Best day to book

Is it true that Tuesdays are the best day to book flights for the best prices??

No.

Only if you do it at exactly 2:01 in the early morning, under the light of a full moon, wearing a pointed wizard's cap, and with a glass containing eye of newt in your left hand.

You can get access to even better rates if you quietly invoke this prayer at the same time: "All hail to the blessed gnomes of yield management! I beseech you to come out from your dark dens of hidden algorithms and share the bounty of your glorious fare buckets with me. For I shall never speak ill of your fare rules and shall abide in my middle seat forever."

In other words, hoping to accurately paraphrase Trucker Dave: "No".

Please understand that debunking this myth is akin to playing whack a mole. As soon as someone understands the invalidity of this concept, someone else will post "but I read somewhere that...", "but I got a great deal on a Tuesday..."

Engage the logic here. If prices truly dipped with regularity on Tuesdays, wouldn't EVERYONE wait until Tuesday to purchase air? And if everyone did that, wouldn't DEMAND on Tuesdays go way up? And from Econ 101, what happens when demand goes up? Yes, PRICE goes up.

Flyertalker mentions terms like "yield management", "algorithms", and "fare buckets". These are real concepts in pricing decisions. No one sitting at a Delta desk in Atlanta looks at the calendar and says "It's Tuesday, time the give the passengers a break."

oh never mind.

Is it true that Tuesdays are the best day to book flights for the best prices??

What I do is follow fares for several days trying to see if there will be fluctuations and once I find a price I like I lock in.

I used to feel years ago that certain days had better pricing. I have no idea if that was fact or fiction but as nowadays when prices go up or down it is not driven by the day of week but rather by supply and demand and what the competitors are doing.

Best of luck with this.

Keith

Keith is partially on to something. Day of the week does matter, but not the way most folks think. It's not the day you buy, but rather the day you fly. And that's due to our old friends, supply and demand.

Demand on many routes is higher on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Routes serving cruiseports tend to run higher on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All due to demand - in the first case due to business travel, in the second due to cruise traffic (think of six or seven ships' worth of pax trying to leave town). Somewhere like MIA would get both.

 

I used to feel years ago that certain days had better pricing. I have no idea if that was fact or fiction but as nowadays when prices go up or down it is not driven by the day of week but rather by supply and demand and what the competitors are doing.

 

And years ago there MAY have been an ounce of truth in it, because years ago we didn't have the practical ability (via home computers, internet, cell phones, notification apps, etc.) to constantly check prices 10 times a day for weeks on end, and airline computer systems and the algorithms that run them weren't nearly as complicated as they are today, so MAYBE their computers were programmed to input new prices on a certain day?? We just didn't have the ability to be notified immediately if that happened like we do today.

I had been watching prices for *months* for a January trip with friends.

Prices have been stable since I started checking about three months ago. Yesterday (a Tuesday) there was a very slight tick upwards in price (only $6 more). I decided I didn't want to risk any large increase and booked the flights.

Today just for the heck of it, I looked at the prices and now the exact same flight is about $140 less! Grrr! I put in a claim for reimbursement but I doubt I'll get it because it was about 26 hours after I booked when I discovered this.

I'm assuming I'm SOL on getting the lower fare at this point...ugh.

Anyway, I suppose I could start a rumor that you should always book your flight on a Wednesday..... :-P

I had been watching prices for *months* for a January trip with friends.

 

Prices have been stable since I started checking about three months ago. Yesterday (a Tuesday) there was a very slight tick upwards in price (only $6 more). I decided I didn't want to risk any large increase and booked the flights.

 

Today just for the heck of it, I looked at the prices and now the exact same flight is about $140 less! Grrr! I put in a claim for reimbursement but I doubt I'll get it because it was about 26 hours after I booked when I discovered this.

 

I'm assuming I'm SOL on getting the lower fare at this point...ugh.

 

Anyway, I suppose I could start a rumor that you should always book your flight on a Wednesday..... :-P

This is a great example of 'Sod's Law' !

Tuesday's are good to patch your operating system, can't think of anything else.

Maybe you should say No in Spanish...

only if you do it at exactly 2:01 in the early morning, under the light of a full moon, wearing a pointed wizard's cap, and with a glass containing eye of newt in your left hand.

 

You can get access to even better rates if you quietly invoke this prayer at the same time: "all hail to the blessed gnomes of yield management! I beseech you to come out from your dark dens of hidden algorithms and share the bounty of your glorious fare buckets with me. For i shall never speak ill of your fare rules and shall abide in my middle seat forever."

 

in other words, hoping to accurately paraphrase trucker dave: "no".

That about sums it up :)

Is it true that Tuesdays are the best day to book flights for the best prices??

Yes! It is absolutely 100% true. [emoji1]

I've found the best time to book is usually the day after I book. It's not always a Tuesday, though.

I am not into the day of the week, but am watching the price at least ry other day day.

I lost a price of $1304 from MSP ATL BCN and back for June 28 2016, and return July 15 2016. By the time I talked to my sister in Nashville the price had disappeared. It is now back up to #1741 which it has been since the dates have opened. Both of us will book the DL 114 to BCN and DL155 to ATL. will text each oterh when we are going ot pull the trigger.....:D

I lost a price of $1304 from MSP ATL BCN and back for June 28 2016, and return July 15 2016. By the time I talked to my sister in Nashville the price had disappeared.

Either: 1) One person makes the flight decisions for everyone or 2) Everyone makes their own arrangements when they are comfortable with the purchase. And if that means meeting at the destination, or even aboard, so be it.

Hopefully, you only have this one $800 lesson. For any other method is fraught with pitfalls and possible recriminations.

Which why you need to have the following set of rules.

 

Either: 1) One person makes the flight decisions for everyone or 2) Everyone makes their own arrangements when they are comfortable with the purchase. And if that means meeting at the destination, or even aboard, so be it.

 

Hopefully, you only have this one $800 lesson. For any other method is fraught with pitfalls and possible recriminations.

Thanks Flyertalker, I am going with #2. her price from Nashville is already cheaper! :)

Flyertalk is correct. Trying to get all the details lined up for flights and even hotels for a party traveling together but not husband and wife is very hard. I find I do the research and usually make the decision and put it on her charge card. We share the car/car and driver so being in a different hotel would be difficult as would different flights. If not doing a pre cruise tour together then we say "see you on board!"

That is funny. I only fly 5 or 6 times a year but I start watching about 5 months out. It is crazy how prices fluctuate even over a 24 hr. period. One day someone is going to decide to sue the air lines over the "unfairness" of it. Wouldn't surprise me one bit.

I've found the best time to book is usually the day after I book. It's not always a Tuesday, though.

That is funny. I only fly 5 or 6 times a year but I start watching about 5 months out. It is crazy how prices fluctuate even over a 24 hr. period. One day someone is going to decide to sue the air lines over the "unfairness" of it. Wouldn't surprise me one bit.

Sure. I suppose someone should sue over the price of gas too.:rolleyes:

One day someone is going to decide to sue the air lines over the "unfairness" of it. Wouldn't surprise me one bit.

Anyone can sue anyone in America. Now, saying that is different than the suit actually going beyond the first round of motions and being slapped for costs.

And what's just so "unfair"? Would you rather that the airline just price the ticket once and be done? If so, trust me...it would be several times higher than what you are paying.

Prices change due to fluctuations in demand and competitive considerations in each specific marketplace. Econ 101.

We don't fly much but this current week I've found our one way flight from Albany, NY to Florida fluctuating a few times a day no matter what day it's been.

Coach has gone from $106 each to $117 each while first class has gone from a nutty $217 each to $335 each.

Thursday at noon first class was $335 right until 7-PM last night, then at 7:30 last night it went back down to $217 each so we booked it and it was a Friday night before a holiday and not a Tuesday.

Just thought I'd mention it.

Dave

Actually I was not referring to myself, but to those who believe everything or experience they don't like is "unfair."

Anyone can sue anyone in America. Now, saying that is different than the suit actually going beyond the first round of motions and being slapped for costs.

 

And what's just so "unfair"? Would you rather that the airline just price the ticket once and be done? If so, trust me...it would be several times higher than what you are paying.

 

Prices change due to fluctuations in demand and competitive considerations in each specific marketplace. Econ 101.

Only if you do it at exactly 2:01 in the early morning, under the light of a full moon, wearing a pointed wizard's cap, and with a glass containing eye of newt in your left hand.

 

You can get access to even better rates if you quietly invoke this prayer at the same time: "All hail to the blessed gnomes of yield management! I beseech you to come out from your dark dens of hidden algorithms and share the bounty of your glorious fare buckets with me. For I shall never speak ill of your fare rules and shall abide in my middle seat forever."

 

In other words, hoping to accurately paraphrase Trucker Dave: "No".

Damn you make me laugh.... only because I'm also into sarcasm, it's just that most people 'just don't get it'.

Although - I know you're serious and trying to help.

I've found the best time to book is usually the day after I book. It's not always a Tuesday, though.

For me it's the day before LOL

I just booked a Baltic cruise for next year and before I booked the cruise I took at look at airfare to see how much that would hurt me. Found a nonstop flight for about $750 which I thought was very reasonable. So I booked the cruise and when I back yesterday to look at airfare again it had gone up to over $1200 two days later and almost $500+ morre

Guess I'll be checking websites for a while for another deal