The Best Time to Buy Airline Tickets

Travelers often swap theories on the right—and wrong—time to book a flight. We've heard it all: The lowest fares are on Tuesdays at 3 p.m. Eastern. (No, Wednesday at 1 a.m. is the best time to buy!) You need to book at least two months before you fly.

(No, you should look for a deal and fly at the last minute!) Websites like Kayak suggest when you should buy, or if you should wait—like we're all trading stocks—but there's no guarantee. And according to George Hobica of AirfareWatchdog, "There is no secret time. You need to look four times a day—minimum—every day of the week, as far in advance as you can."

But a study by Expedia and the Airlines Reporting Corporation says that based on billions (yes, billions) of passenger flights from January 1, 2016, through October 24, 2016, the best day to buy airline tickets is Sunday, especially if you're booking more than 21 days in advance. Weekends are generally a good time to buy, but not Fridays, since there's an uptick then in business travel bookings.

Do this and you "can save more than 30 percent to Europe and 17 percent on travel domestically," says the study.

https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2015-03-10/the-best-time-to-buy-an-airplane-ticket-and-when-we-actually-buy?mbid=nl_021815_Daily&CNDID=&secondary_link=0&spMailingID=14138219&spUserID=MzQyODA1NTEwMDc3S0&spJobID=1561738364&spReportId=MTU2MTY4MDgxNgS2