When are flights cheapest?
Many travellers dream of a relaxing flight at a low price. But when is the best time to fly cheaply? When should I book? Find out tips on how to get cheap flights here.
08.08.2023
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1. The following factors determine the airfare
First things first: every airline wants to make as much money as possible with each individual seat. The most important factor for the airfare is therefore demand. If the supply exceeds the demand, the prices fall. When the opposite is true, airline tickets become more expensive.
Travellers’ needs vary from destination to destination. For that reason, there are no general tricks for cheap flights. As demand for the same flight can vary, the time when you book your flight plays an important role in determining the price.
Flight prices: what is dynamic pricing?
Dynamic pricing is the flexible pricing of airline tickets. This allows airlines to respond to demand in real time and adjust prices accordingly. This makes it difficult to predict airfares.
However, there are still seasonal trends for the pricing of airline tickets. In addition, when you book also determines the price of the flight.
2. When is the cheapest day of the week to fly?
The cheapest flights are on the days when others are not flying. Rule of thumb: Friday and Sunday tend to be popular. As a result, you may find that the cheapest time to fly is in the middle of the week.
That said, the travel platform Kayak has found that monitoring demand trends when booking is more important than choosing a specific day of the week. This debunks the popular myth that flights are cheapest on Tuesday.
3. In which month do I fly cheapest?
The choice of destination affects which flights are cheapest. For example, Mediterranean destinations are more in demand in the summer months than in winter. That’s why airfares go up. If you want to fly cheaply to Thailand, you should avoid the winter months.
Here is an overview of seasonal trends in airfares for the most popular destinations from Swiss airports in 2019.
4. When should I book flights?
When is the cheapest time to book flights? Opinions are divided on this matter:
Airlines set high prices in economy class for popular routes long in advance. Prices decrease over time. Prices rise sharply in the last few days before departure. This is because the demand for the last remaining places is usually high.
Analyses by Momondo show that for the most popular destinations from Switzerland, flights are cheapest six to eight weeks before departure. Lisbon, with four weeks, is an exception. You should also book popular long-haul destinations such as New York, Bangkok, Cape Town, Cancun or Bali about 60 days in advance.
Good to know: according to Kayak, prices rise in business class as departure approaches.
It sounds plausible: the airline updates its fares at night. In addition, fewer people are searching for your flight during the night. The fact is that computer software is usually responsible for updating the fares. This can happen at night, but not always.
If you search for the same flight for too long and too often, you’re paying more: that’s the assumption. This is due to cookies on the booking portals. This way, the airlines will notice that you are interested in the flight route and increase prices.
Deleting the cookies in the browser or changing the browser before booking can help here. There is, however, no clear evidence for this. It can even happen that the airlines reward you with a more attractive offer in the event of a longer search.
How often do airfares change?
Airlines change their fares as often as they like, depending on whether a flight is full or not. This is how they maximize their profit. This means that prices change not only daily, but even several times a day.
5. Conclusion: when are flights cheapest?
Airfares are very dynamic. How you get the cheapest flight tickets depends on the destination and the travel time. The time of booking also determines the fare. To make sure you don’t pay too much, follow these tips:
Avoid summer holidays, public holidays and weekends
Low season is usually the best time for cheap flights. If there are fewer tourists travelling, airfares often fall considerably. The downside is that the demand is usually lower because the weather at the destination often does not play along.
In summer and December, flights are usually more expensive than in the rest of the year. So if possible, travel outside the holiday season. If you are flexible, you can travel during the week. There are a lot of leisure and business travellers on Fridays and Sundays. This drives up airfares.
Book in advance, but not too early
According to Momondo, the rule of thumb for booking is flights are cheapest 45 to 60 days before departure. If you’re lucky, you can even grab a last-minute deal. Important: early bookers often pay more for the flight.
Don’t travel on weekends
If you are flexible, you can travel during the week. There are a lot of leisure and business travellers on Fridays and Sundays. This drives up airfares.
Keep up to date with airlines
Subscribe to airline newsletters and follow them on social media. This will keep you informed about special offers and promotions.
Check alternative airports
In Switzerland, you can fly from several airports. Sometimes the same destination can be much cheaper from Basel than from Zurich. However, you should include any additional costs for travel. You should also consider airports in nearby foreign countries.
Make use of flight search engines
There are numerous online platforms and search engines that compare flight prices of different airlines. Make use of these. How to find the best deals and price differences between different booking platforms.
Avoid hidden fees
Look out for hidden fees like baggage drop, seat reservation, and booking fees. For many comparison platforms, the corresponding filters do not work properly. Supposedly cheap offers can therefore become more expensive than expected due to additional fees.
Our top tip for cheap flights
Ask yourself what the purpose of your trip is. Is it to relax? Think about how much this is worth to you. After all, it’s not just the airfare that’s important for an unforgettable and relaxing trip.
