Google Flights Just Debunked the Biggest Myth About Booking Holiday Travel

"Instead, there isn't actually a day of the week to book that is significantly cheaper than others. "It's worth knowing that you won't save much by booking on any particular day of the week," James Byers, the group product manager for Google search, said in a statement shared with T+L. In fact, while Sunday is traditionally the most expensive day and Tuesday is technically the cheapest, there's only 1.3% difference."

""Ticket prices are constantly changing and being updated across different data providers, even from second to second," Sophia Lin, Google's director of product management for travel and local, previously shared with T+L. "And every day, our systems are computing an enormous number of possible ticket combinations for trips around the world." However, there are still important timelines to follow when booking flights to snag the lowest rates."

"Google recommends booking 39 days in advance for domestic flights and at least 49 days in advance for international flights to get the best prices. That can also change based on the destination: trips to Europe, for example, are typically cheaper 48 days or more before a scheduled departure while trips to Mexico or the Caribbean are cheapest 50 days before departure. For the end-of-year holidays, Google recommends booking 35 days in advance for Thanksgiving and 51 days in advance for Christmas."

There is no single weekday that consistently offers significantly cheaper airfare; the difference between the cheapest and most expensive booking days is only about 1.3%. Ticket prices change constantly across data providers, with systems calculating vast combinations of fares in real time. Recommended booking windows aim to capture typical low-price periods: about 39 days in advance for domestic flights and at least 49 days for international trips, with destination-specific timing such as Europe at 48+ days and Mexico/Caribbean at 50 days. Flying Monday through Wednesday can reduce costs by roughly 13% compared with weekend travel.

Read at Travel + Leisure