Tuesday, Wednesday cheapest days to fly: report
When searching for cheap airfare, Canadian consumers don’t know what to think anymore.
Not unlike Christina Aguilera being told to, sure, take your own spin on the national anthem, we’ve been bogged down by what perhaps we shouldn’t believe. There are so many supposedly-etched-in-stone commandments out there that there’s only one way to ensure we’re not paying through the nose for travel: shop around.
Of course, no one wants to actually do that, so we clamour for the best advice we can find. Add this latest report to the lexicon of strategies and tactics to find travelers the lowest cost on airfare.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which echoes a popular refrain among savvy fliers, airline tickets will almost absolutely be cheaper when the departure date falls on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
No shocking claim here – travel dates surrounding weekends are most popular and, therefore, subject to airlines charging a premium on them – but this is the roar that seems to be getting loudest within the confusing world of “when should you buy airfare?”
Indeed, other common airfare shopping strategies are faltering under the tried-and-true mid-week buying outlook. No longer is it a case of should you buy way in advance or should you buy last minute (although, almost always, it’s best to buy way in advance) but what day should you choose to depart.
The WSJ quotes a range of Tuesday/Wednesday price examples in its story on the matter, finding that ticket costs on those two days can be discounted by anywhere between 15%-25% compared to other days of the week.
In Canada, too, such a prophecy seems to hold true. Take this hypothetical flight scenario from Toronto to Las Vegas with WestJet, for instance. On Sunday, Feb. 27, you’d be paying $348.99, $299 on Monday, Feb. 28 and $258.99 on Friday, Mar. 4. On the Tuesday and Wednesday between those dates, the Vegas flight can be yours for $209, non-stop. WestJet also advertises a seat sale fare on the Tuesday for only $139.
Certainly all trips may not fit such cash-saving criteria, but of all the flight plan wisdoms we have, the “Tuesday and Wednesday is cheaper” strategy appears to endure best.
When you fly, when do you find is the cheapest day for airfare?
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: Jeff | Feb 9, 2022 2:19:57 PM
Try looking at the price comparison between Air Canada and West Jet from Calgary to St. John's. Both have almost the exact same fare every day of the week and actually match each others prices.
Price Fixing.
Posted by: denis | Feb 9, 2022 5:37:46 PM
not really price fixing, look at the price of other goods (gas), bread,flat repairs.It pays to be close ore the same as your competitor,seat sales or sales in general are different in prices.
Posted by: Jeff | Feb 9, 2022 7:01:10 PM
To the other Jeff...it is not called price fixing, it is called competition. If you were a store owner and your competitor was selling a product cheaper than you in general you would have to lower yours in order to sell that product. It is the same with airline tickets. If Westjet sets a specific price for a flight and Air Canada is flying the same route it is logical that, to get passengers, the tickets prices for both carriers would be similar and, in many cases, exact.
Posted by: joe | Feb 9, 2022 8:24:19 PM
the only true competition is to fly out of the US and yes if you look there you will see the mid week price drop. there is no true competition in Canada, particularly in toronto, Ottawa, MTL corridor
Posted by: Melissa | Feb 10, 2022 12:05:44 AM
This is so true. I just purchased flight tickets through Spirit Airlines and the tickets were about 35% cheaper for tues and wed and I'll be flying out on a tuesday.
Posted by: Lax | May 16, 2021 5:10:47 AM
to denis and Jeff: your arguments are flawed. All price fixers have the same price. It's not good for competition to have the same price as your competitor; if you want more market share you have to price lower than the competition. When all the prices offered by both competitors in a duopoly are the same on all routes, as Jeff1 points out, and especially where as here those prices are steadily increasing month over month, the inference of price fixing is very, very strong. The problem is, running an anti-trust case takes too long. I say open the skies to US carriers and let's see how long their prices stay the same.