As many Texans scramble to book flights for the holidays or vacations, finding the cheapest airfares can be a hassle if you don't know the best day to buy tickets.
Many travelers have booked their flights during the week or waited for Tuesdays with that day historically being known as one of the cheaper days for air travel.
Christie Hudson, travel expert and head of public relations at travel site Expedia said cheap bookings on Tuesday has become a myth.
Each year Expedia puts out its annual travel hack report with third-party company Airline Reporting Corp., which is one of the owners of the largest ticket databases globally, Hudson said.
Depending on the airline and time, flights can vary during holiday periods, due to real-time demand and prices increasing, Hudson said.
Sunday remains the cheapest day of the week to book flights, while Friday is the most expensive, according to Expedia's air travel hacks data.
In the report, travelers on average were able to save up to 13 percent when booking flights on Sunday.
"Air prices in general really come down to demand," Hudson said. "Demand is such a big driver of air ticket pricing. It used to be back before computers and dynamic pricing that you could catch tickets when they had just been released. That was a lot of the rumors around why Tuesday used to be a good day to book air tickets."
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Hudson said back then airlines would release an entire new set of tickets and you could catch them before prices would start to increase. She said that it is different now due to airlines being able to adjust their prices instantly.
Hudson said travelers can benefit more from timing their date of travel.
"Here's the trick, statistically speaking you're going to find some savings booking on Sunday versus Friday, but I will admit the biggest savings come from being flexible in terms of your departure date," Hudson said.
On average, the best day to travel is on Thursday and the most expensive day to travel is Sunday, according to Expedia. The report shows travelers can save around 16 percent by traveling on Thursday compared to those who travel on Sunday, depending on the date.
Hudson said this rule of thumb of picking the right day also can be used when flying during or on holidays.
"You really have to look at when the holiday falls and make your decision that way," Hudson said.
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The Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day will always be the most expensive day to fly compared to leaving on a Monday or Tuesday, she said.
"We took a look at which days are the most expensive and busiest days to fly and which days are the cheapest and we would expect Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after are the busiest, rather you're at the airport or on the road and they're also the most expensive days to be traveling," Hudson said.
Another trick is to fly out on the day of the holiday to find savings on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day or New Year's Eve.
Departing before 3 p.m. reduces the chance of cancellations, according to Expedia data. The 2024 study shows that travelers who fly after 3 p.m. have a 50 % higher chance of being cancelled compared to those that depart earlier in the day.