Over the years, much type and many pixels have been devoted to advice about the best times to fly and the best times to buy tickets to get the lowest airfares. This crazy year, the “usual suspects” suggestions about when to fly and the airport and schedule hacks remain relatively valid, but the frenetic airline scene leaves a lot to be desired about historical ideas of when to buy tickets. The one overriding condition remains: At any given time, airlines micromanage airfares at levels they think will bring in the most revenue. And these days, that can be a toss-up.
When to Fly
Over the years, just about everybody has concluded that demand tends to be a bit less than average on midweek days—Tuesdays and Wednesdays—than for other days, and that mid-day and late-night fares may be a bit less than fares at morning and evening peak times.
Similarly, common sense suggests that fares to/from popular seasonal destinations—along with accommodations and other costs—are highest at peak times, lowest off-peak. These hardly need elaboration, so I won’t elaborate.
