Friday flights now most cost-effective day to e book and fly, new Expedia report finds

The days of reserving your flights six months upfront to avoid wasting a buck are formally over.

According to Expedia’s 2026 Air Hacks Report, the early chook is now getting caught with the invoice, whereas a brand new wave of Friday flyers is reaping the rewards.

As home airfares tick up 3% this 12 months, an enormous shift in journey information reveals that Friday has dethroned the weekend as the most cost effective day to each e book and fly — saving savvy vacationers a whole bunch on every part from fast journeys to Las Vegas to worldwide treks to Tokyo.

“Flight trends are constantly evolving and with Friday emerging as both the busiest day for air travel and also the most affordable, this leads us to believe it is a shift in business class behaviors driving this,” Expedia advised Fox News Digital in a press release. “This opens up a great opportunity for leisure travelers [though] to start their weekend trips a day earlier, with Friday more affordable than Saturday departures.”

A NEW WAY OF COMMUTING IS CLOSER TO TAKING OFF IN THE U.S.

The report discovered that reserving a flight on a Friday saves 3% versus reserving through the weekend rush. Meanwhile, flying on a Friday versus Sunday can save vacationers as much as 8%.

The departure gate of Terminal 1 at JFK International Airport is seen in New York on August 15, 2025. (Getty Images)

August reigns as essentially the most reasonably priced month to fly, saving airline vacationers a mean of $120 per ticket – 29% cheaper than flying on the identical time in December. Flights to Morelia, Mexico, Tokyo, Japan and Honduras are seeing 30%+ year-over-year worth declines.

“This is the second year in a row where August has been the most affordable month to fly,” Expedia mentioned. “It seems to be here to stay, so that offers American vacationers a great opportunity to take an affordable, big annual vacation during peak season.”

Domestic first-class fares have plummeted 27% year-over-year, because the report additionally alerts a “micro-cation” increase with 25% of Gen Z and Millennials skipping lodges completely and choosing 24-hour excessive day journeys.

“Business travelers head home earlier in the week these days, so new opportunities are opening up for leisure travelers to save by choosing smarter travel days, like Friday for the best prices or Tuesday for fewer crowds,” Expedia Group Brands public relations head Melanie Fish said in a press release.

“With a year of data from Expedia’s Flight Deals now in – which highlights routes and dates priced at least 20% lower than the norm – July and October are emerging as two of the best months to travel to secure these high-quality fares,” she continued.

Additionally, the net journey company broke down tips on how to time the flying market and when to e book versus when to fly. The alleged “Goldilocks” reserving window opens for home flights 15 to 30 days out and saves $130 in comparison with reserving six months earlier.

If you’re making an attempt to keep away from crowds altogether, per Expedia’s data, Tuesday is the least busy day of the week to fly — with the slowest journey dates in 2026 predicted to be Feb. 25, March 4 and Nov. 18. On the opposite hand, the busiest dates to fly this 12 months are predicted to be May 22, July 3 and Aug. 29.

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“September is still the second most affordable month, so we may see ‘big vacations’ extend into September for those budget-conscious travelers. With December being the most expensive month to fly, that could also lead travelers to shifting their trip types during that month to focus more on domestic stays, road trips or breaks close to home, versus hopping on a plane,” Expedia mentioned.

Airports together with Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas and Orlando had been hailed because the affordability kings for having ticket costs 25% under the nationwide common. At Washington Dulles, San Francisco and New York-JFK, you may break your finances by spending 25% or greater than nationwide common costs.

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