When to Book Flights for the Lowest Price: What 2026 Data Says

Airport departure board in Zurich, photographed at an angle, listing flights to Lisbon, Boston, Chicago, London and other cities

The short answer: for US domestic flights, aim for about 3 to 8 weeks before departure. For international flights, aim for about 2 to 4 months. Those are the low-price ranges in Google's October 2026 analysis of five years of Google Flights data (22 to 57 days and 50 to 133 days). The day of the week you buy barely matters, the day you fly matters a lot, and no window beats setting a price alert and buying when a fare looks good. Averages describe the past. They don't promise your fare will drop.

These numbers come from US departures, so treat them as a starting point if you fly from elsewhere.

When is the cheapest time to book, by trip type?

Short answer: it depends on where and when you're going, from about 3 weeks out for a July or August trip to about 3 months out for Europe.

Google published these figures on October 5, 2026:

TripLowest prices, on averageLow-price range
US domestic39 days out22 to 57 days
International, overall89 days out50 to 133 days
Europe90 days out49 days or more
Mexico or the Caribbean43 days out24 to 69 days
Thanksgiving34 days out21 to 57 days
Christmas56 days out33 to 67 days
Spring break (March or April)50 days out29 to 64 days
Summer vacation (July or August)21 days out20 to 47 days

Two things are easy to miss in that table:

  • International fares are fairly flat inside the range. Google says the average price drop within the 50 to 133 day window is insignificant. So don't agonize over 110 days versus 80. Just don't drift out of the window.
  • "Lowest on average" isn't "safest". A 21 day summer figure doesn't mean you should wait until three weeks out if you need a nonstop, a specific departure time or six seats together. Cheap seats on a given flight can sell out, and Going's guide warns that fares reliably rise around 21 days out, with further jumps near 14 and 7 days. If your dates are fixed or your group is big, buy toward the early end.

Why do Google, Expedia and Going give different answers?

Short answer: they measure different things with different data. They overlap at about 3 to 8 weeks for domestic, and they disagree more on international.

SourceDomesticInternationalWhat it's based on
Google Flights (October 2026)Low at 39 days, range 22 to 57Low at 89 days, range 50 to 133Five years of Google Flights history
Expedia Air Hacks (February 2026)15 to 30 days, about $130 less than buying six months or more out31 to 45 days, compared with six months outExpedia and Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) ticket data
Going (current guide)1 to 3 months, or 3 to 5 for peak travel2 to 8 months, or 4 to 10 for peak travelThe window when a good deal is most likely to appear. Going sells deal alerts, so bear that in mind

Here's our read. Every source agrees that six months or more ahead is usually too early for a normal trip, and the last two weeks are usually too late. Expedia's international window sits closer in than Google's, and its comparison point is a ticket bought six months out, not one bought 90 days out. It's also likely that tickets sold close to departure are a different mix of routes from tickets sold months ahead, so these averages aren't a clean test of one flight's price over time. For international trips, we'd start watching at about 5 months and buy between 4 months and 2 months out, and only gamble on closer dates if you're flexible.

Is it really cheaper to book on a Tuesday?

Short answer: no. The latest reports name three different "best" days, and the gaps are small enough to ignore.

  • Google, 2026: Wednesday is cheapest, about 1.4% less than Sunday, the most expensive day. That's about $7 on a $500 ticket. Google's own advice is to "forget the myth".
  • Expedia, 2026: Friday is cheapest for US travelers overall, about 3% less than Sunday, while its US domestic breakdown says Saturday, about 2% less than Monday.
  • Going: when asked if there's a cheapest day to book, its guide says "Not really", because pricing systems update continuously.

If you see a good fare on a Sunday, buy it on a Sunday.

Other myths worth dropping:

  • "Use incognito or clear your cookies." Consumer Reports ran 372 flight searches in 2016, and prices were identical 88% of the time. Incognito was cheaper about 7% of the time and more expensive about 5%. Economists studying one large US airline's pricing, in a National Bureau of Economic Research paper, found that total bookings moved fares and individual shoppers' interest did not. Prices that change between your searches are usually just normal volatility.
  • "Book as early as you can." Most big US airlines sell seats about 11 months out, but that's rarely when prices are lowest. Expedia found buying six months or more out cost more on average than buying closer in.
  • "Wait for a last-minute deal." Going says last-minute discounts on high-demand dates are rare. On Thanksgiving, Kayak says domestic fares rise sharply within two weeks of departure.

Which days are cheapest to fly?

Short answer: changing your flight days saves far more than changing your booking day. Midweek usually wins for domestic trips.

  • Google, 2026: leaving on a Monday and coming back on a Tuesday or Wednesday averaged about 14% less than weekend flights. On domestic trips the gap reached up to 20% compared with leaving and returning on a Sunday.
  • Expedia, 2026: Tuesday is the cheapest domestic day to fly, about 14% less than Sunday. Friday is the cheapest overall and for international trips, about 8% less than Sunday.
  • Nonstops cost more. Google says nonstop tickets run about 20% above connecting flights on average. Decide what a connection is worth to you before you shop.
  • Fly on the holiday itself. Kayak says flying on Thanksgiving Day can save up to 19% domestically and 49% internationally compared with its most expensive day, November 20. Flying the week of Christmas instead of the week before can save up to 18% domestically and 34% internationally.

When should you book Thanksgiving and Christmas flights?

Short answer: Christmas, about 5 to 9 weeks out. Thanksgiving, about 3 to 8 weeks out, though popular dates can warrant going earlier.

  • Christmas. Google's low-price range is 33 to 67 days out, and it moved its average low five days earlier than last year. Kayak's is a little later, at four to seven weeks out, which it puts at mid-November to early December in 2026. For a December 23 departure, Google's range closes around November 20. If you're reading this after that, book now rather than waiting for a dip.
  • Thanksgiving. Google says 21 to 57 days, and Kayak says fares bottom out about five weeks ahead. For the holiday's busiest days and how to get through them, see our Thanksgiving travel guide.

Kayak also says its 2026 seasonal patterns follow 2025's at higher prices, and it describes history as "a useful guide, not a guarantee".

Which free tools are worth setting up?

Short answer: set a Google Flights alert first, and add one other tool only if it does something new.

  • Google Flights, Track prices. Turn on the toggle for your dates, or choose "Any dates" if you're flexible, and Google emails you when the route's price drops significantly. It may also warn you when prices are likely to rise. For set dates, Google Flights also shows "cheapest time to book" insights where it can identify a consistent pattern.
  • Google's Flight Deals. An AI search inside Google Flights for flexible travelers: describe the trip ("week-long winter trip to a city with great food, nonstop only") and it suggests bargains. It launched as a beta in the US, Canada and India in August 2025.
  • KAYAK Price Forecast and alerts. The forecast says whether a fare is likely to rise or fall over the next seven days, with a confidence level. KAYAK says its advice is "generally correct more often than not".
  • Skyscanner. Price alerts, a calendar of the cheapest dates in a month, and an "Everywhere" search if you care more about price than destination.
  • Expedia Flight Deals. A feed of fares at least 20% below Expedia's predicted typical price for a route, with no more than one stop.
  • Going. Deal alerts by email and app. The free tier covers economy deals to the continental US. Premium, with international deals, is listed at $49 a year.
  • Hopper. The app tells you to buy or wait on a trip you're watching. Be careful with paid add-ons: in July 2026, the FTC announced that Hopper agreed to pay $35 million to settle allegations including that Price Freeze's limits weren't clearly disclosed. The FTC said the freeze protected prices only up to a certain amount and only if the booking was still available.

What should you do after you book?

Short answer: use the 24-hour window, keep watching the fare, and know what your ticket allows.

  • The 24-hour rule. For tickets bought at least seven days before departure, the US Department of Transportation requires airlines to either let you cancel within 24 hours for a full refund or hold the fare unpaid for 24 hours. It binds airlines, not online travel agencies, so check the terms if you book through one.
  • Keep your alert on. Monitoring service Junova told Reuters that about 22% of the 10,000 flights it tracked from September 2025 to July 2026 had at least one fare drop after booking.
  • Claim the drop, if your fare allows it. Many US airlines dropped change fees on non-basic fares, so you can often rebook at the lower price and receive the difference as a credit, not cash. Rules differ and shift: in early October 2026, Alaska stopped honoring fare drops through customer service and told travelers to cancel and rebook instead. Basic economy is usually the catch. Check before you assume.
  • Weigh basic economy honestly. It may be the lowest fare today, but it often gives up the ability to capture a later drop. If you're buying early and the gap is small, a standard fare can come out ahead.

FAQ

How far in advance is too early to book a flight?

For most trips, six months or more. Expedia found fares bought that far ahead cost more on average, and Google's low-price ranges all fall well inside that. Peak trips with fixed dates, like a family Christmas or a big group, are the exception.

Are last-minute flights cheaper?

Usually not on popular dates. Off-peak, airlines sometimes trim fares and sales are more common, so waiting can occasionally pay if your dates and destination are flexible.

Is it cheaper to buy two one-way tickets?

Sometimes. Kayak says two one-ways could cut airfare by up to 30% internationally and 29% domestically on some routes, such as Liberia, Costa Rica or Washington, DC. Price it both ways, and remember changes and refunds work separately on each ticket.

Do these windows apply if I'm not flying from the US?

Not directly. Google's figures cover US departures, and Expedia's own 2026 editions give different answers by country. Its Canadian report, for example, names Monday as the cheapest day to book. Use Track prices on your own route.

I found a fare inside the window. Should I buy it or wait?

If it's below what you've been seeing and you know your dates, buy it. As one critic of Google's averages at View from the Wing points out, airlines keep adjusting fares as bookings arrive, so a predicted low isn't a promise. Waiting for a slightly lower number can easily cost you more.

Sources

Cover photo: Stimpy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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