This is Google Flights' 'No. 1 advice, always' to score cheap airfare

Finding a cheap flight tin astatine times consciousness arsenic pugnacious arsenic scoring a decent snack connected an airplane.

But question experts mostly hold connected 1 portion of proposal to getting a bully deal connected airfare: Be flexible.

"It's our No .1 advice, always, for travelers" looking for deals, said James Byers, caput of the merchandise squad astatine Google Flights.

Flexibility whitethorn mean flying midweek alternatively of during the weekend, oregon possibly traveling extracurricular of highest play for a peculiar destination, helium and different experts said.

"Try not to fastener yourself into a truly circumstantial date," Byers said.

Even shifting question by a time oregon 2 successful either absorption tin marque a "huge difference," helium said.

Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are mostly the cheapest days to fly. Tickets are 13% little costly than those for play flights, according to caller Google Flights data.

Google examined mean round-trip airfares from Jan. 1, 2021, done Aug. 1, 2025. It analyzed four-day to 16-day trips departing from the apical 4,000 markets successful the U.S.

Midweek departures are a "simple way" to prevention $42 a ticket, oregon astir 14%, connected average, for home airfare, according to a 2025 question hacks report by Hopper.

Sunday is often the astir costly time to fly, Hayley Berg, Hopper's pb economist, wrote successful the report. It's typically a engaged time successful airports arsenic radical alert location from weekends away, she wrote.

"Travelers reasoning astir a play getaway tin prevention importantly by departing mid-week and returning connected Saturday oregon Monday, alternatively of Sunday," Berg wrote.

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Of course, holidays tin propulsion a wrench into these guidelines.

For example, flying connected the Wednesday earlier Thanksgiving is apt the astir costly time to alert astir that peculiar holiday, said Sally French, a question expert astatine NerdWallet.  

As an added bonus, skipping play question tin besides output large edifice discounts. Checking successful connected Friday oregon Saturday and staying done Sunday mostly means paying a premium exceeding 20%, oregon astir $50 much per night, comparative to the cheapest days of the week to cheque in, specified arsenic Tuesday, Wednesday oregon Thursday, according to Hopper data.

Many travelers autumn for the "myth" that the time of the week connected which they acquisition their formation has a large fiscal effect, French said.  

"It's not true," she said. "It's not the time that you publication [that's important], it's the time that you fly."

Tuesday has historically been the cheapest time of the week to book, but it's lone 1.3% cheaper than Sunday, the astir costly day, according to the Google Flights analysis.

"If I were giving my friends and household proposal connected what to look for, it'd beryllium little connected the database arsenic a factor," Byers said. "I wouldn't say, 'Wait until Tuesday.'"

Flexibility connected a much macro level tin besides assistance trim your airfare, French said.

"Just going successful a little crowded period tin beryllium helpful," she said.

This mightiness mean traveling during a destination's enarthrosis play oregon offseason, experts said.

Airfare mostly peaks successful mid-summer and drops arsenic aboriginal autumn approaches, Berg wrote. For example, home travelers successful 2024 saved 40%, connected average, oregon astir $150, by shifting from highest summertime months to September oregon October, she wrote, citing Hopper data.

Of course, it whitethorn beryllium hard for definite travelers to beryllium flexible.

Parents whitethorn beryllium tied to summertime trips owed to schoolhouse abrogation schedules, portion workers successful definite roles, say, teachers oregon taxation preparers, whitethorn beryllium constricted successful erstwhile they tin instrumentality clip disconnected work.

Additionally, tours oregon cruises mostly travel with rigid commencement and extremity dates, and it whitethorn not marque fiscal consciousness to tack connected further days — and other edifice and nutrient costs — astatine the opening oregon extremity of a trip, French said.

There are different ways to save, though, experts said.

Layovers, portion perchance burdensome, are often a surefire mode to prevention money. Booking an itinerary with a layover saves travelers astir 22%, connected average, versus flying nonstop, according to Google Flights.

Just retrieve to battalion each the indispensable items for your travel successful your carry-on baggage successful lawsuit your suitcase doesn't marque it onto the adjacent airplane, French said.

Booking ahead, or, not waiting until the past minute, often yields savings, too, experts said.

The lowest prices person been 39 days earlier departure for a home formation and 49 days for international, according to Google Flights. The people whitethorn alteration based connected destination, experts said.