Honestly speaking, we all want the cheapest flights possible – be it a holiday or business trip, or just a visit to family, relative or friends. However, finding the cheapest days to fly International in the U.S. and getting the best deals on airfare could become quite a homework.
Thus, knowing when to buy flight tickets and the best days to fly can often be a great help in your search. This is another way to save, too. Travelers that are frequent flyers might be aware of the fact that the price of airfares tend to take a significant dip on certain days of the week. This means you can fly cheap on those days within the United States.
In this travel guide prepared by Treknova, we shall learn about the three cheapest days in the U.S. to fly.
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Which Cheapest Days To Fly in the U.S.?
It may not be a surprise to some people who fly regularly either within or outside the United States. But, for those individuals who are planning a holiday trip will be surprised to know that when you book reservation on these three days of the week, you pay less than the usual airfare.
For U.S. domestic flights, the cheapest days to fly are usually Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The most expensive days are usually Fridays and Sundays. For flights to outside the U.S., i.e., Europe, airfares are often much cheaper in the weekdays than in the weekends.
Reasons Why Airfares are Cheaper on Such Days
There are a couple of reasons as to why airlines in the U.S. might want to sell discounted airfares, especially on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Basically, the volume of passengers on such days see a significant decrease, which makes it one of the crucial reasons why airfares become cheap.
These days are the cheapest to fly because airlines discount prices hoping that the cheaper fares will get you to take that trip you were on the fence about, in order to fill up their empty middle seats. Although this is increasingly rare.
Business fliers typically depart on Sunday or Monday and then return home on Thursday or Friday. They also buy expensive, last-minute tickets on the boss’ dime, which is why the airlines get more money from them. Likewise, there are holiday fliers as well. Most holiday-makers want to squeeze every last minute out of their hard-earned time off, so they depart on Friday for the weekend getaway and return home from their week-long trip late on Sunday. This is an ideal time, even though it would cost them more. The airlines like them, too.
The best day to purchase a flight ticket is on Tuesday. Many U.S. airlines begin airfare sales that appear on their websites late Monday or early Tuesday. The competition then matches these newly lowered prices and this is generally completed by Tuesday afternoon. That is when customers have the most deals to choose from. So, it is a good idea to always compare fares for multiple itineraries to be sure. When you know where you want to go, setting airfare alerts can also be very helpful.
Let’s say you see a good deal in an airline sale, but don’t purchase it just yet. Instead, take a moment and carefully compare airfares, because no airline always has the best deal. Also, airlines will not be on every route, every single day. Thus, if you do not compare the airfares, you might end up paying too much or even way too much.
These are clearly no myths or false beliefs, rather this is yet another business strategy that airlines undertake in order to prevent them from incurring a heavy financial loss. Check how to get cheap airfares here.
Tips to Save on Airfare
Here are a few tips to help you save on your airfare when flying on domestic flights within the United States.
(a) Avoid Flying on Fridays and Sundays
Flying on Fridays and Sundays in the U.S. should be avoided because they are the most popular days to fly, especially for business trips and holidays. Also, this gives airlines the opportunity to charge whatever the market can bear because they know these two groups of travellers will pay, even if the prices are higher.
(b) Compare Non-Stop Flights with Connecting Flights
Adding a stop to your route, especially on longer flights, can sometimes save up to 50%. It is always worth trying, if you are looking to save on your airfares.
(c) Fly from Bigger Airports
Bigger usually means cheaper, and big hub-type airports can be cheapest of all. Compare prices from the nearest large airport with your home-town and see if the longer drive is worth it to you.
(d) Avoid Travelling in Peak Season
If you can holiday in fall or winter, or travel in Spring (while avoiding Spring Break weeks), you can often find much better deals.
(e) Prefer Carry-on Bags over Large Baggage
The price of checking a bag can add expenses to your trip; on some airlines, a carry-on is still free. However, even if you have to pay for this smaller bag (and Frontier and Spirit charge for all bags), it’s still worth it because the bag that flies by your side is the bag that will not get lost.
If you can build a trip around the cheapest days to fly, which are Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday, respectively, you will see significant savings. However, most travellers may not be quite that flexible, but if you can fly even one of those days, in either direction, then you will still reap half the savings. Thus, this is better than paying the considerably higher ticket price of two expensive travel days.
Conclusion
Finding a decent airfare deal can be a challenge, but if you know the best time to purchase airline tickets, it will be a piece of cake. If you were not aware of this before, you can now be benefited when you plan your next holiday trip in the U.S.
