There isn’t a ‘best’ day to book the cheapest flight — it depends on the airline

You may be myth-ing the mark.

As Americans begin organizing their summer vacations and searching for the best travel deals, many rely on classic strategies like booking flights on a Tuesday to lock in what they hope is the best price.

Be careful, the experts at Upgraded Points say — the best day to book a cheap flight really depends on the airline.

According to new research published by the travel site, Tuesday does deliver the highest probability of securing a cheap flight — if you’re flying on Hawaiian or Frontier Airlines, anyway. 

The study, conducted over four weeks using Google Flights, sampled 44,000 one-way economy fares across 10 of the busiest domestic flight routes in the nation. Number crunchers chose American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Hawaiian, Spirit and United Airlines, leaving out Southwest, which does not publish its fares on other web sites.

And while there was indeed no day out of seven where fares magically came down, there was definitely one that ought to be avoided, the experts said: Travelers looking for a deal should avoid booking flights on Saturday — this is deemed the “priciest” day of the week for flight bookings.  

“Booking flights at the week’s end can hit the wallet hard,” researchers wrote.

See below for details on when best to book all the airlines included in the study.

Alaska Airlines

Customers looking to fly with Alaska Airlines should consider booking a flight on Sunday, especially if they’re looking to spend less money, unlike on Saturday, when prices skyrocket. 

American Airlines

“Consistency is key with American. Thursdays top the price chart at an average of $285.60, but waiting until Friday offers some savings, dropping to $271.85,” the pros wrote.

Delta Airlines

Delta’s least expensive tickets were found on Thursdays, according to the research.

JetBlue 

Travelers who aim to save money should aim to book flights on Sunday because the flight’s average cost is around $225, unlike booking on Saturday which sits above $275.

Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines starts on the lower end of flight costs on Tuesday, with an average of over $125, and soars to above $225 on Saturday. 

Spirit Airlines

The airline’s cheaper flights average above $125 at the start of the week and can escalate up past $150 by Saturday. According to the report, Spirit flights cost around $30 more on Saturdays compared to Mondays.

Frontier Airlines

Frontier Airlines is known for its cost-friendly flight prices, which average above $125 on Tuesday and can scale up to $150 on Friday. 

United Airlines

United offers the cheapest flights on Sunday, which average $281.66, and their highest flights at $299.47 on Thursday.