Put down the pitchforks, we’ve got data points…
There is no singular, magic day to get the best flight prices. Waiting in line to book flights 61 days in advance will most always prove fruitless, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t magical days to actually travel. That’s right: there are days of the week when business class tickets are almost always hundreds if not thousands of dollars lower than others. If you’re looking to find better availability or save yourself a small fortune, shoot for these “magic” days. And yes, the title was designed to make some of your collective blood boil, but your stress will soon ease, with these great data points…
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
To score great business class deals, you must think exactly the opposite of what typical business class customers desire. Road warriors like to hit the skies on Mondays and Fridays, which leaves Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursdays and Saturdays. By doing so, the results can be astoundingly good, with savings up to the thousands. Wondering about Sunday? Most leisure travelers like to fly home on Sundays to maximize their destination time, and some business travelers enjoy a head start on the week by flying out on Sunday evenings. Naturally, there are exceptions.
Up To $1000s In Savings
The savings behind this tact are incredibly compelling, and rather than blabber on with prosaic thoughts, here are a few screenshots which drive the point home. We conducted business class searches from the biggest markets in the U.S., Europe and beyond for intercontinental travel, and in almost every case, flying on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Saturday saved $300-$2000. Like…
Flying from the U.S. to Australia in business class is almost always dauntingly expensive. But for those who simply can’t travel any other way, Thursday seems unquestionably the day to fly out. Prices on Thursdays can be had for $2500 round trip, with every single other day of the week requiring a minimum of $4600, and in many cases, more than $5000. If that’s not compelling, you’ve been watching far too much daytime television.
Like Europe to the West Coast USA in business class. In November and December, two dates were at least $300 less per ticket than any other, and they happened to be the second to last Wednesday of each month. Leaving on Wednesday the 21st yielded prices of $1939 round trip, versus $2500 on Thursday.
Looking at New York to Los Angeles, things are much the same, with Saturday as the only “discount day”. The New York to Los Angeles business market is too steady during the week and for those looking to get a jump on Monday by utilizing Sunday, so on this particular route, there’s only one day a week to score better than average deals.
Here’s yet another example from Europe to Asia, where again, Wednesday is the go to day. If $300 in savings is nothing to you, congratulations – but for everyone else, it’s further proof that mid week departures win.
There Are Caveats
Sometimes airlines create sales for specific months, rather than specific days. There are plenty of cases where traveling anytime in November will save money, regardless of day. And occasionally, you’ll even find the best deals on other days. But to be certain, you’ll always always get the best prices on flights (in any cabin) by searching for midweek or Saturday departures.
Set Multiple Alerts
The key to finding great deals before anyone else is setting more alerts than anyone else. Rather than simply set one Google Flights or Kayak flight alert for your ideal trip, set alerts for each potentially usable day within your range. After all, life can change in seconds, let alone days – and flight prices are no different. In fact, you may actually learn something. One of the coolest (and nerdiest) things you can do is study how to predict flight prices change, by following a series of dates for the same flight. Here’s more on that. Enjoy!
What’s your best trick for finding business class deals?
Featured image courtesy of Virgin Atlantic.
Interesting stuff below the surface. The month of the year also plays a huge factor in the prices obviously. I might add that these also mirror (in my experience) better award availability as well. Which makes since on the supply and demand. I’d be interested to see what days offer the best upgrade chances. For example I typically find Sunday morning flights offer my low tier status the best chance of upgrades on domestic flights.
That’s a great idea for an article Dan!
Great info! Always wondered about this info for myself so glad to get the goods from a pro!
If you are looking for domestic (US) upgrades, book flights with (obvious) a large number of empty seats in the class you hope for, as well as routes unlikely to be popular with road warriors. For instance, long trips between business centers and alternate airports.