Is there a cheaper day to fly?

[disny_luvr]

We are flying from Baltimore to San Francisco next summer and even though SW has not released their fares for when we'll be flying, I was playing around with different dates yesterday just to get an idea on what we might pay. The cost difference from Monday to Tuesday is pretty significant - some weeks it is almost $200/per ticket cheaper to fly on a Tuesday. This is making me really consider shifting our travel dates by one day so we'd be flying out on a Tuesday instead of a Monday. Is it typically cheaper to fly on a Tuesday vs. a Monday? I'm taking a gamble by shifting our travel dates because I don't know what the fares will be when they are released, but I'd do it and change our hotel reservations and car rental if it meant saving significant money. Thoughts?

 

[fla4fun]

We are flying from Baltimore to San Francisco next summer and even though SW has not released their fares for when we'll be flying, I was playing around with different dates yesterday just to get an idea on what we might pay. The cost difference from Monday to Tuesday is pretty significant - some weeks it is almost $200/per ticket cheaper to fly on a Tuesday. This is making me really consider shifting our travel dates by one day so we'd be flying out on a Tuesday instead of a Monday. Is it typically cheaper to fly on a Tuesday vs. a Monday? I'm taking a gamble by shifting our travel dates because I don't know what the fares will be when they are released, but I'd do it and change our hotel reservations and car rental if it meant saving significant money. Thoughts?

My experience has been that flying midweek is usually cheaper than flying weekend adjacent. I usually do better flying Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday than Friday through Monday.

 

[TotallyTink]

Yes, I have noticed that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are typically cheaper for SW flights.

 

[DLgal]

Tuesday-Thursday are always cheaper.

That said, look beyond Southwest. Their fares have exploded in recent years. They are now routinely 25-50% more than the other major carriers for long haul flights.

We just flew CA to Orlando on Delta for $417 per person round trip. Soutthwest wanted $750 per ticket for a similar itinerary.

 

[mickmom728]

While it’s usually cheaper during the week I was able to book Saturdays in January and February to Orlando for the cheapest day of the week with Southwest.

 

[sam_gordon]

Google Flights gives you a nice way to look at this. Granted, they don't track SW fares, but as far as "cheaper days to fly"...

I picked a random week in June of next year to look at flights between Baltimore and San Fran. Then looked at the "date grid"...
Looks like Wed-Wed or Tues-Tues are the cheapest.

 

[focusondisney]

We are flying from Baltimore to San Francisco next summer and even though SW has not released their fares for when we'll be flying, I was playing around with different dates yesterday just to get an idea on what we might pay. The cost difference from Monday to Tuesday is pretty significant - some weeks it is almost $200/per ticket cheaper to fly on a Tuesday. This is making me really consider shifting our travel dates by one day so we'd be flying out on a Tuesday instead of a Monday. Is it typically cheaper to fly on a Tuesday vs. a Monday? I'm taking a gamble by shifting our travel dates because I don't know what the fares will be when they are released, but I'd do it and change our hotel reservations and car rental if it meant saving significant money. Thoughts?

Have you looked at the Low Fare Calendar on the SW site? You can look at a whole month pretty easily & get a good idea of general fares. Every city & route will be different. That said, I do find Tuesday, Wednesday & Saturdays are usually cheapest from my city. But I only look at nonstops. Lately SW has been changing routes depending on day of the week here too. There may be more nonstops & at better times on the weekends than during the week. So that may play into a decision on what day to travel too.

 

[titojackson84]

Something to keep in mind is that while you might get a cheaper flight, the hotel might be more expensive. I always book both together so I can get the overall cheapest deal (not as a package, just at the same time).

Also, if your hotel has free cancellation, you could always book more than once for different dates and then cancel once you know your flights.

 

[disny_luvr]

Tuesday-Thursday are always cheaper.

That said, look beyond Southwest. Their fares have exploded in recent years. They are now routinely 25-50% more than the other major carriers for long haul flights.

We just flew CA to Orlando on Delta for $417 per person round trip. Soutthwest wanted $750 per ticket for a similar itinerary.

I have so many Southwest flight credits and points to use that I'll probably stick with Southwest; however, I do always check other airlines. Last year we flew to Disney the week before Easter and AA was so much cheaper, like hundreds of dollars cheaper, than SW that AA won out, so I do always compare prices between airlines.

 

[disny_luvr]

Have you looked at the Low Fare Calendar on the SW site? You can look at a whole month pretty easily & get a good idea of general fares. Every city & route will be different. That said, I do find Tuesday, Wednesday & Saturdays are usually cheapest from my city. But I only look at nonstops. Lately SW has been changing routes depending on day of the week here too. There may be more nonstops & at better times on the weekends than during the week. So that may play into a decision on what day to travel too.

I did not do that, but I will. Unfortunately, the nonstop flights from BWI to SFO are very few. Some days there is one, but most days there are none. We will probably have to book a flight with a layover.

 

[disny_luvr]

Something to keep in mind is that while you might get a cheaper flight, the hotel might be more expensive. I always book both together so I can get the overall cheapest deal (not as a package, just at the same time).

Also, if your hotel has free cancellation, you could always book more than once for different dates and then cancel once you know your flights.

Yes, this is certainly the case. For example, our hotel in SF is $10/night more if we shift our dates. I did check our rental car and the price is the same no matter which dates we choose, so we are good there.

That's a good idea to book more than once for different dates. We always book rooms with free cancellation, so I could definitely do that, I just need to remember to cancel the rooms when we decide on our dates, lol.

 

[jimmymc]

Tuesday and Wednesday are almost always the cheapest days to fly. Monday is expensive due to business travelers.

 

[disny_luvr]

Thanks, everyone! I shifted our travel dates from Tues-Tues.

 

[EACarlson]

Mondays are almost the most expensive due to business travel. Same with Thursday and Friday mornings, Friday evenings are usually up due to people starting their vacations a little early. I just did a business trip leaving early Monday morning and coming home Thursday afternoon. Price was something I would never have paid for leisure travel.

 

[DLgal]

Mondays are almost the most expensive due to business travel. Same with Thursday and Friday mornings, Friday evenings are usually up due to people starting their vacations a little early. I just did a business trip leaving early Monday morning and coming home Thursday afternoon. Price was something I would never have paid for leisure travel.

Airfare is always cheaper when it includes a Saturday night stay over.

 

[RoseGold]

Set a Google flight alert.

 

[EACarlson]

Airfare is always cheaper when it includes a Saturday night stay over.

Very rarely true anymore. Almost no domestic fare rules require a Saturday night stay anymore. Many international rules do. Really not all that many domestic fare rules require round trip purchase. Many people, especially business travelers are buying one ways each direction for the flexibility rather than round trip since there is no price difference on most routes.