What day of the week is the best to find the greatest bargains on the Internet for a getaway? Tuesday mornings. It is the best time for booking cheap flights – with an average price of 57 euros, for example, if the destination is close.
If you look for it on a Sunday, however, the figure for the same place can go up to 69 euros. The worst hour? 1:00 p.m., when everyone seems to agree to track the Internet. The differences increase substantially if more distant cities are searched for.
Of course, as always, it is cheaper to get away in months that are out of season and in the periods immediately after the holidays, dates with a large number of reservations. These are some of the conclusions of the digital hotel and flight search engine in Europe Jetcost, which reviews through an online study the best times of the week to find travel bargains, according to an analysis carried out on its users in 38 countries last year.
Weekends Are More Expensive
The data clearly show that Tuesday is generally the cheapest day of the week to book a flight, with an average price of 63 euros, although the figure drops to 57 if the search is done at 2 in the morning. In addition, it also points out that, in basic fare, prices tend to rise as the weekend approaches and offers to disappear, so it is best to buy flights between Monday and Wednesday.
In general terms, the study makes it clear that it is better to buy at night than in the morning. Thus, flights in the time slot that goes from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. are around 67 euros, while if you buy them between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. the next day, the figure drops to 63 euros.
Regarding the months, January and February are the best to find a cheap domestic flight, right after Christmas, which is when you travel the most. The best place to get away for the pocket? Some country in Europe. During those dates, flights cost an average of between 102 and 106 euros, while if you search in June the figure will double at least.
Advance Booking
The second-best time of the year to find cheap flights corresponds to the months of September and October, that is, after the summer holidays. On the other side of the scale are June and July, the most expensive of the year, whether for domestic, European or long-distance journeys. The cost of the latter is around 600 if we buy them in January and February, rising to 755 in September and 923 in June.
As for what date to buy the flights, the price of these increases in those immediately prior to departure. Therefore, it is more profitable to make the reservation as soon as possible, with a minimum of 15 days in advance. Even so, if it is done two months before, the prices will drop more than 10%.
Of course, apart from the day of the week chosen to purchase the ticket, there are always other tricks to get a bargain. For example, selecting an airport that is different from the usual ones, which as a general rule is a little further away from the city center, lowers the price of the ticket.
It is also worth taking a look at last-minute offers, as many companies lower prices if they do not sell seats when the flight date approaches.