Knowing when to buy your flight for the best price is one of the most valuable skills a modern traveller can develop.
While no single rule applies universally, flight booking data consistently reveals recurring patterns that can save you a meaningful amount of money if you know how to use them. This guide distils millions of real bookings into practical, actionable insight. We break down the best days, months, and booking windows so you can approach your next trip with confidence.
Our system processes millions of confirmed bookings to identify when prices typically hit their lowest point for any given route.
Enter your origin and destination to explore historical price data and uncover the most affordable month to fly, the best day of the week, the optimal hour to book, and how far in advance to buy. Every insight is drawn from real, completed bookings made by European travellers.
Airlines rely on dynamic pricing models that adjust fares continuously based on live demand signals, seat inventory levels, route competition, and seasonal travel patterns. A fare you see this morning may be different from the one displayed this afternoon. Prices are not fixed, they react to traveller behaviour in real time.
There is no magic number that applies to every route, but the data is clear: planning ahead tends to pay off significantly.
For flights to European destinations, travellers who booked between 31 and 60 days before departure paid an average of €180, compared to €245 for those booking within 15 days of travel. This implies a saving of around €65.
For long-haul routes to the Americas, the same 31–60 day window proved most economical, with average fares around €715 compared to €945 for last-minute bookings. For routes to Australasia, the sweet spot extended further: booking 91–100 days in advance averaged €1,420, while leaving it to within 15 days pushed fares to approximately €1,775 — a difference of over €355.
The idea of a universal 'cheapest day', a relic of weekly manual fare updates, no longer applies in the age of algorithmic pricing. That said, booking patterns do show some consistent tendencies.
Looking at data across the past year, Sunday emerged as the most cost-effective day to book in 7 out of 12 months, specifically in February, April through August, and December. This may reflect lower search volumes on weekends reducing competition-driven price increases.
The key takeaway: rather than chasing a single 'best day,' focus on your specific route and use historical data to identify when prices have tended to be lowest for that origin and destination.
Seasonality is one of the most reliable factors in flight pricing. As a general principle, travelling outside of peak school holiday periods and major national celebrations dramatically reduces average fares. For destinations in the Northern Hemisphere, January, February, and November are historically the most affordable months.
Shoulder-season travel is particularly popular among European travellers. September is a sweet spot for two of the continent's most visited destinations, with flights to Spain averaging around €131 and to France around €138. October remains a strong window for those chasing the last of the Mediterranean sun, with Greece averaging €207. Portugal in November, at around €165, suits travellers looking for a cultural city break as the summer crowds thin out. Italy is most affordable in January, with average fares around €141, while May is the standout month for transatlantic travel, with flights to the US averaging around €645.
Even when flight prices move against you, there are ways to stay ahead. eDreams Prime gives you access to discounts across all flight tickets, priority access to promotions, and a range of exclusive benefits throughout the year so you're not relying solely on timing to get a good deal.
The more flexible your travel dates and destination, the greater your chances of finding exceptional fares. Consider nearby alternative airports, flying into or out of a secondary hub can reduce costs noticeably. Multi-destination search tools allow you to compare multiple date combinations and routing options in a single search, a simple step that can reveal significant price differences you might otherwise miss.
Based on current data trends, the most cost-effective booking window for most European routes falls between 31 and 60 days before departure. For longer international journeys, this window often extends to 90–120 days. The further in advance you are willing to plan, the more options tend to be available at lower price tiers.
If your travel dates are not yet fixed, price alert tools can do the monitoring for you. Once you define your route and a target price range, you will be notified as soon as fares drop to your desired level.
Many base fares do not include checked baggage. Travelling with hand luggage only, packing efficiently, wearing bulkier items during the journey, and choosing versatile clothing can eliminate additional fees that often add €25–€50 or more per leg. It also means faster airport transit and no risk of delayed or lost luggage.
Is travelling on weekdays actually cheaper? Is it really better to book your flight last-minute? Find out if some of the most widespread flight booking myths are actually true in our quiz:
Airlines do not increase fares because of your individual browsing history. Price changes are driven by real-time demand and the natural sell-down of cheaper fare classes. As a flight fills up, lower-priced seats disappear, so what looks like a 'price increase' is simply the next tier being displayed.
This was plausible 15 years ago, when fares were updated manually once a week. Modern airlines use automated pricing systems that update continuously throughout the day. While midweek searches can occasionally surface slightly lower fares due to reduced competition, there is no universally optimal hour that applies across routes.
Genuine last-minute bargains on scheduled airline routes are rare. With few seats remaining, prices typically rise rather than fall. Discounted last-minute deals are more common in the package holiday market, not for flexible individual bookings on commercial carriers.
This is broadly supported by the data. Midweek departures often carry lower fares than Friday or Sunday flights, due to reduced demand from both leisure and business travellers. It is not a universal rule (on popular leisure routes or during peak periods, prices may remain consistent throughout the week) but it is a reliable starting point for flexible travellers.
When purchasing multiple seats in a single transaction, the system typically displays the lowest fare available for the entire group, which means all passengers are priced at the most expensive remaining seat class. Searching for individual tickets can sometimes reveal lower fares, though seating together is not guaranteed.
Yes. On high-demand routes, fares can shift within minutes based on concurrent bookings or automatic inventory adjustments. If you find a fare that fits your budget, completing the purchase quickly is the safest approach.
Our analysis is built entirely on real, confirmed bookings. Every insight in this guide comes from itineraries that were purchased and completed by genuine travellers.
We take the total value of all Economy class tickets booked on a given route and divide by the number of confirmed transactions. To ensure accuracy and representativeness:
We map the relationship between booking dates and departure dates across our full historical dataset, then calculate the average fare paid at each interval. The window identified as 'optimal' is the range during which the average price has historically been lowest. This allows us to define a statistically grounded recommendation.
No tool can guarantee a specific fare. Airlines adjust prices continuously, and individual routes vary significantly. What this guide offers is a historically informed roadmap, or a way to maximise the likelihood of finding a competitive price. Used alongside flexibility and timely action, it is one of the most effective approaches available to any traveller.