This is the day of the week you should be booking flights, says new Expedia data

Here's a surprisingly simple strategy for saving money on travel in 2026: wait until the end of the workweek to book.

Fresh data shared by Expedia with Travel + Leisure highlights Friday as the most cost-effective day to purchase airline tickets. The shift is largely tied to changing business travel habits, with fewer corporate travelers booking at the end of the week, leaving more lower-priced inventory available. In a world where airfare pricing can feel unpredictable, that kind of pattern is both rare and useful.

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While Friday is currently the most strategic booking day, midweek departures remain the sweet spot for lower fares. Domestic flights departing on Tuesdays average about 14-percent cheaper than Sunday departures, while even Friday departures can be up to 8-percent cheaper than Sunday.

There are also specific calendar dates where fares are expected to drop more aggressively because airlines anticipate lighter passenger loads. Among the lowest-demand travel dates flagged in the data are February 25, March 4 and November 18, when airlines historically lower prices to fill empty seats. (As for the busiest dates, try to avoid May 22, July 3 and August 29 if you can.) Industry analysts stress that these low-traffic travel windows can yield deeper discounts than focusing solely on booking-day patterns.

Still, airfare strategy isn’t static, and travel experts consistently warn against relying on a single “best day” rule. Pricing is constantly adjusted by algorithms reacting to demand, fuel costs, seasonality and broader travel trends. Even industry reports acknowledge that booking and travel timing can shift year to year, which is why flexibility is vital.

The bigger takeaway for 2026 travelers is less about gaming one specific day and more about understanding demand patterns. Booking later in the week, flying midweek and avoiding peak holiday travel windows can all work together to create meaningful savings. And while there’s never a guaranteed hack for cheap airfare, paying attention to how travel behavior evolves — especially as business travel continues to change — could help travelers make smarter booking decisions throughout the year.