Planning to Fly? Study Shows How Many Days to Book in Advance for the Cheapest Tickets

An Air Canada flight taxis to a runway as a WestJet flight takes off at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on March 20, 2020. Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press

With millions of Canadians travelling each month, finding the lowest airfare can be tricky. But it doesn’t have to be impossible.

Whether it is to visit loved ones or head out on a vacation, there are ways to cut the cost of airline tickets. A study done by CheapAir.com analyzed the price of 917 million flight prices to find out the best time to buy.

“According to the study, on average, the best day to buy domestic flights is 70 days before departure, which is six days earlier than 2022’s study,” a news release from the company said.

On average, the booking window that offers the lowest flight prices is 1.5 to 5.5 months before departure, the study found.

“When booking airline tickets, there are many factors that impact how far in advance travellers should secure their flights,” CheapAir said. “Seat location, flight experience, destination, and price all determine when to purchase in order to receive the best deal.”

The study also found that the cheapest day of the week to fly is Wednesday and the most expensive day is Sunday. Travellers who book flights for Wednesdays can save approximately $100 on the ticket, CheapAir said. However, the research found there is no best day of the week to purchase a ticket.

“Data shows that the average low fare varies by less than $1, no matter what day of the week travellers purchase airline tickets,” Cheap Air said.

The least expensive month to fly is February, followed by January. Cheap Air said that those travelling the second month of the year can save about $114. The most expensive months to travel are December, followed by July.

“Airfares remain volatile,“ the release said. ”From the time a trip first goes on sale, fares change 49 times on average and change by an average of $43 each time.”

While CheapAir.com provides information on the lowest airfares and when to book to take advantage of them, it said price may not be the best criteria for every traveller.

“If you like to have some options for your flight—where you might be sitting on the airplane, the size of the seat, etc., you might want to focus your search earlier —when there’s more options available,” study authors said.

Statistics Canada said eight of the busiest airports in the country saw a total of 4.6 million people pass through in October 2023 alone, an increase of 14.6 percent from the previous year and a 1.6 percent bump from the same month in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.