Best Day to Fly

[happymom2one]

Hello. I was wondering when the best time to fly is. We are finally going back to Disney (YAY) and we have decided we are going to fly. Trying to decide if it is cheaper to do it one way over another. I was looking Sunday to Friday or is it better to do Monday to Saturday. Or is there not much of a price difference. After writing this not sure if this post goes in transportation or budget? Thanks in advance!!

Also, when do you think the flights going on sale will be?

 

[rwdavis2]

On sale? No way to predict it. It's all based on demand. If you google the subject of best days you may get some info based on probabilities and past trends. But not necessarily a predictor for the future.

There are really no secrets to booking airfare. When you see a price you can live with then book it. Just do your own research.

 

[happymom2one]

Thanks.

 

[Disneytam]

It all depends on where you are flying out of. If you have time before your trip and know what airport you are flying out of try to look for some trends. I fly Southwest out of Albany, NY and for us flying out on a Tues. is usually the cheapest, and returning during the middle of the week. Friday and Sat. flights are often pricey, but we are lucky that they often have up to 7 flights a day with at least two or three being nonstop. Don't be afraid to look around and stalk websites if you have the time. Sometimes even what time you look for a flight will change the cost. I try to make a game out of it.

 

[nacho113]

Hello. I was wondering when the best time to fly is. We are finally going back to Disney (YAY) and we have decided we are going to fly. Trying to decide if it is cheaper to do it one way over another. I was looking Sunday to Friday or is it better to do Monday to Saturday. Or is there not much of a price difference. After writing this not sure if this post goes in transportation or budget? Thanks in advance!!

Also, when do you think the flights going on sale will be?

As far as sales go, book when you can live with the price. Airline prices tend to steadily increase from when they are released until departure date on the legacy airlines especially on the prime flights times and routes.
Sometimes you will see "sales" and price drops when "less than ideal" flight times and routes aren't selling as predicted, but generally those "perfect" non-stop flights from your home town to MCO that fly out Saturday morning and return Sunday evening are the ones that everyone is looking for and willing to spend "full price" on.

Mid week (Tues-Thurs) are always the cheapest days to fly on legacy airlines while Friday-Monday are generally the most expensive.
Here's why:
Leisure travelers generally want to leave after their work week is over (Friday night or Saturday morning) and return on a Saturday/Sunday night so as to maximize their vacation days.
Business travelers typically fly out on Monday morning and return Friday afternoon/evening to maximize their work week.

If you have several weeks of vacation available or your dates are really flexible, you could try bucking the trend to find cheaper flight or better flights, or less crowded flights.
Buck the trend by either flying midweek (Tues-Thurs) or flying opposite to the majority of travelers.
ie: if you're flying to a destination like WDW, the majority of travelers will be leisure travelers trying to maximize vacation time and will be trying to arrive Friday evening or Saturday morning and leaving on Sunday evening (maybe Monday if its a long weekend). Since the plane has to fly both directions (from your home airport to MCO and back), if you decide to fly into MCO when the majority of people are flying home (say Sunday afternoon/evening), the flight to MCO will generally be less full and therefore seats get cheaper in an effort to fill the flight. For your flight home, the same holds true, try coming back on a Thursday or Friday/Saturday morning.