When is it cheapest to buy flights

There’s no magic day

Airlines adjust prices to demand, and the fare on the same route can change within a day. So any “best time to book” is an average across a large set of tickets from one service, over one period, in one market.

It matters where the data comes from. Google Flights and Expedia mostly publish statistics on US departures and purchases. Aviasales doesn’t say for which period or market its data was collected. Your routes may look different.

Google Flights data

On 5 October 2026 Google published on its blog an analysis of five years of aggregated Google Flights data for departures from the US. On average, the lowest price came this many days before departure:

• US domestic: 39 days, low-price range 22–57 days;
• international: 89 days, range 50–133 days;
• Europe: 90 days, with low prices starting around 49 days or more before departure;
• Mexico and the Caribbean: 43 days, range 24–69 days;
• Christmas: 56 days, range 33–67 days; summer trips (July–August): 21 days, range 20–47 days.

The day you book barely matters in the same data: booking on a Wednesday was on average only about 1.4% cheaper than on a Sunday, and Google itself calls the difference negligible. Travel days and connections matter far more.

For individual routes Google Flights shows tips, for example that the price is lower than usual or likely to rise. Google says that for some routes it also shows when prices for your dates have usually been lowest.

Expedia data

Expedia’s 2026 Air Hacks report came out in February 2026 and is based on bookings made on Expedia.com from December 2024 to November 2025. Key findings:

• the best day to book is Friday, about 3% cheaper than Sunday, the most expensive day;
• US domestic economy is cheapest 15–30 days out and most expensive 180+ days out;
• on international trips, booking 31–45 days ahead saved on average USD 190 versus six months out; closer in, Expedia’s data found the best value about 1–2 weeks before departure;
• August is the cheapest month for international travel, about 29% below December.

Note that in Expedia’s data a late international booking looks good, while in Google’s data international fares are cheapest about three months out. A neat illustration that the conclusions depend on whose data it is and how it was counted.

Aviasales data

In an article updated in May 2026, Aviasales gives booking windows by season and destination. It says it analysed “thousands of offers” but doesn’t state the data period or method. A few examples:

• Turkey in summer: 20–30 days ahead; prices jump 4 days before departure;
• Europe in summer: 20–40 days ahead; six months out is more expensive, and 14 days out prices are already high;
• Europe in autumn: 30–40 days ahead; the last two weeks are the price peak;
• UAE in autumn: 60 and 12 days out cost about the same, but don’t wait for the last 10 days.

What these examples share is that the last week or two before departure is often the most expensive. But as Expedia’s data shows, even that doesn’t hold everywhere.

What this means in practice

1. Start looking a few months ahead and turn on route tracking: Google Flights can email you when the price drops noticeably.
2. Go by the tips for your specific route rather than market-wide averages.
3. If the price is already below the usual level for the route, waiting for it to fall further is a gamble.
4. Flexible travel dates usually save more than picking the day you book.

Other ways to lower the price, such as flexible dates, connections and nearby airports, are in “How to find cheap flights”.

Flying with a pet? Don’t wait

With an animal, price isn’t the only thing. The number of pets per flight is limited, and the carrier spots can run out before the cheap fares do. Add your pet right after buying: at Pegasus, for example, you can’t add a pet online or at the airport, only through the call centre or a travel agent, and the airline asks you to do it right after buying the ticket. At Turkish Airlines you can add a pet on the website or app when you buy the ticket; later, via Manage booking, no later than 24 hours before departure.

Paperwork is another reason not to delay. For some countries, preparing an animal for entry takes weeks or months. Check the rules of your destination and the list of hard-entry countries, and plan the timing with the checklist.

Build a document checklist

What to do next

Check prices for your dates with the pet fee included: our search compares airlines by the total and shows where your pet won’t be accepted.

When flying with a pet, it’s best to buy the ticket on the airline’s own website: it’s easier to add the animal to the booking, and if the flight or rules change you deal with the airline directly, without a middleman.

Find flights with a pet