The Day of the Week, Does It Really Matter?

Many travelers realize that flights may be cheaper on certain days of the week, or during different times of year, depending on the destination. But many people do not consider the essence of time. The time of your flight can make a large difference in the amount of money that you pay for your plane ticket.

In most cases, only the day of the trip is important to the traveler. Vacations are often scheduled around the cheapest flights available. Business people typically travel the day before rather than the day of a business meeting. You can see taking the time of your flight into consideration can save you a lot of money on your plane tickets without causing you any frustration or scheduling issues.

Some of the cheapest flights are in the late night and early morning hours, between midnight and four o'clock in the morning. Most people are sleeping during these times, and really do not want to take a flight in the middle of the night. So, you can usually find cheap or discounted flights during these times of night. The best rule of thumb is to find the latest flight available, or the earliest flight available. These flights will have the cheapest rates.

If your itinerary is not dependent on arrival time or you are crossing several time zones, take a late night flight and arrive during the day when checking into a hotel will be much easier. If your business meeting isn't until the afternoon, take an early morning flight, and catch a few winks at the hotel to freshen up before the meeting. Generally late or early flights will not interfere with your plans.

There are distinct advantages to taking an overnight flight, besides the fact that the rates are cheaper. First, you will likely find yourself on a nearly empty plane, meaning that you have your choice of a window seat or an aisle seat, and you may even have a row to yourself. Another advantage is that you can enjoy the peace and quiet of the middle of the night. You are almost sure to avoid the chatter of other passengers, as well as the crying, yelling, and playing of infants and young children.

Another advantage of taking an early morning or late night flight is that you can decrease the feeling of jet lag. Since these are the hours when you would normally be asleep, your body and mind are more likely to settle down into a restful sleep than if you were to take a flight during the day. When you can sleep on the plane while crossing time zones, you can decrease or avoid completely the feeling of jet lag.

When booking your flight, ask when the earliest or latest flights are, and if there is a price difference. You should also ask the booking agent if the discounted airfare will still earn frequent flyer miles, and if you can use frequent flyer miles toward the discounted rate. Sometimes, although not often, the ability to use frequent flyer miles will make a regular flight cheaper than an early or late flight. Since airlines will never automatically tell you the cheapest way to go, you need to ask all of these questions to get the best rate.