For buying flights in Australia, Sundays are often cited as the cheapest day to book, potentially saving you around 20% compared to peak days like Fridays, while booking domestic flights to fly out on Saturdays and international flights on Thursdays can also yield savings, though prices fluctuate, so using price alerts and being flexible with travel days (mid-week often cheaper) is key.
For booking flights from Australia, Sundays are often cited as the cheapest day to buy tickets, with potential savings around 20%, while Wednesdays and Tuesdays are also good booking days, and Fridays and Saturdays can be more expensive to book. For the actual day of travel, flying on Wednesdays, Tuesdays, or even Saturday afternoons can be cheaper than peak times like Sunday evenings or Friday mornings, according to data from sites like this Zoomlite article and Expedia.
The commonly-held belief is that Tuesday is the best day to book a flight. The reason behind this is that airlines tend to announce new deals and discounts on Monday, so by Tuesday other airlines will aim to compete by lowering their prices for the same routes.
Myth: Tuesdays are the cheapest day to book flights. Debunked: Airline prices fluctuate constantly based on algorithms and market forces. While some flash sales might happen on Tuesdays, there's no magic day. Be flexible with your travel dates and use tools like Google Flights to track prices and find the best deals.
Price drops are more likely on less busy routes or off-peak travel dates. On popular routes, prices often rise as departure nears. Keep an eye on our flights page for last-minute flight deals. If a destination you've been curious about comes up, or if you're flexible about where to travel to, you can bag a bargain.
In my experience, travel aggregators like Booking.com, Skyscanner, and Kayak offer cheaper fares than booking direct with the airline. Sometimes they'll even direct you to the airline if their price is the best.
When the price for a flight or route you're tracking changes significantly, you can get email updates.
To book cheap flights, be flexible with dates (fly mid-week), use flight comparison sites like Skyscanner or Google Flights, search "Everywhere" for deals, book in advance (but not too last minute), and consider separate one-way tickets or nearby airports. Set up fare alerts and compare prices across different providers for the best deals.
Do cookies affect flight or holiday prices? No. Cookies don't raise prices on Skyscanner. Cookies are small data files that help websites remember your preferences—like login details or your last search.
Some days offer better value.
Skyscanner's historic search data shows Tuesdays and Wednesdays often offer lower fares, likely due to reduced midweek demand. Flights on Fridays, Sundays and Mondays are often more expensive due to business and weekend travel demand.
There's no single "cheapest airline" as it varies by route, time, and location, but budget carriers like Jetstar, Ryanair, AirAsia, Scoot, IndiGo, and Southwest/Spirit (US) consistently offer low fares; use flight comparison sites like Skyscanner or Webjet and search "Everywhere" or "Cheapest Month" for deals.
You may not get cheaper airfare by booking on a specific day, but when you plan on flying can affect the price of the ticket. Generally, Mondays and Fridays are more expensive than Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Keyes says this is mainly because business travelers tend to avoid traveling in the middle of the week.
Yes — if you save a flight, we'll automatically track the price and alert you to any changes.
Jetstar's Price Beat Guarantee lets you find a cheaper, comparable flight on another airline's website and Jetstar will beat that price by 10% if you book through them, ensuring you get the lowest fare; the process involves submitting a claim online with details of the competitor's fare, subject to specific terms, conditions, and eligibility criteria for the flights.
Prices usually increase over time
Airlines use dynamic pricing that raises fares as seats fill up. The closer you get to departure, the higher prices typically climb. Studies show that booking 2-3 months in advance generally offers better prices than last-minute purchases.
The best time to book flights to Australia
To catch the best deals on flights to Australia, it's recommended to book your tickets around 45 to 60 days before you fly. Stay ahead of the game by tracking the price of airline tickets to Australia using our Price Alert feature.
Let's find out how to find cheap flights:
To find cheap flights, be flexible with dates (midweek is often cheaper), use incognito mode to avoid price hikes, book in advance (3-6 months for international, 1-3 for domestic), fly budget airlines (watch fees), use flight comparison sites like Google Flights/Skyscanner with price alerts, and consider alternative airports or multi-stop flights for big savings.
To save money on flights, be flexible with your travel dates (midweek is cheaper) and destinations, use price alerts on tools like Google Flights, consider budget airlines and nearby airports, fly with carry-on only to avoid baggage fees, book in advance, and search in incognito mode to avoid cookie-based price hikes, then book directly with the airline after finding the best fare.
For finding cheap flights, top websites include Skyscanner, Google Flights, Momondo, and Kayak, all excellent for comparing many airlines and dates, with Skyscanner and Momondo offering flexible "Everywhere" searches; Skiplagged is great for finding hidden city fares, while Hopper predicts price drops, and for complex trips, check Air Wander and Expedia.
Be flexible with dates: Flying mid-week or during off-peak hours usually costs less. Consider stopover flights: They often come at a lower price compared to direct ones. Look for budget airlines: Carriers like IndiGo, SpiceJet, or Air India frequently offer competitive fares.
It's best to use Skyscanner to find the cheapest flights, then book directly with the airline, especially for complex itineraries or if changes are likely; booking direct offers better customer service and easier changes, while Skyscanner is a powerful research tool for comparing prices across airlines and online travel agencies (OTAs), but OTAs linked through Skyscanner can have hidden fees or poor support.
There's no single "cheapest" site, but Skyscanner, Google Flights (not listed but a major player), KAYAK, and Momondo are top-rated for comparing across many airlines and OTAs (Online Travel Agencies) like Expedia, while budget specialists like BudgetAir and even direct airline sites (Qantas, Virgin) or aggregators like Cheapflights/Traveloka offer deals, with flexibility in dates and using price alerts being key to finding the actual cheapest fare.
Domestic flight prices tend to drop 1 to 3 months before departure, especially for non-peak travel times (more like 3 to 5 months for peak travel seasons).
Cons of Google Flights
Doesn't always have the lowest fares: Google Flights works by searching fares sold directly from the airlines and a handful of the top online travel agencies (OTAs). Sometimes smaller agencies (which Google Flights doesn't consider) have slightly cheaper fares.