Looking Out For Low Air Fares?
By Wendy Perrin
"Why is Tuesday the best day of the week to search the Web for air fares?" asks reader Ed Barkowitz, who just last week got around to taking my Test Your Travel Smarts quiz in Conde Nast Traveler's November issue. To repeat Question 6:
Which of the following days is best for finding low air fares on the Web?
a. Tuesday b. Friday c. Saturday d. Sunday The answer: a.
Ed, you'll find the cheapest fares at around 6 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. A fare that is $340 on Saturday could drop to $300 by Tuesday morning. Here's why . . . .
When airlines hike fares, what typically happens is that one carrier will raise its prices on a Thursday afternoon. Other airlines will match the hike on Friday, and some more will match it on Saturday. But if by Sunday one airline has held out, then by late Monday all the carriers will have lowered their fares again.
Timing is, of course, only half the story. Using the right Web sites is a must too.
Ed, since you seem to like quizzes, here's another fun one: The Your Travel Personality quiz, which will tell you what type of traveler you are and, therefore, which vacation destinations you ought to considering. The quiz accompanies an article in Conde Nast Traveler's January issue about how our personalities dictate our travel tastes. Enjoy!
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Omniture events in request:
There is good reason to doubt this long-running mythology of a "best day" to book travel. See here:
http://www.upgradetravelbetter.com/2006/08/09/mythbustin-is-wednesday-at-midnight-the-best-time-to-buy-airline-tickets/
Posted by: upgradetravel | January 30, 2007 at 08:13 AM
Is there a tip on booking a OW fare. It seems I am always forced to purchase a round trip ticket, for any real deals.?
Posted by: sunkist | February 09, 2007 at 12:41 PM