on Tuesday and Wednesday, both at around £106, followed by Thursday at about £107. Sunday and Monday were the middle ground with return flights averaging approximately £111. Saturday was the most expensive day for returns with average ticket prices of approximately £120. Friday was slightly better in terms of return airfares at around £119.
So, according to KAYAK’s data, a Tuesday-to-Tuesday or Wednesday-to-Wednesday round-trip flight may be the lowest-cost option if you want to get away for a week.
When to travel internationally?
International flights followed a similar trajectory to that of domestic flights, with a few small differences. Tuesday seemed to offer the best time to book flights with an average one-way ticket price of about £472, followed by Wednesday at around £485.
Sunday and Monday flying continued to be, on average, more cost-effective than flying on Fridays and Saturdays, with Sunday showing the next most affordable one-way flights at around £493. Next was Monday at about £498. Saturday rose to around £543, with Friday’s approximately £545 one-way average being the most expensive.
When to leave for an international round-trip flight
Round-trip international flights seem to have a slightly flatter price trend, though some days are still quite a bit less expensive than others. Tuesday has the average lowest fares for departure when ticket prices averaged about £681. Wednesday was next at around £691, followed by Monday departures at about £698.
The most expensive day to depart on an international round-trip flight was Saturday at around £734. This yields a difference between the lowest and highest of roughly £53, which translates to around an 8% fluctuation.
When to return from an international round-trip flight?
Return flights on international round trips showed a slightly larger price variation though. Tuesday had the lowest return airfares, with average prices around £678. Wednesday is the next lowest with an average of about £685. These two days are the best time to book flights back home.
Tips for finding lower airfares
When you want to shop around for vacation destinations and don’t have anywhere specific in mind, you have the flexibility of shopping for places that offer cheaper flights. Here are some tools KAYAK offers to help you narrow down your best choices with finance in mind.
1. Use the KAYAK Explore map
When your point of origin is certain but your destination is open, peruse our KAYAK Explore map. Enter your origin airport and rates will instantly appear on the map, allowing you to identify the cheapest flights to those locations. You can filter further by specific dates, date ranges, flight duration, budget, and more.
2. Get there quicker with KAYAK Direct
If layovers stress you out or you simply want to minimise your total travel time, you may want to fly somewhere that has direct flight options from your point of origin. Good news: You don’t have to overpay just to avoid layovers.
Use KAYAK Direct to enter your preferred origin airport and you’ll receive a list of direct flight destinations sorted by flight time. Select “Show routes on map” at the top of the list and you’ll return to the KAYAK Explore map with these routes illustrated by price.
3. Check the calendar
As you settle on your destination, it’s time to check the calendar, and we mean our calendar, not yours. Enter your airports on KAYAK flight page and click the calendar icon to expand date selections. Here you’ll find a calendar indicating the cheapest dates of that month to fly your desired route. You’re free to explore other months, too.
4. Make your own cheaper route
If your airports are firm, check out our Hacker Fares to search combined one-way tickets on multiple airlines that may be cheaper than advertised round trips from a single airline. If one airline won’t offer a cheap enough price for you, perhaps you’ll find your target price by mixing and matching among various competitors.
5. Set alerts for cheaper fares
If you have time to wait for cheaper flight prices than what you’re currently finding, we can keep an eye on it for you. Set a price alert for the flight parameters you’re searching and we’ll let you know if the price goes down. You can do this by selecting “Track prices” in the “Our Advice” box mentioned above by “hearting” a search result you want to track, or by manually setting an alert in your KAYAK user profile.
6. Harness the power of competition
While airlines would always prefer you book through them directly, you may find cheaper alternatives through booking partners. KAYAK simultaneously searches hundreds of vendors that include both booking partners and the airlines themselves and provides all of them in your search results, giving you the transparency you need in order to determine who’s offering the best deal.
Once you make your choice, we’ll redirect you to that provider so you can make your purchase securely.
Getting started
Now that you’re armed with all the knowledge to score a flight at the best possible price, snag some travel inspiration with our guides to clue you in to today’s hottest destinations.
And for even more savings, consider booking during slower travel months when costs for airfare and accommodation are typically reduced. When you’re ready to go, don’t forget to use our Trips to keep everything organised and assure a seamless journey.
Some of our favorite cheap flight routes
- Cheap flights to Paris
- Cheap flights to Barcelona
- Cheap flights to Bangkok
- Cheap flights to San Francisco
- Cheap flights to New York
Best time to book flights FAQ
How do airlines price tickets and when do flight prices drop?
Every airline’s goal is to get the most money possible for each seat sold, which means airfare pricing is one of the purest examples of supply and demand in action. To do this, popular leisure routes and cabins (economy) are priced highly further in advance, which is when holiday travellers tend to book. These seats tend to go down over time as the airline seeks to fill the plane before take-off. Business routes and cabins (business/first) are priced lower upfront to fill minimum quotas, then increased over time, as short-notice corporate travellers scramble to get a remaining seat.
Do flights get cheaper closer to the departure date?
As noted above, this is more common with economy class cabins and those routes considered to be leisure travel routes (i.e., holiday destinations). For business class and first class seats, or routes heavily flown by corporate travellers, the reverse is more often true, with prices increasing as the departure date approaches.
How often and why do flight prices change?
The short answer here can be frustratingly unhelpful: Flight prices may change frequently. As the flight fills or doesn’t fill, airlines will continuously change prices to maximise their potential profits, which means fares may not only change daily but multiple times throughout the day. Flight prices vary as well depending on the season, the seats you want to book, and ultimately the balance between supply and demand of seats.
Do flight prices go down at night?
Sometimes. Airfare prices change regularly based on supply and demand and the airline’s resulting prediction of how it can maximise income on remaining seats. Computer software is often in charge of analysing this and updating fares. This can certainly happen at night, but it is equally likely to happen any time of day, any day of the week.
The post When to fly: Tips for finding low airfares appeared first on KAYAK Blog UK.
