Airlines Reporting Corporation and Expedia collaborated on the 2018 Air Travel Outlook Report, analyzing airline ticket transactions from September 2016 through August 2017 to reveal booking and pricing trends.
The report shows that, on average, the lowest economy fares are available on Sundays. Travelers also benefit from booking economy tickets more than 30 days before departure, which generally yields better prices than last-minute purchases.
For international economy travel, the most favorable days by price are Thursday and Friday, offering lower average fares compared with other weekdays.
Passengers seeking business- or first-class fares tend to find the best deals when booking travel that departs on a Saturday or Sunday. The report explains this pattern by noting that business travelers are less likely to schedule business trips that begin on weekends, reducing demand and lowering fares. As with economy class, booking premium tickets more than 30 days in advance typically produces greater savings.
When looking specifically at international premium travel, Friday and Saturday departures are the most economical. According to the findings, premium travelers who depart on these days can save up to 43 percent compared with departures on more expensive days.
Seasonal differences also affect average ticket prices. For international economy travel from the United States, December shows the highest average fares, while for travelers departing from Canada the peak month is July. Both U.S. and Canadian international economy travelers generally see the lowest average fares in February. For domestic premium travel, June is the month with the highest average ticket prices for U.S. passengers, whereas October shows the highest average prices for Canadian passengers.