The Cheapest Time to Fly in 2026

Month-by-month fare data across the top US routes — with the exact weeks fares hit their lows.

The cheapest months, ranked

Across the top 100 US domestic routes, three windows deliver the lowest fares year after year: the last two weeks of January, the two weeks after Labor Day (mid-September), and the first three weeks of December (excluding Christmas week). These are the 'nobody is flying' weeks — post-holiday, post-summer, and post-Thanksgiving — and fares reflect it.

Peak weeks to avoid: Thanksgiving week, Christmas–New Year, spring break (mid-March through early April), and July 4th week. On many routes these weeks run 2–3x the January low.

Day of the week matters more than most travelers realize

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday are typically the cheapest days to fly. Friday and Sunday are typically the most expensive. On a $200 fare that's a real $60–80 swing.

For return legs specifically: Tuesday returns and Sunday-night redeye returns are consistently the cheapest bookable seats — especially on transcon routes like NYC-LA and Boston-LA.

How far in advance to book

Domestic: 3–8 weeks out is the sweet spot. Beyond 3 months you're often paying the airline's baseline price with no discount. Under 2 weeks and prices spike as business travelers bid up seats.

International: 2–5 months out for peak season, 6–8 weeks out for shoulder season.

Set a fare alert and wait — fares move constantly, and a week of patience regularly saves $60–150 on a domestic round-trip.

Route swings to know

NYC-Miami: $99 in September, $400+ Christmas week.

LA-Vegas: $49 midweek in December, $250 F1 weekend.

Chicago-Orlando: $129 in September, $380 spring break.

Boston-NYC: Amtrak Acela typically beats every flight door-to-door.

Quick tips

• Late January, mid-September, and early December are the year's cheapest weeks
• Tuesday/Wednesday/Saturday are the cheapest days
• Domestic: book 3–8 weeks out; international: 2–5 months
• Set an alert, wait a week — fares move constantly

Frequently asked

What's the single cheapest week to fly in the US?

The last full week of January consistently posts the year's lowest average domestic fares across the top 100 routes.

Is Tuesday actually the cheapest day to book?

The 'Tuesday booking' rule is mostly a myth today — real savings come from choosing a Tuesday flight, not a Tuesday booking day.

Do budget airlines like Spirit and Frontier really save money?

Only if you pack light and skip add-ons. A base fare plus one bag plus a seat pick often matches a Southwest or JetBlue total.