As a savvy air travel shopper you know that ticket prices often change dramatically from hour-to-hour, day-to-day and week-to-week and that no one site has the cheapest price nor the best deal at any given moment. FareCompare has built one of the largest databases of historical airfare data in the world and has identified meaningful trends to help shoppers find cheap flights.

Several factors affect the price of an airline ticket. All fare rules for every airline ticket have some affect on the price, including length of stay, flight time, departure date, class of fare, Saturday night stay and many others. The FareCompare flexible calendar search lets shoppers pinpoint prices quickly and easily.

The Cheapest Days and Times to Fly

Usually the cheapest days to fly are Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. The cheapest time to fly is typically the first flight out in the morning, followed by flights during/after lunch and flights at the dinner hour.

Take for example this trip from Dallas-Fort Worth to Miami, June 2010

Using FareCompare’s Flexible Calendar Search, it’s easy and fast to search and find the cheapest days and times to fly. When shopping for cheap aifare using FareCompare flexble calendar search, prices are displayed directly on the calendar to help shoppers find find the cheapest day of departure. In this example, Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday are the most expensive days to fly in that week.

To find the cheapest flights, use the calendar to select the departure date and then FareCompare begins the process of searching hundreds of date and time combinations to find the best price for your trip. Follow this easy guide to learn how to shop for cheap flights when your travel dates are flexible.

So why is it cheaper to fly on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday? Airlines often file cheaper airfares that are only good on those days. FareCompare CEO, Rick Seaney, wants you to save on every flight – browse all of Rick’s How-to-Shop travel advice.

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