Discovering the best day to buy cheap flights is one of the most common questions among travellers.
Although prices change constantly, our data reveals clear patterns around the best days, times, and periods of the year to buy cheaper flights in 2026.
We explain why and how flight ticket prices change to help you find the best day to buy flights. Analyse the latest trends, compare the cheapest months, and identify when the biggest price drops tend to occur. Search for your route and discover the best month, day, and time to buy flights based on historical price data for your origin and destination.
Our system analyses millions of fares to pinpoint the exact moment when prices are usually at their lowest. A simple, data-driven way to help you plan your trip and book your flights at the best possible price.
Airlines use dynamic pricing to set flight prices. Fares change based on demand, seat availability, seasonality, and competition. Prices can update multiple times a day depending on traveller behaviour and how many seats remain on the flight.
There is no single “magic number” that works for every route, but the general rule of booking in advance usually holds true. The data shows that thinking ahead can pay off. Bookings to European destinations made 31-60 days in advance allowed travellers to save £54 (average price £154 vs £208) compared to bookings made just 0-15 days in advance.
For long haul trips to The Americas, bookings made 31-60 days in advance were also most cost-effective, (average price £614 compared to £807 for bookings 0-15 days ahead of travel). For travel to Australasia, bookings made 91-100 days in advance were the most affordable (average price £1,217), allowing travellers to save nearly £336 compared to when bookings were made 0-15 days in advance (average price £1,519).
There is no single “magic” day, the best day depends on your route. The idea of a universal “best day” (like always booking on a Tuesday) comes from outdated airline pricing models. Today, flight prices are driven by dynamic pricing systems that react to demand, seasonality, and route-specific behaviour in real time.
What really makes the difference is analysing historical price data for your specific origin and destination. Looking at booking patterns in the previous year, Opodo’s data shows that most travellers saw clear savings benefits by booking on a Sunday - with 7 out of 12 months (February, April to August & December) of the year indicating the lowest prices when securing flights.
This depends entirely on so-called shoulder seasons and local demand peaks. As a general rule, avoiding school holidays and major national holiday periods (such as August or Christmas) reduces prices immediately. For many destinations in the Northern Hemisphere, January, February and November have historically been the cheapest months to fly, as demand is lower. To secure the best fare, it is ideal to travel in the months immediately before or after the destination’s peak season.
The data reveals that booking in shoulder season is highly favoured among Brits for popular European destinations with bookings in September costing travellers an average of £131 for flights to Spain and £138 to France. October is an excellent time to book a trip for last-minute sun and sea in Greece, with flights averaging £207 while November travel to Portugal costs an average of £165 for those seeking a cultural weekend escape. Travellers thinking of booking travel to Italy should plan for January - where flight prices are at their lowest (average £141). Travellers looking beyond Europe for a long-haul adventure to the US should book their travel in May, where flight prices are most cost-effective (average £553).
Flight prices may vary, but your desire to save does not. With Opodo Prime, you can enjoy discounts on all your flight tickets, along with priority access to promotions and exclusive benefits throughout the year.
If you want to take advantage of the best time to buy flights, Opodo Prime helps you secure the best price every time — whether or not it’s the ideal day to book.
Using tools such as multi-destination search allows you to compare more dates and routes in a single click. Keep in mind that landing at nearby alternative airports and avoiding weekend travel is often cheaper.
The more flexible you are, the easier it becomes to find the best day to buy flights and access the lowest prices.
The moment you buy your flights can make a real difference. Finding the right balance is key to securing the best fares.
According to recent trends, the ideal price window usually falls between 31 and 60 days before departure, depending on the route and the season.
If your travel dates are flexible, this tool shows you the cheapest days to buy flights within a given month. You can activate price alerts so our system notifies you when the fares you’re tracking drop, allowing you to book quickly. This helps you fine-tune your travel budget and save even more on flights.
Have you found a fare you like but aren’t quite ready to book? With Opodo Prime, you can freeze the price for a day and book later without any worries. It’s a safe way to lock in a good deal while you finish planning your trip.
Avoid checked baggage fees and save time at the airport by travelling with hand luggage only. Pack the essentials, organise your bag in layers, and wear your heavier clothing during the flight. Travelling light isn’t just more convenient—it can also help you save money, as many basic fares do not include checked luggage.
Take the quiz to learn more about the world of travel and discover the best tips for buying cheap flights. Click to see the correct answers.
Prices do not increase because an airline “knows” you’re searching. Fares change due to real-time demand and seat availability. As a flight fills up, the cheapest seats sell out, leaving only higher-priced options.
There is no specific day or hour that guarantees the lowest price. This may have been true 15 years ago, when airline staff manually updated fares once a week. Today, pricing algorithms are dynamic and operate continuously. While midweek bookings can sometimes be cheaper due to lower competition, there is no single “magic hour” that applies to all routes.
Last-minute deals are rare. True last-minute bargains are uncommon and generally limited to charter holiday packages, not scheduled airlines.
Often yes, but it’s not a rule. Flights departing on weekdays (especially Tuesday to Thursday) tend to be cheaper because demand is usually lower than at weekends. Our data supports this trend, although it is not universal. On popular routes or during peak travel periods, prices can remain similar throughout the week.
When searching for flights as a couple or group, the system may only show seats available in higher fare classes. Booking flights individually can sometimes reveal lower prices, although it doesn’t always guarantee that all passengers will be seated together.
Yes. If you see a good price, it can disappear quickly—especially on high-demand routes. Fares can be updated within minutes due to changes in demand, recent purchases, or automatic inventory optimisation.
We explain how we calculate the best time to buy flights so you can find the best day to book your flight tickets at the lowest possible price. Consider all these factors to make sure you don’t miss the best deals on your next trip.
Unlike other comparison tools that base their results on saved user information or estimates, our conclusions come from real, confirmed bookings made on Opodo.
Our tool does not rely on estimated prices: it is powered by millions of flights that have been booked and completed, drawn from our historical data, ensuring prices reflect what travellers actually paid, not simulations.
We analyse millions of real itineraries to provide reliable insights into when to book and help you find the best day to buy flights using verified data.
To show truly accurate average prices, we calculate the total value of all Economy class flight tickets purchased on a specific route and divide it by the number of confirmed bookings.
We also clean the data to ensure results are representative and reliable:
We remove outliers and price discrepancies that could distort the average.
Prices are shown per passenger and for a one way trip unless stated otherwise, including taxes and fees, but excluding optional extras such as additional baggage or seat selection.
This provides a clear and realistic reference for the average price and helps you identify the best time to buy flights using comparable, high-quality data.
We analyse the relationship between booking dates and departure dates across our entire historical dataset.
By combining these patterns, we identify the best time to buy flights as the specific range of days when the historical average price reaches its lowest point.
This analysis allows us to define the period in which, statistically speaking, you are most likely to find the lowest fares and book your flights at the best price.
No. Airlines adjust prices continuously based on demand and inventory.
Our tool analyses millions of verified bookings to identify patterns around the “best time to book” for your destination.
While we can’t guarantee a specific price, using this historical roadmap is the smartest way to plan your flight purchase.