Cheapest Days to Fly in 2019

RICK SEANAY

Dec 20 2018

Data Source for Cheapest Days

The data source for our list of cheapest days to fly in 2019 is based on FareCompare’s proprietary airfare data, which includes almost 300 million records of unique flight combinations for every origin and destination city around the world through August*. It also covers different routes (non-stops vs. connecting flights), different trip lengths, and different regions (the United States and Europe). Daily airfare prices were crunched down to ‘average cheapest fares.’

*Most airlines don’t actively manage fares until three to five months before departure so, as of this writing (December 2018), fall fares are likely more expensive than they will be later on.

Cheapest Days to Fly in 2019

The very cheapest days to fly in 2019 will vary depending on many factors, but here are general guidelines based on regions.

Worldwide: Jan. 29.
Europe: Jan. 30.
United States: Jan. 22-30.

Cheapest Days to Fly in Winter

The cheapest days to fly in the Winter of 2019 will vary by month and region.

UNITED STATES

January: Holiday fares will drop starting Jan. 3, followed by some of the cheapest prices of the year including Jan. 22-30.
February: More good prices, especially in the last two weeks of the month.
March: Fares start to rise on weekends, up about 35% compared to Tues./Wed. flights.
Unusually good valueS: Find good deals to Hawaii for travel on Jan. 14 to Feb. 7, and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays through May.

EUROPE

January to March: Besides cheap fares on Jan. 30, deals will be common in the winter months but prices are expected to rise sharply on March 20 for the Spring season.

Cheapest Days to Fly in Spring

As you can see, the cheapest days to fly in the spring are more expensive than winter fares.

UNITED STATES

April: Weekend fares rise in April and cost about 40% more than weekday flights.
May: Expect higher fares for Thursdays and Fridays especially in the latter part of May.
Early June: Prices remain fairly reasonable until pre-summer fares kick-in on June 13.

EUROPE

April: Flights will become increasingly expensive for weekend travel.
May: The last ‘cheap day’ for spring travel will be May 22.
Early June: We are now in the more expensive, pre-summer territory but still cheaper than late June.

Cheapest Days to Fly in Summer

The cheapest days to fly in Summer are generally not very cheap.

UNITED STATES

Late June: Peak season fares begin June 23 as prices are hiked 20-25% over pre-summer fares.
July: Prices continues to be expensive.
August: Prices drop for the cheaper fall season which is expected to begin Aug. 20.

EUROPE

Late June: Travelers now pay 60-70% more than fares for the same flights in January.
July: Fares actually drop a bit making July slightly cheaper than late June.
August: Watch for fares to begin dropping in late August/early September.

Cheapest Days to Fly in Other Regions of the World

The cheapest days to fly to and from other regions of the world can vary wildly.

ASIA: Departures for Asia are generally cheapest on Tuesdays, regardless of the season.
AUSTRALIA: January is usually expensive, while May is cheap.
CARIBBEAN: Flights from the U.S. are especially cheap for travel on Jan. 20-30
SOUTH AMERICA: Cheaper fares are common in late January, and some April/May dates.

General Rules to Find Deals

There are some general rules to find deals in 2019, any time of the year, for travel in most parts of the world. The key is the traveler’s ability to be flexible.

Fly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays: Flying on these days of the week is almost always the cheapest option in the U.S., and Saturdays are often cheap, too. In other regions, midweek flights are often better deals than weekend flights. Always compare fares.

Compare non-stops with connecting flights: Prices for less convenient connecting flights are often cheaper than non-stops, especially on long routes.

Look at short-haul, hub-to-hub flights: These flights are often less affected by seasonal prices swings, particular for mid-week flights.

When in doubt: It will almost always be cheaper to fly during unpopular times to fly, such as the winter months or weekdays. TIP: Use a tool that finds deals by month or season like FareCompare’s Getaway Map and you’ll always pinpoint the cheapest fare.

When to Shop

It won’t do you much good to know the cheapest days to fly in 2019 if you don’t buy your tickets at the right time, so follow these shopping guidelines.

U.S. flights: Begin shopping about three months before departure and complete your purchase about a month before take-off.

Europe flights: For many international trips, the shopping window is from about five months before departure through a month-and-a-half before you leave.

Now that you know the cheapest days to fly in 2019 – and when to shop – we hope your New Year is filled with wonderful flights to amazing destinations. Safe travels!