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A study reveals the cheapest time to buy airfare

The average flyer misses the best deal by 15 days.

Photo from Wikimedia Commons/https://images.flysas.com.

Taking a trip on the airline.

Everyone seems to have a theory on the best time to purchase airfare to save the most money. Some say it's right before take-off. Others will swear that prices are lowest six months before the flight. Well, now we have the truth. A scientific study was conducted by Expedia and the Airlines Reporting Commission that found the best times to buy flight tickets to get the best deal possible.

When we actually buy...

DOMESTIC: 32 DAYS IN ADVANCE

INTERNATIONAL: 59 DAYS IN ADVANCE

When we should buy...

cheap deals, Expedia, ticket prices, domestic flights

Get your boarding pass ready.

Photo from Pixabay.

DOMESTIC: 57 DAYS IN ADVANCE

The ideal advance-purchase time for domestic flight to snag the lowest average airfare is 57 with prices climbing most rapidly in the 20 days leading up to the flight. On a flight that averages $496, it will cost $401 57 days before the flight and around $650 the day of departure.

INTERNATIONAL: 171 DAYS IN ADVANCE
For a ticket that averages $1,368, the lowest average of $1,004 happens around 171 days before take-off. On the day of, the price will be around $1875. Ticket prices begin to dramatically escalate 75 days leading up to departure.

(H/T Conde Nast Traveler)

This article originally appeared on 10.14.15

From Your Site Articles

travel

Joy

Travel is changing. Experts say this is the new cheapest day to buy plane tickets.

The last few years have been turbulent. Here's how to get the best deal.

via Omar Prestwich/Unsplash

Passengers getting ready to take off.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the airline industry has been unpredictable, to say the least. From the glut of canceled flights over the past year to changing travel restrictions, travelers haven’t felt too confident flying the friendly skies.

Amidst the turbulence, there are some changes that travelers should consider when booking their flights. Experidia’s “2024 Air Hacks Report” shows that travelers should reconsider how far out in advance they buy their tickets, on which days to make the purchase and the days they travel.

Airline prices rose 22 percent from March 2022 to March 2023, so travelers have to be savvy to get the best deal. The good news is that Expedia says that ticket prices should be cheaper in 2024, although only by around 3 percent.

Cheapest day to fly

According to the report, the cheapest day to depart on your flight has changed recently. It used to be that the cheapest day to get a flight would be Tuesday or Wednesday, in the middle of the week. This is because it’s hard for many folks to get away mid-week because of work considerations. Also, companies that send their employees on trips often do so on weekends these days.

So these days, the cheapest day to fly out has been moved up to Thursday, which isn’t too bad for people looking for a weekend getaway. However, you won’t want to return on Sunday, because that is the most expensive day to fly. Travelers who book their flights on a Thursday save around 16 percent over booking on Sunday.

If you’re looking to take a quick trip to Vegas, it might be best to do a Thursday to Monday trip.

Cheapest day to buy your plane tickets

Sunday may be the most expensive day to depart on your dream vacation, but when buying your plane tickets, it is the least expensive day. The most expensive day to book a flight is on Friday. Travelers who book on a Sunday instead of a Friday can save around 8 percent on their flights.

When to book a flight for the best deal

According to Expedia, the best time to book a domestic flight is 28 days before departure. Travelers who booked 28 days before departure saved 24 percent on average compared to those who waited until the last minute.

The best time to book an international flight is farther out. Expedia says the best time to book international travel is 60 days before departure and no earlier than four months out. Travelers who booked 60 days out saved around 10 percent compared to those who booked further out, as average ticket prices peaked around four months from departure.

If you’re looking to book a big international vacation in 2024, Europe and North America are still hotspots. A recent poll published in The New York Post found that the top 5 places that people want to travel to are Mexico, Canada, and France, which are all tied for first place at 42 percent, followed by Spain (40%), Italy (32%) and Greece (21%).

According to Expedia, the most popular tourist destinations in the United States are New York, New York, Los Angeles, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

From Your Site Articles

air travel

She wanted to see wild horses but was stuck in a hospital. They made it work.

True

This is Kiara. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor in November 2014.

All images via Expedia/YouTube.

The tumor was cancerous, and she spent almost a year in treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^®. She loves horses and enjoyed coloring pictures of them while she was at St. Jude.

This is Sara. She had a brain tumor too, about five years ago.

She had surgery, and today she's fortunate to lead a healthy, normal life. Sara works for Expedia and was one of four volunteers picked for a special project — to bring a little bit of hope and adventure to kids who have cancer.

In October 2015, Sara and Kiara got to go on the adventure of a lifetime together: roaming with wild horses in Córdoba, Argentina.

Well, kind of.

Sara flew to Argentina equipped with a 360-degree camera and live-streaming technology. With the help of projection mapping software, she was able to stream her trip back to St. Jude so that Kiara could virtually travel with her.

“Anything I can do to make today better for her is my honor to do,” said Sara.

All GIFs via Expedia/YouTube.

Pretty incredible, right? So how exactly did they do that?

Sara recorded her adventures with a 360-degree camera.

A company called All 360 Media worked with her and the other volunteers to set up live-streaming from remote places like Córdoba back to a projection system at St. Jude.

It was a little tricky, what with the whole trying-to-get-Wi-Fi-in-the-middle-of-nowhere thing, so they used satellite technology to help.

Then it was time for Pixel Rain. Pixel Rain does projection mapping, which basically means they project content onto non-flat objects, instead of screens, to create a 3D look.

In this case, they took the footage being streamed to them by Sara and the other volunteers and wrapped it around a sphere to create the visual equivalent of surround sound.

The result? A totally immersive environment.

Watch the full gorgeous story below:

Did you know that you can also help kids like these, no fancy tech required?

If you're not familiar with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^®, its mission is to "advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment."

Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food. St. Jude cares for patients regardless of their financial situation, thanks largely in part to individual contributions.

If you use Expedia, you're in luck. You can donate your Expedia+ points and 100% will go straight to St. Jude. Learn more here about how to help these children fighting cancer and other life-threatening diseases get back the quality of life they so very much deserve.