Among the tips for saving on flights, find out which month, day and time to find a cheap plane ticket.

Indeed, due to the increase in the price of kerosene, the dollar and demand, the prices of plane tickets are constantly increasing (average increase of 43,5% over one year in France). However, flights often represent the biggest budget of a trip, especially if you are traveling far.

But by doing it well in advance and being smart, you can find cheap plane tickets. Here's how:

How to find a cheap plane ticket

Before looking for a cheap plane ticket by month, day or time, you must first have an idea of ​​the "normal" price of the ticket. Indeed, how to know if a plane ticket is not expensive if you cannot compare with the standard price?

But you will see that it is impossible to know because the prices change according to the dates, times, companies, etc. By doing the same search for flights on the Internet, day by day, you will see that the prices increase.

In fact, because of cookies, airlines track your searches and may show higher prices day by day to push you to book. Airlines also use this prompt purchase incentive by displaying messages such as: " Only 2 flights left on your dates"

I realized this when I researched my flights to the Peru. While the site displayed " Only 2 flights left on your dates“, we had booked 4 flights at the same time because we were leaving with 2 couples. And miracle, we got our 4 plane tickets without any problem! This was also the case for my flights for my trip to New York.

Now, to avoid this, I have a trick to do my research and compare prices incognito (see below).

How do you know if a plane ticket is cheap?

To find out if a plane ticket is not expensive, you have to compare the price of the flight on several companies, do the research several times and on different dates. Thus, you will be able to get an idea of ​​the average price of the flight and understand if the price tends to increase or decrease.

Here are my recommendations for doing your research:

Do your private browsing flight searches

When you type flight queries in your usual browser, all the details of your searches are recorded and allow the companies to offer you higher prices during your next searches.

The trick is to do all your flight searches in private browsing mode so cookies can't track them.

To do this, you must either use a VPN or use Google Chrome private browsing (in the 3 small vertical dots at the top right of your screen). If you use other browsers, you can also choose the private window.

Searching for flights with Google Flights

There are dozens of flight comparators that ensure you find the cheapest flights. Be careful because apart from finding cheap flights et Skyscanner, the others are not all very reliable.

Indeed, they show you prices that seem unbeatable but in the end you will pay 10 to 15% more because of commission fees or fees related to payment methods.

To know if a plane ticket is expensive or not, the best is to use finding cheap flights . Indeed, when you do your research, Google Flights tells you if the prices are high or not and gives you a price range of the cheapest tickets. See example below:

Follow the evolution of flight prices

The other advantage of using finding cheap flights , is that you have powerful features that other search engines do not have. And you can set alerts to know when the price drops or to find the most interesting rates.

In fact, you can follow the evolution of flight prices by activating the option Track prices. And if you select "All dates" you will be notified when the minimum price of the flight drops significantly over a month. If the price does not drop enough, you will regularly receive alerts with the best available flight prices.

See how follow the evolution of the price of flights with Google Flights.

How to buy a cheaper plane ticket?

After having done your research, you know the average price of the plane ticket, the company which practices the best prices according to your dates and your destination. All you have to do is know when to book to get the cheapest price.

Even if there is no infallible rule, many studies have identified the most favorable month, day and time for finding a cheap plane ticket. See detail below:

Which month to find a cheaper flight?

According to blogs, forums and web studies, the best month to book a cheap flight is the month of January. Also note that the least interesting month to book a cheap flight is April.

When do airline ticket prices drop?

With regard to the fall in the price of plane tickets, it is in September that we see the biggest drop compared to the prices charged from April to the end of August.

What day to find a cheaper flight?

Many websites have published studies that prove that the best day to buy a cheaper plane ticket is Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. It is indeed during these 3 days of the week that the airlines put on sale canceled tickets.

On the other hand, for the other days of the week the prices of plane tickets are always more expensive, especially on weekends.

It is therefore best to buy your plane ticket on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday or on the night of Wednesday to Thursday. Indeed, the time at which you will buy your plane ticket also has an impact on the price.

What time to find a cheaper flight?

The most favorable hours for buying a cheap plane ticket are those when there are fewer requests. These are the airlines' off-peak hours.

The best time to buy a plane ticket is between midnight and 6 a.m.. Some say 5am is the best time of day to find cheap flights.

And on the contrary, the worst time to book a flight is at 23 p.m.

Which site to find cheap flights?

In general, you will find the best prices directly from an airline rather than from a travel agency, whether online or not. In fact, travel agencies are intermediaries who take a commission on the transaction.

Additionally, booking a plane ticket directly with the airline protects you better in the event of flight schedule changes, delays or cancellations. It is easier to receive compensation or reimbursement directly from the company than through an agency where delays can be longer.

To book your cheap plane ticket, the best thing is to compare the prices as indicated above. Then when you have found the best price, go to the airline's website at the best time to buy your tickets directly on their site.

And for those looking for the experience and guarantee of a platform specialized in travel, know that booking.com now allows you to find cheap flights and book them in complete security: