Best days to fly

08.12.2022

Have you ever rode to the airport and found it so hectic that you just wanted to turn around and go home? Or maybe you've tried booking a simple domestic flight to find ticket prices agonizingly high?

It looks like you are flying on the wrong day of the week.

In this article we will share travel tips about how to identify the best day of the week to fly and the best time of the day to fly for the most comfortable and cheapest flights.

Best days of the week to fly

The day of the week not only determines the business of an airport but also affects airline ticket prices. The basic rule about choosing the best day of the week to fly is Tuesday or Wednesday.

They not only tend to be the cheapest days to fly but less busy as well. Since there are fewer people who would like to fly mid-week, Tuesday and Wednesday are also the best days to fly standby. 

However, this might change according to an airport so try to do preliminary research or contact the airport you are going to fly from. Ask what are the best and worst days of the week to fly, and organize your trip accordingly.

Usually there are more people who travel on Friday and weekends making them the worst days to fly.

On one hand, the holidaymakers choose these dates because of work that they have during the mid-week. They choose to travel between Friday evening/Saturday morning and Sunday evening.

On the other hand, business travellers return home for the weekend on Friday evening and travel back on Sunday evenings for a fresh start on Monday. 

Such high demand increases airline ticket prices for Friday, Saturday and Sunday when the airports are invaded by thousands of people making these days really the worst days to fly. 

Information rules the world. It is important to know as much information as possible before flying. Learn about your rights as an air passenger according to the EC261 Regulation. 

Exception to the rule: package holidays

The above assumptions are valid mostly for domestic flights since people usually travel short distances for weekend getaways or regular business trips. Long package holidays usually include international flights.

The logic behind determining the best and worst days to fly is different. In such a case, the best days to fly are just whatever days except for a changeover day. 

Generally, there is a standardized changeover day (or days) when travel agencies carry vast numbers of passengers over two days. Typically, the changeover day is a weekend for domestic flights.

For international flights, it is the mid-week since the agencies try to allow passengers a whole weekend at the destination. 

What are the best days to fly then? If the changeover day is a Tuesday, then Tuesday will become the busiest day. This means the weekend might become very quiet making Saturday and Sunday the best days to fly. 

The bottom line is that it’s always a good idea to check everything beforehand with your travel agency. Verifying when agencies have their changeover day will help to avoid the busiest and thus the worst days to fly.

A good idea is also to verify the status of your flight. Do you know that if your flight is delayed you have the right to compensation of up to €600 ($700) from the airline? Check now, it will only take a few minutes.

Best time of the day to fly

Now you know what is the best day of the week to fly, but what is the best time of the day to fly? The flight schedules of each airline are individual: some flights are operated during the daytime, some at night.

There are few things you should consider to understand what is the best time of the day to fly for you.

Time zone at the destination

Calculating the time difference between your home and the final destination is crucial in determining the best time of the day to fly.

For example, the best time of day to fly from London LHR to New York JFK will be early evening around 06:00 pm so you can go straight to bed at 09:00p m upon your arrival to New York. 

Of course, the best time of day to fly to Europe such as Italy is the early morning so you won’t lose a whole day of rest by the sea.

The bottom line is to check how early you should get to the airport, so you are on time for your early morning flight. 

Individual biorhythms

If you sleep well during a night flight, you can safely choose a flight for that time. If you suffer from night trips, it is better to choose a day or morning flight.

Of course, it all depends on whether you have a domestic flight or an international flight. Only the latter is usually the long-distance one when you must choose your best time of the day to fly carefully. 

Best time of day to fly to avoid turbulence

There is a common idea that the best time of day to fly to avoid turbulence is early in the morning. The fact is that until the sun has time to heat the Earth and the mixing of cold and warm air has not occurred, the probability of turbulence is very low.  

However, sometimes we experience turbulence at different times of the year even when there is no sunlight at all. So no one will give you a 100% guarantee about the best time of the day to fly to avoid turbulence. 

Therefore, the best thing you can do is get over your fear of turbulence. After all, according to experienced pilots, it takes tremendous pressure to damage an engine or bend a wing. And the probability of being in such a situation is close to zero, no matter what times of the year you fly and how often.

Best time of day to fly with a baby

Figuring out the best time of day to fly with a baby is usually lots of headache for the parents. This is especially true for long-haul international flights.

As a rule, babies under 7 years old sleep during a night flight and do not get tired after the flight. Thus, the best time of day to fly with a baby would be a night flight that will save the health of all - baby and parents. 

Best time of the day to fly for cheapest flights

Departure time significantly affects flight prices. So the bottom line for finding cheap flights is identifying the best times to fly during the day.

The airline ticket prices tend to be the lowest for early morning or late evening departures. Those times to fly despite cheap flight prices are also the quietest which is an advantage making them the best times of day to fly.

You are ready to book your flight now! Be prepared for possible delays and cancellations. Find out about your rights for compensation of up to €600 (£510) in case of flight disruption.