When Is the Best Time to Book a Flight for Travel?

• As a general rule, book within two or three months of departure for domestic trips and more than 90 days out for international travel.
• Be flexible and use tools like the “everywhere” or “explore” features on booking sites to find the best flight prices.
• Sign up for price alerts to be notified of the lowest fare for a particular route.

Whether you’re traveling across state lines or around the globe, figuring out precisely the best time to book your flights can feel like a (very frustrating) guessing game. Ultimately, the answer comes down to two factors: where you’re going and when you’re traveling. To help answer the age-old question, we tapped experts from Priceline, Skyscanner, and Kayak to share their tips and insights on the best time to book a flight for domestic, international, and summer travel. And while we’ll dive deeper into the data below, it is worth noting that, in general, flexibility is key. Adjusting your travel dates by even a few days can lead to lower fares, especially during peak seasons.

For example, for summer travel, Skyscanner data shows that delaying your trip to late August instead of early July could save you up to 30 percent. Similarly, flying on off-peak days—like Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays—can also result in significant savings, explains Christina Bennett, Priceline’s consumer travel expert. Read on for more expert advice on the best time to book domestic, international, and summer travel.

When to Book Flights for Domestic Travel

“Generally, the further you plan to travel, the further out you should plan your travel.” Bennett tells Travel + Leisure. She advises that “U.S. travelers planning domestic or North American vacations should aim to book flights between two weeks to two months in advance to get the best fares.” Those last two weeks before the plane departs is when prices increase substantially. 

When to Book Flights for International Travel

According to Bennett, when booking international travel—“especially to Europe, Asia, or the Middle East”—you should lock in your flights “at least three months in advance, based on historical pricing patterns.” Kayla Inserra DeLoache, a consumer travel trends expert at Kayak, echoes this advice, adding that travelers should steer clear of booking too far in advance (more than 10 months out) or too last-minute (less than three weeks before departure) to avoid overpaying.

She also emphasizes that, unlike domestic flights, the optimal booking window for international travel varies significantly by route. For example, “the best time to book a flight from New York City to London may differ from booking the same trip from Los Angeles.”

Laura Lindsay, global travel trends expert at Skyscanner, adds that savvy travelers can find great international flight deals by looking around major U.S. holidays. “Thanksgiving, in particular, is one of the best times to score international deals, as most travelers opt for domestic flights during the holiday season.”

When to Book Flights for Summer Travel

To secure the best airfare for summer trips, timing is everything, which is why Bennett recommends following what she calls the “rule of 90.” She explains that “you should seek to book any international travel at least 90 days out and any domestic travel within 90 days of departure.” There are exceptions, of course, so she also recommends just jumping on a great deal when you see one.

Choosing the right travel dates is another important factor to maximizing savings. According to historical Skyscanner data, the first week of July is the most popular—and most expensive—time to travel. However, the same data found that, on average, U.S. travelers can save up to 30 percent on flight tickets by flying in mid-August instead of early July—August 25 is the cheapest week to fly in 2025.

Bennett adds that “during peak periods, especially during summer, airlines often add additional flights to their schedules to the most popular destinations.” With that in mind, she advises keeping an eye out for flash sales or destination-specific deals.

When to Book Flights for Holiday Travel

The winter holidays are among the busiest times of the year for travel, making early planning essential to secure the best deals. Priceline data shows that September and October have been the best months to book holiday flights at lower prices in previous years.

For even greater savings, Bennett suggests staying flexible with your dates and avoiding peak travel days. “Traveling a few days earlier or later can result in significant savings,” she explains. Additionally, in some cases, traveling on the holiday itself can be a great money-saving option—as long as you have the flexibility to do so.

More Ways to Maximize Your Savings

Whether you’re booking a multi-country escape or a quick city break, read on to discover even more ways to save on flights.

Use the savings tools on flight-booking websites.

Flight-booking sites offer their own innovative features to help travelers discover the best time to lock in airfare. Skyscanner’s Savings Generator tool assists travelers in finding the average monthly airfare and the best time to book flights to popular destinations from the U.S.; it even suggests more affordable alternatives. Then, there’s Kayak’s Best Time to Travel page, which also helps travelers determine the ideal time to book and travel based on their origin, destination, and trip length.

Use Skyscanner’s whole month search tool to find the cheapest airfare in a particular month, and last but not least, take advantage of Priceline’s AI travel assistant, Penny. The tool provides personalized and discounted recommendations, price predictions, and booking insights to help you save money and make more informed travel decisions.

Be flexible about your destination.

With flexibility and an open mind, you can score incredible deals by letting price—as opposed to destination—guide your next adventure. “There’s a reason ‘everywhere‘ is this year’s top search destination for adventurous travelers on Skyscanner,” says Lindsay. Kayak also has a similar feature that highlights destinations with the lowest airfare from your city. 

For even more guidance, consider Skyscanner’s Savvy Search feature. It’s simple: “You tell Savvy Search what kind of vacation is on your mind or simply ask for inspiration, and you’ll get a curated list of travel recommendations,” Lindsay says.

Set up price alerts.

Most flight-buying websites—including Priceline, Kayak, and Skyscanner—offer price alerts. Lindsay says scoring the best flight deals is “all about timing, especially when booking summer flights,” so sign up to be notified by email and/or text when ticket prices drop for your destination.

Consider a multi-city flight.

Multi-city flights add extra legs to your trip, which you might think is annoying—or exciting. Adding layovers to your flight itinerary is “a smart way to see more destinations in one go,” says Lindsay. “This is typically less expensive—and easier—to book than cobbling together a few one-way flights between multiple destinations,” especially when you factor in luggage fees for each ticket.

Bundle your travel expenses. 

Consider bundling flights with hotels or rental cars for maximum savings. According to Bennett, “packaging together your travel bookings leads to the best deals possible, and bundles that combine air and hotel or hotel and rental car help the savings add up when planning a trip.” She says bundling your flight and hotel stay on Priceline could save you $240 on average.