New data from Expedia’s 2026 Air Hacks Report reveals a seismic shift in airfare pricing — and it could save you up to 8% on your next domestic flight.
For years, the smartest thing a budget-savvy traveler could do was simple: fly on Tuesday or Wednesday. Midweek fares were cheaper, the airports were quieter, and the advice was so widely accepted it had practically become law. But a major new study suggests it’s time to rip up the rulebook.
Expedia’s 2026 Air Hacks Report — the company’s 10th annual edition, drawing on millions of booking data points from December 2024 through November 2025 — reveals that Friday has become the cheapest day of the week to both fly and book flights globally. Flying on a Friday instead of Sunday can now save travelers up to 8% on total airfare. It’s a finding that directly contradicts the conventional wisdom that has shaped travel planning for a generation.
Before you book your next flight, here’s what actually drives this shift, what the full day-by-day data looks like, and — critically — how to put it to work for your travel budget.
Why Friday Used to Be Expensive — and What Changed
To understand why Friday is cheap now, you have to understand why it wasn’t before. Historically, Friday was one of the most expensive days to fly on domestic routes, and the reason came down to one group of travelers: business flyers.
Corporate road warriors who spent Monday through Thursday at client sites reliably booked Friday afternoon and evening flights home. That predictable, recurring demand gave airlines every reason to price Friday seats at a premium — revenue management systems responded by charging more precisely when and where demand was highest. In Expedia’s and CheapAir’s earlier annual studies, Friday consistently ranked among the priciest days to depart.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened, and the structure of the American workweek changed permanently. Remote and hybrid work arrangements — initially emergency measures — became the standard for millions of professionals. The downstream impact on airfare has been direct and measurable.
With fewer business travelers needing to fly home on Fridays, demand on that day has softened substantially. Robert Isom, CEO of American Airlines, acknowledged as much publicly, noting that “demand is more spread out” across the week due to the rise of remote work, and that consumers, airlines, and airports are no longer “beholden to the structure of the past.”Helane Becker, Managing Director and Senior Strategic Advisor at TD Cowen, put it even more plainly: remote work “enables [airlines] to be less ‘peaky'” and enables customers “to get better pricing.”
When Friday demand from business travelers drops, airline pricing algorithms automatically lower fares to fill those seats — and that’s precisely what has happened. Expedia’s own statement captures the mechanism clearly: “Flight trends are constantly evolving and with Friday emerging as both the busiest day for air travel and also the most affordable, this leads us to believe it is a shift in business class behaviors driving this.”
That last detail is worth pausing on. Friday is simultaneously the busiest day to fly by volume and the most affordable. It sounds contradictory — but it’s the direct result of algorithmic pricing responding to a new reality where high traffic no longer equals high-fare demand.
The Data: What the Numbers Actually Say
The headline finding comes from the Expedia 2026 Air Hacks Report, released February 16, 2026, and built on millions of bookings on Expedia.com from December 2024 through November 2025, in partnership with the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC). The consumer research component involved a third-party survey by OnePoll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted in January 2026.
The global findings are unambiguous: Friday is both the cheapest day to fly (8% cheaper than Sunday) and the cheapest day to book (3% cheaper than Sunday). Sunday is the most expensive day to fly and to book.
The domestic U.S. picture is more nuanced. For domestic flights, Tuesday actually delivers the deepest discount — 14% less than Sunday departures. Friday ranks first in the overall domestic day-by-day ranking (more on that below), while Saturday is the cheapest day to book domestic flights (2% cheaper than Monday).
Those findings are corroborated — with some variation — by other leading data sources:
KAYAK (updated July 2025) puts Tuesday and Wednesday tied at $158 average one-way domestic fares, with Sunday the most expensive at $198. KAYAK’s data does flag one important nuance: Friday is the most expensive day for domestic round-trip return flights ($336 average), meaning departure day and return day dynamics are meaningfully different.
CheapAir’s 2024 annual study — the most comprehensive domestic analysis available, covering nearly one billion flight prices across 8,000 U.S. markets — named Wednesday the cheapest day to fly (saving $102 vs. Sunday). That study used 2023 booking data, and its divergence from the 2026 Expedia findings is itself telling: the shift to Friday as a budget leader is a real, year-over-year evolution, not a statistical blip.
Google Flights data spanning 2021 through 2025 identifies Tuesday as consistently the least expensive day, with savings of 13 to 20% compared to weekend travel — broadly consistent with the Expedia domestic finding.
As with any data based on averages, a caveat applies: prices vary by route, season, airline, fare class, and booking platform. KAYAK notes plainly that “fares may not only change daily but can even change multiple times throughout the day.” The numbers below are trend indicators, not guarantees.
The Cheapest Days to Fly: A Full Weekly Breakdown
Based primarily on NerdWallet’s analysis of the Expedia 2026 domestic data, supplemented by KAYAK, CheapAir, and Google Flights, here is the current day-by-day domestic ranking from cheapest to most expensive — and what’s driving each position.
1. Friday — Cheapest Friday now leads the domestic ranking in Expedia’s 2026 data. “Business travelers head home earlier in the week these days,” says Melanie Fish, Head of Global PR, Expedia Group Brands, “so new opportunities are opening up for leisure travelers to save by choosing smarter travel days, like Friday for the best prices.” The savings versus Sunday reach up to 8%. This is the day’s first appearance at the top of the rankings and reflects the structural demand shift described above.
2. Thursday — Second Cheapest KAYAK data shows average one-way Thursday fares of approximately $173, below the weekly average. Thursday is a strong choice for travelers planning long weekend getaways — you depart a day before the traditional weekend rush while still capturing meaningful savings. For international itineraries, Thursday was actually the cheapest day to fly in 2025, saving 15% compared to Sunday.
3. Tuesday — Third Cheapest Overall, Deepest Domestic Discount Tuesday ranks third in the 2026 overall domestic ranking, but it holds a specific distinction: it’s the cheapest in raw percentage terms, at 14% less than Sunday departures. KAYAK independently confirms Tuesday as tied for the cheapest one-way domestic average at $158. CheapAir’s 2024 study also placed Tuesday among the cheapest days. There’s an additional perk: Fish recommends Tuesday specifically “for fewer crowds.” If you want the cheapest possible fare and the most manageable airport experience, Tuesday delivers both.
4. Wednesday — Fourth, but Still Budget-Friendly Wednesday ties Tuesday at $158 in KAYAK’s one-way average, and CheapAir’s 2024 data actually ranked it the single cheapest day to fly, saving $102 versus Sunday. Google Flights’ multi-year aggregate likewise groups Tuesday and Wednesday together as the midweek budget corridor. Wednesday remains a consistently reliable option, particularly for travelers whose schedules don’t accommodate Friday or Tuesday departures.
5. Saturday — Fifth KAYAK puts Saturday’s average one-way domestic fare at approximately $174. Notably, Saturday was the cheapest domestic departure day in Expedia’s 2025 data, saving 17% versus Sunday at the time — its ranking has slipped only as Friday has climbed to the top in 2026. Saturday can still be competitive, especially on routes where leisure demand doesn’t peak on weekends.
6. Monday — Expensive Business travel demand on Mondays — professionals flying out to begin the work week — has historically pushed prices higher, and that pattern largely holds. While remote work has softened some Monday demand, it remains a premium travel day on many routes. KAYAK also identifies Monday as the most expensive day to book domestic flights.
7. Sunday — Most Expensive Sunday tops the expensive end of the ranking across virtually every data source: Expedia 2026 and 2025, KAYAK ($198 average one-way), CheapAir, and Google Flights. Weekend leisure travelers returning home and business travelers heading out for the week create peak demand simultaneously. Flying on Friday instead of Sunday saves up to 8%; flying on Tuesday saves up to 14%.
What About the Best Day to Book? (It’s Not the Same Thing)
This is where a lot of travelers lose money: confusing the cheapest day to fly with the cheapest day to book. They’re two different variables, and treating them as the same is one of the most common — and costly — mistakes in travel planning.
According to Expedia’s 2026 report, the cheapest booking day globally is Friday (3% cheaper than Sunday), while domestically, the sweet spot is Saturday (2% cheaper than Monday). Business class? Also Saturday (1% cheaper than Thursday).
What’s equally important to put to rest is the old “book on Tuesday at 3 PM” rule. Going’s travel experts are direct: “The old ‘Tuesday at 3pm’ booking advice is completely outdated. Modern airline systems don’t release inventory on specific days or times. Instead, they adjust continuously based on sophisticated algorithms that analyze demand, competitor pricing, and market conditions in real-time.” An analysis of 847,000 international flights found that Tuesday bookings save only $3 to $7 on average compared to other weekdays — statistically negligible.
What actually matters far more than which day you book is how far in advance you book. The evidence is consistent across sources:
- Expedia 2026: The domestic economy sweet spot is 15 to 30 days before departure, saving an average of $130 compared to booking 180 days or more in advance.
- CheapAir 2024: Prime booking window is 21 to 74 days, with the single optimal purchase point at 42 days.
- Google Flights (2021–2025 aggregate): Domestic cheapest window is 21 to 52 days out, with the absolute lowest point around 38 days before departure.
- KAYAK: Recommends booking 30 days ahead for the cheapest average domestic price ($225).
One counterintuitive finding worth flagging: booking too far in advance — 180 days or more — tends to cost more, not less, because airlines initially price economy seats high on many routes before lowering them as departure nears to stimulate demand. The “book as early as possible” instinct isn’t always right.
5 Strategies to Lock In the Best Friday Fare
Knowing Friday is cheap is only useful if you know how to act on it. Here are five concrete strategies — each backed by tools you can use today.
1. Set a Price Alert for Your Route
Price alerts eliminate the need to check fares obsessively. Set a notification once, then act when prices drop. Google Flights makes this simple: enter your route and dates, then toggle “Track prices” to on — you’ll receive email alerts when prices change significantly, plus estimates of whether fares are likely to rise. KAYAK’s Price Forecast predicts whether fares will rise or fall over the next 30 days; look for the “Our Advice” box when searching your route. Skyscanner lets you click “Get Price Alerts” directly from search results. Hopper goes a step further, claiming 95% accuracy in price predictions and offering a “Price Freeze” feature that lets you lock in a fare for a fee while you decide whether to commit.
2. Use the “Flexible Dates” Search Feature
If your travel dates have any give at all, flexible-date search tools make it trivially easy to spot Friday savings at a glance. Skyscanner’s “Whole Month” view is among the most powerful: enter your departure and destination, click “Flexible dates,” select your month, and you’ll see a day-by-day breakdown of the lowest available fares — making it immediately visible whether a Friday departure is cheapest for your specific route. Google Flights’ calendar view uses color-coding (green for cheaper-than-usual dates) to deliver the same insight. KAYAK’s Explore map lets you enter just your origin city, then browse fare estimates across destinations filtered by budget and travel dates.
3. Compare Nearby Airports
Flying into or out of a secondary airport can compound the savings you’re already capturing on a Friday departure. A USA Today analysis found that using secondary airports can save 16 to 40% on specific routes. The Expedia 2026 report adds specific context: Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, and Orlando are the most affordable mainstream U.S. departure airports, with average fares about 25% lower than the national average, while Washington Dulles, San Francisco, and JFK are among the most expensive.
Practical examples: Fort Lauderdale instead of Miami, Hollywood Burbank or Ontario instead of LAX, Newark instead of JFK. On Google Flights, click “Nearby airports” when entering your origin or arrival city; on KAYAK, select “Add nearby airports” from the search options.
4. Book Early — But Not Too Early
The domestic sweet spot for Friday flights is 15 to 30 days before departure, per Expedia 2026 data — saving an average of $130 versus booking six months out. Booking too far in advance can actually cost you more. CheapAir recommends the 21-to-74-day window, with the optimal single purchase point at 42 days. Google data points to 21 to 52 days for domestic flights, with the cheapest fares clustering around 38 days before departure.
Holiday travel requires earlier action: book Thanksgiving flights approximately 35 days ahead (sweet spot: 24 to 59 days), and Christmas flights approximately 51 days ahead (sweet spot: 32 to 73 days).
5. Bundle Your Flight and Hotel
Packaging a Friday flight with accommodations can generate additional savings on top of the day-of-week discount. Expedia advertises savings of up to 10% when bundling flight and hotel, flight and car, or hotel and car together; summer package deals have advertised savings of up to 19% on flight-and-hotel bundles. Priceline and Travelocity offer comparable bundling tools. The strategy to verify the deal: search for the flight alone first, note the price, then search for the same flight bundled with your hotel. Compare the totals — the bundle isn’t always cheaper on every route, but it frequently is.
When Friday Isn’t the Cheapest: Exceptions and Caveats
The Friday savings trend is real — but it doesn’t apply everywhere, all the time. Treat it as a strong default, not a universal law.
Holiday travel is the biggest exception. An analysis of 40,000 flights found extreme fare spikes around Thanksgiving: the Tuesday before Thanksgiving runs up to 88% more expensive than a typical week, the Wednesday before surges 93.4%, and the Saturday after Thanksgiving is up a staggering 167%. Sunday after Thanksgiving runs 115% above baseline. During Christmas, the most expensive days are the Saturday following Christmas and Boxing Day; the cheapest holiday fares are actually on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day themselves. Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekends show similar Friday fare spikes due to concentrated leisure demand.
International routes follow a different script entirely. KAYAK data shows Monday as the cheapest day for international one-way flights (approximately $510 average), with Friday actually the most expensive at around $561. For international round-trip departures, Wednesday offers the lowest average fares ($786) while Friday is again the most expensive ($826). Expedia’s 2025 data found Thursday was the cheapest international day (15% savings versus Sunday). An analysis of 847,000 international flights also found that day-of-week variance internationally is minimal — route competition and advance purchase windows drive international pricing far more than departure day.
Leisure-heavy short-haul routes can diverge from the trend. Routes serving beach destinations, ski resorts, and similar leisure markets — where Friday demand is driven by vacationers rather than (or in addition to) business travelers — may not show the Friday discount. When leisure travelers create their own Friday demand spike, the pricing advantage disappears.
The universal rule: always verify, never assume. Before booking, use Google Flights’ “Price Insights” feature to see whether a given fare is low, typical, or high for your specific route and dates. KAYAK’s Price Forecast will indicate whether prices are likely to rise or fall in the next 30 days. Hopper’s price prediction tool claims 95% accuracy for route-specific forecasting. NerdWallet sums up the governing principle well: “The day you book matters less than how far in advance you book. Airlines adjust prices constantly based on demand, competitor pricing and available inventory. Flexibility and lead time will always matter more than which day of the week you open your browser.”
Key Takeaways
- Friday is now among the cheapest days to fly domestically and globally, according to Expedia’s 2026 Air Hacks Report — flying Friday instead of Sunday saves up to 8%. Tuesday delivers the deepest domestic discount at 14% off Sunday fares.
- The cheapest day to fly and the cheapest day to book are different. Friday is cheapest globally for booking (3% savings); Saturday is cheapest for domestic bookings (2%).
- The booking window matters more than the booking day. The domestic sweet spot is 15 to 30 days before departure, saving $130 versus booking 180+ days out.
- Price alert tools — Google Flights, KAYAK, Hopper, Skyscanner — automate the search and catch deals the moment they appear.
- Exceptions are real: holiday weekends, peak summer, and international routes don’t follow the Friday pattern. Always check your specific route before booking.
