Traveling is so much fun, although different people enjoy a particular means of traveling than the other. Some people love to travel by air no matter how short the distance is, while some enjoy passing through hundreds of culture, people, language,food treats on their way to their destination by road, and for some, they just love the adventure of traveling by train. But if you will be traveling far, you have to fly.
The airlines use computer systems to set ticket prices based on a complicated mix of factors, including competition, demand, the state of the economy, seasonality, taxes, which makes airfares jolt up and down.
Thankfully a handful of websites that compile data based on everything from direct bookings to historical studies of published fares, makes it possible to analyze fare models and get at least a rough idea of the best and worst times to fly during the year.
Yewande Salisu compiles some days to consider before flying. With this information she has provided, you can figure out when a potential flight will cost more and when it would cost less.
THE WORST DAYS TO FLY
Christmas and New Year Day
Of course, traveling during festive periods like Christmas means you will be paying more, holding up your luggage closely, and staying extra alert at everything around you most especially the price on a travel ticket as it could change anytime.
The Christmas holiday and New Year’s holiday travel window is more or less a 17-day period that overlaps the two holidays by about five or six days. Peak days always depend on when the weekends fall in relation to the holidays since lots of people want to travel over convenient long weekends.
Note that it’s not unusual to see flights departing on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and sometimes the days immediately following the holidays that are cheaper than departures a few days before, depending on how they fall during the week.
Spring Break
Spring break peak travel dates vary by destination but generally extend from late February through the beginning of April. Most colleges and universities have spring break in March or even late February, while families with school-age children have their vacation around Easter, which is usually in late March or early April.
If you will like to visit destinations that would not attract college students, then this is not the favorite time to travel, as most college students would be having a party at almost every attractive location. You don’t want to be mistaken as a college student when you have kids at home yourself.
Summer
Everyone anticipates summer from the end of one summer till the next summer. People begin their summer goals from the end of one summer until the beginning of the next one. Summer is high season for myriad destinations and fares are accordingly driven higher by demand. Canadian and European destinations are at their peak with a lesser visit to African and Asian destinations. If you can put off your trip till mid-September or go in May instead of June, you’ll likely pay less than you would over the summer (not only for airfares but also for hotels once you arrive).
Bottom line: You’re going to pay a premium for summer travel to a whole host of places. But there are some exceptions to this rule. Summer is low season for some places; U.S. mountain towns, the Caribbean, parts of Mexico, Costa Rica, and lots of spots in the Southern Hemisphere.
THE BEST DAYS TO FLY
Winter and Low Season
Speaking of seasonality, here’s a simple rule: the best days to fly are low-season or non-holiday travel dates; this will vary based on your destination, largely because of weather. While summer is the popular season for abundance of vacation spots, winter is a great time to find low airfares. Look for amazingly cheap tickets to places that draw big crowds in summer, like Europe, Canada and most U.S. destinations (except ski towns, Florida and Hawaii). Spring and autumn (March till June and mid-September till early December respectively) are also excellent occasions to find low-priced fares to these destinations.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays
We may not know the cheapest day to fly, but travel experts agree on the cheapest travel days of week. Fare tracker sites notes that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the days to fly if you want to save some cash.
Thursdays and Saturdays
The next cheapest days of the week to fly are Thursday and Saturday. Saturday might sound like a popular hence expensive day to fly. But in truth, most travelers prefer to come back from vacation on Sunday to maximize their time away. The most popular days for business travelers, meanwhile, are Monday and Friday. If you’re eyeing a Saturday flight, watch out for weekend surcharges. Some airlines tack onto ticket prices for Friday, Saturday and Sunday departures.
Ultimately, your best day to fly all depends on your route, airline, and of course your budget.
