The Best Time to Buy a Plane Ticket Is Tuesday for Travel.
If you’re thinking of getting a plane ticket for your upcoming trip soon, this Tuesday might be the perfect time to buy.
Travel app Hopper recently researched the historical cost of plane tickets and determined that the best day to buy a ticket is probably the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Airlines are offering big discounts on flights starting Tuesday because most travelers have booked their vacation tickets by this point, but haven’t started planning their winter travel yet, Hopper’s researchers said.
Hopper says last year that he saw more than double the ticketing activity on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, which he dubbed “Travel Tuesday.” In 2015, ticketing activity grew 6 times compared to the usual pace.
To get the best deal, Hopper recommends using their app (natch), specifically the Flex Watch feature. You can set it up now using the company’s iPhone and Android app. With it, you indicate the time at which you want to go and where you want to go. When Hopper finds a trade, it will send you a push notification telling you it’s time to buy. Although you can certainly just do a good old flight search and find the exact same deals.
As for what is expected, Hopper says that deals start rallying at 6:30 am ET Tuesday and peaking around 9:30 am ET.
Based on his research, below are some of the fares that Hooper expects will be available on Tuesday: