It’s time to start monitoring and booking your holiday trips.
At TPG, one of our key goals is to help you find the cheapest possible airfare. However, finding valuable airline deals during peak travel times depends on a few factors.
Flights during holidays, spring break and peak summer periods are often much more expensive. There are still ways to hedge your bets and get better deals than others, but some of the common tips people tout are flat-out false.
For example, have you ever heard that booking a flight on a certain day of the week will yield cheaper results? Perhaps you have a cousin who claims he found a great deal when he checked on airfare prices at 12:01 a.m. on a Wednesday. Or, maybe your friend swears by setting a reminder on their phone for 1 p.m. on a Thursday when shopping for flights.
There’s just no truth to those legends.
There’s no shortage of rumors floating around at any given time. Here’s what airfare experts say about how timing influences airfare prices, so you can maximize airfare savings.
Right now is the time to monitor prices for holiday trips
Historical data suggests that the best window to score low prices for holiday airfare is almost upon us. I’d strongly advise readers to start looking at flights now, set Google Flights alerts and grab deals as soon as they see them.
Generally, my advice for finding the cheapest prices ahead of time is to monitor the search starting three months before the dates you want to travel. (Though, obviously, you should jump on any deals you find before that.)
TPG generally recommends booking one to two months ahead of time for domestic trips and three to five months ahead of time for international trips. That means we will soon enter the sweet spot for booking for the holidays.
Try to have everything booked by Halloween. That’s a good goal, though you probably have a few more weeks after that to book for Christmas.
Our recent analysis suggests that if you are booking right now, you are likely not getting the best deal. New data from our friends at Points Path shows fares are higher for the holidays across the board, year over year.
If previous trends hold, however, we expect to see some fairly substantial fare drops over the next several weeks. So our recommendation is to start booking in early to late October.
That lines up with what Google suggests, too.
- Average prices for Thanksgiving trips tend to be lowest 35 days before departure.
- Average prices for Christmas and New Year’s trips tend to be lowest 51 days before departure.
I’m a huge fan of Google Flights because you can set alerts for particular destinations.
Say I want to go to California for Christmas. Using Google Flights, I’d search for December flights from New York City to San Francisco. In this case, one of the cheapest options I could find was from Dec. 19 to Dec. 30 on Sun Country Airlines for just $347 round-trip. If I want to fly nonstop, it’s $513 on JetBlue.
In this case, I’d wait a few more weeks to see if fares come down, but I’d also set an alert.
I can also click on the “Date grid” button to see when prices are lowest.
International trips generally have an earlier window; ideally, you want to book trips abroad three to five months in advance.
Again, Google Flights can be your best friend here. Here’s a Google Flights alert I had set for a one-week trip to Mexico. You can see the cheapest options are Delta Air Lines (operated by Aeromexico), JetBlue and United Airlines flights. Google Flights also tells me that the “Prices are currently high,” so it might make sense for me to toggle the button that says “Track prices.”
The “Track prices” feature will ensure I get an email when prices drop. The search was also saved on my Google Flights tracking page, so I could monitor flights over time.
Here are some other tips for holiday flights (as well as other peak travel windows and holidays):
- When cash prices are high, dip into your stash of points and miles. Remember, one of the core mottos of the points and miles space is “Earn ’em and burn ’em.”
- Try flying on nonpeak days, going to your destination earlier or staying longer. You’ll often score a better deal, for example, if you go home for Christmas for a few weeks rather than a few days.
- If you can fly on the actual holiday itself, you’ll often get a better deal. Flying on Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day or Christmas Eve can save you big bucks.
- Be flexible with days and times. Often, you’ll get the best deal on a flight leaving at 6 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. Depending on the price difference, it can be worth getting up at 4 a.m. to save some cash. The same goes for red-eye flights, which are often the cheapest flights of the day.
- Look for alternative airports. For example, flying into Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) instead of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) can save substantial money.
- Look for deal alerts. Sign up for social media accounts that send out deal alerts — and subscribe to our daily newsletter, where we often publish airfare deals.
Related: Round-trip flights for under $150? Get discounted airfare alerts using this app
Is there a day that’s cheaper than others to book a flight?
We get asked this question all the time: “What’s the cheapest day to book a flight?” There’s a common belief that certain days are better for finding flight deals; however, research shows that this is a myth.
There is no magic day to book — but there are some sweet booking windows when airlines lower prices, according to Lindsay Schwimer, a consumer travel expert at the booking app Hopper. As mentioned earlier, those windows usually fall roughly one to three months out for domestic travel and three to five months in advance for international flights.
“When you’re traveling internationally, planning ahead is key to getting the cheapest airfare,” Hayley Berg, Hopper’s lead economist, said in an interview. “Travelers often book international flights too far in advance or too last-minute, overpaying significantly for their tickets.”
Of course, this strategy changes pretty dramatically if you book with points and miles. Airlines often open award space for coveted business- and first-class seats either when schedules open or at the last minute.
As for whether there’s a particular day that’s cheaper than the rest for booking, Schwimer said that “there’s no one day or golden rule when to book.”
Berg echoed this sentiment.
“There’s a common myth that booking on a Tuesday will guarantee a traveler the best price,” she said. “The reality is prices change so often and depend on the route, the travel dates, etc., that there isn’t one day that guarantees you the best price.”
What’s the best day to travel?
Although airfare prices fluctuate based on when you book, midweek travel is generally cheaper than flying on weekends. In my own research, I’ve also found deals on Saturday travel when there are fewer business travelers.
“The cheapest days to travel are still Monday through Wednesday (about 13% cheaper than flying over the weekend),” according to a new Google report.
“Flying midweek can save you nearly $100 off your ticket,” Schwimer said. “So when you’re thinking about when you want to travel, try shifting your dates midweek versus flying over the weekend. If you can be flexible and book either a Tuesday or Wednesday … you’re gonna save significantly off your trip.”
Berg had similar thoughts.
“Travelers who fly midweek, usually Wednesday, can save an average of $56 per ticket on domestic airfare throughout the year,” she said. “Midweek savings spike over $60 per ticket during busy spring break and summer vacation months, while flying midweek over the holidays can save you $100 or more.”
“We always recommend booking the first flight of the day, not only to avoid delays and cancellations but also in terms of price,” Schwimer added. As we mentioned earlier, you’ll often find that those early departures can save you some big bucks. It’s not easy to set the alarm for 4 a.m. — but it’s easier to wake up when you know you’re saving money.
So, how can you use this information to your advantage when buying airline tickets?
Try using a price monitoring tool to get real-time updates to help you decide when to travel for the lowest fare. We’ve highlighted how tools like Google Flights’ “Track prices” and Hopper’s “Watch This Trip” can help you see the price of your desired route before booking and notify you when prices are lowest.
When to book holiday travel
Best time to book flights for Thanksgiving and Christmas
For the cheapest domestic trips, plan on booking Thanksgiving flights in early to mid-October and Christmas trips by Halloween. The cheapest holiday airfare deals are generally available in October.
Google says that for Christmas, the lowest prices are usually 32 to 73 days before the holiday.
“We tell people to start monitoring in August,” Schwimer said, “but our typical book-by date is mid-October, so usually around the 14th of October.” She added that “no later than Halloween is usually our book-by date for both Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
I’d begin setting alerts for flights home for the holidays now and get ready to book.
In the example below, you can see I previously set a Google Flights alert for a 12-day trip from Dec. 21, 2024, to Jan. 2, 2025. Google sent me an alert (via email) when the price dropped.
Google also told me that prices at the time of my search were “high,” so it made sense to wait.
I also like Google Flights’ feature that lets me see a graph of prices for similar time windows; it might help me decide which dates to go home for the holidays.
Prices only start to rise once you get about a month before the holiday. But remember, you don’t want to book too early, either. Prices are also usually pretty high when airlines first load schedules, so follow our timeline for the best opportunity to score a deal.
That’s why I strongly encourage folks to set Google Flights alerts and carefully monitor prices. Better yet, use refundable points or miles in case you find a better deal. You might also want to lock in a lower cash price if you are booking with an airline that will give you a flight credit if the price drops.
Related: Airlines that offer you a credit if the price of airfare drops
Even after you book, keep checking prices to see if the price goes down and you can get a credit for the price difference.
Best time to book flights for New Year’s Eve
As with Christmas flights, we recommend locking in bookings for New Year’s by Halloween, but you may still be able to find deals as late as mid-November.
That is true for “really any of the major winter holidays,” Berg said. “We recommend booking further in advance. I would book that New Year’s Eve trip as well before Halloween.”
Best time to book flights for spring break
If your spring break falls in March, the ideal time to book a domestic trip is early February; if you’re going abroad, maybe try to lock in your plans before the holidays. Keep in mind that demand surges during the spring break period after the doldrums of winter. Many people wait too long to book those trips and end up paying more than they need to.
“The lowest prices for trips in March or April have been 43 days before departure (28-61 days is the low price range),” according to the Google report.
Best time to book flights for summer trips
Use the domestic and international guidance above to help shape your summer trip planning.
For a summer holiday in Europe, you should usually start monitoring flights in February and book three to five months beforehand. Given how southern Europe gets particularly popular in the summer high season, a bit of extra time on top of that window might not be a bad idea either.
Berg recommends planning ever further in advance for longer-haul transpacific flights. “For trips to Asia and Oceania, we recommend booking five to seven months before takeoff,” Berg said. “For Europe and other regions of the world, we recommend booking anywhere from three to six months before departure to get the best prices.”
What about hotels?
Hotels don’t require you to book quite so early; you can usually wait until much later and still score good deals. However, do keep in mind that if it’s a popular spring break destination (think Miami or Cancun), you’re unlikely to find last-minute discounts, so it really is destination-dependent. That said, it could be a great time to use hotel points to book your stay: Sometimes, hotels open up award availability at the last minute, even in popular destinations.
Cities that aren’t traditional spring break hot spots will likely have good prices, even at the last minute. For example, a hotel I stayed at in Malta — Corinthia Palace Malta — had rooms during spring week for as little as $230 a night, when rooms during high season are $320 or more.
“We often see good deals last minute for hotels in big cities. Something to keep in mind … especially for those holiday weekends,” Schwimer told TPG. “And you know that [during] the Christmas holiday period, you can often find some really great last-minute deals in big cities if you wait.”
Bottom line
While there is no magical time or day to book airfare for the best prices, your best bet is to fly midweek, specifically Wednesdays, for both domestic and international travel. Flying over the weekend can come at a significant price premium, though Sundays have occasional deals.
Try booking domestic flights one to two months ahead of time; for international flights, your best bet is to aim to book three to five months ahead of the trip. But remember that if you’re using airline miles, it’s never too soon to start checking and booking.
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
