To get the best price on your airfare, book your ticket on a Tuesday.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal earlier this year, studies show
that Tuesday consistently offers up the lowest ticket prices.
What’s so special about Tuesday?
Well…the airline industry goes through a weekly cycle.
Thursday night is the time most airlines choose to raise their prices.
Then, they wait over the weekend to see if their competitors match and
the higher price sticks. If competitors fail to follow suit, prices
can be rolled back Monday morning.
Also, as the WSJ article explains, most airlines don’t manage their
inventory over the weekend. If cheap seats sell on some flights,
prices automatically jump (making the weekend a more expensive time to
book). Airlines may later decide to offer more seats at cheaper
prices…but not until after the weekend. And, those fares usually
kick in by Tuesday.
A study by FareCompare.com narrows this theory even further. After
three years of fare watching, the company concluded that Tuesday at 3
p.m. Eastern Time is the best time to buy. That’s when the maximum
number of cheap seats are on the market.
Well worth bearing in mind next time you’re planning a flight…