As people prepare their travel bucket lists for the new year, experts have been kind enough to keep our wallets in mind by telling travelers the cheapest days to get out of town.
Using data from close to 300 million flight routes, the prices were reduced to the cheapest fares on average from international and domestic destinations. For United States-bound flights, the best days to fly are from January 22 to January 30. Many travelers set dates as flight rates fluctuate given the season. For the winter months, prices start to get cheap beginning January 3, continuing through February. Better deals tend to fall within the last two weeks of the month. When planning a trip for September or later, experts suggest shopping within a window beginning about 14 to 21 days through 30 to 45 days before departure.
When the flowers start to bloom in spring, so do ticket prices. Weekend fares go up 35 percent in March on weekdays, but weekends are even higher in April. In late May or Memorial Day, watch out for high prices on Thursdays and Fridays too. Fares in the summertime don’t tend to go up until mid-June. June 13 is the first peak day, followed by June 23. Late June fares go up close to 25 percent more than the start of the month.
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Shockingly enough, flying during the winter months is the cheapest way to go when traveling to Europe. Seasonal deals tend to cause a rate increase starting March 20. Even though ticket prices go up 70 percent in late June, the positive outcome is that prices drop in July, and again in late August and early September. Travelers should avoid flying in the second half of June if they want to save money. Here are the cheapest ways to fly everywhere else. If you are flying to the Caribbean, go between January 20 and 30. Flying in May is the best way to spend the winter season in Australia. January, April, and May are cheap times to fly to South America, and when it comes to Asia, there really is no escaping expensive prices. Just try to fly during the week.
How does one find these deals? Experts say to simply compare prices. Many people go directly to their favorite airline to book tickets. While it’s understandable, that airline doesn’t always have the best deal. If you don’t compare, you may end up paying too much.