The Ultimate Guide to National Cheap Flight Day

14.08.2024 - 17:34 / smartertravel.com / Hayley Berg

Travelers, mark August 23rd on your calendar—it’s National Cheap Flight Day. August 23rd is reported to be one of the best days of the year to book a flight, as kids return to school and the summer travel surge ends.

National Cheap Flight Day highlights a recurring pattern in the travel industry where bargains emerge as seasonal demand fluctuates. As summer leisure trips wind down and holiday travel planning has yet to begin, airlines strategically reduce fares to maintain passenger numbers during this transitional period. This brief window of opportunity precedes a gradual price increase, culminating in peak rates around Thanksgiving.

“Our data shows that airfares are trending downward, and we expect that to continue for the immediate future,” said Glenn Cusano, President of Fareportal, the corporation behind OTA brands CheapOair and OneTravel.

Is National Cheap Flight Day the Best Day to Book?

According to online travel agency CheapOair, August 23rd coincides with a noticeable downward airfare trend. The agency analyzed bookings over the past two months and found a significant decrease in average ticket prices. For U.S. domestic flights, fares have dropped by a third since the beginning of June, while international flight costs have seen a 10 percent reduction.

However, this dip is more of a general downward trend for fall travel than an indication that August 23rd will be the cheapest day to buy your ticket. Flights are generally less expensive in the fall than in the summer, but to find the best deal, you’ll have better luck setting up airfare alerts (we recommend using our sister site, Airfarewatchdog) and watching prices rather than waiting until one magical date in August to book.

“There is no one day of the year which is the best to book travel, or any ‘golden rule’ about when to book to ensure you get the absolute best deal on airfare,” says Hayley Berg, lead economist at Hopper. “The reality is that prices for a flight can change multiple times a day, and depend heavily on where you’re traveling to, when you’re traveling and how far in advance you’re searching.”

Berg notes that the end of summer is a great time of the year to snag deals on early fall trips. According to Hopper’s data, plenty of fall deals are available, no matter what date you book. Domestic airfare every weekend of the month after Labor Day is currently averaging around $270 round-trip.

Looking to take advantage of fewer crowds in Europe while the weather is still nice? Book your trip for the first two weekends of November, when Hopper says you’ll save about 27 percent off your ticket.

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