We get asked all the time what is the cheapest time to fly? Now if you aren’t really into travel hacking and points redemption, it’s going to depend on if you are putting a cost on your convenience factor. Are you genuinely looking for the cheapest flight, therefore, the cheapest time to fly?
So… What is the Cheapest Time to Fly?
In all honesty, if you are trying to find the cheapest flights (for point redemptions or not) you will almost always find that morning flights and red eyes (Late night flights) are your best bet.
Morning Flights
One of the cheapest time to fly tips we have is to fly on a morning flight. A lot of people do not like getting up early to fly so this leaves options at great redemptions. When flying out it gives me several benefits.
- I prefer to start my trip as soon as possible.
- Airlines are less likely to delay morning flights.
- On my flights to Las Vegas and Cancun, they plane usually does not sell. Being on a plane that doesn’t sell out, allows for extra room with empty seats next to you.
- All Major airlines will give you an option for being bumped off a delayed flight, You will be asked to take a later trip and it will cost you more time in the airport. However it might be well worth your trouble. I have received vouchers for several hundred dollars in credits towards future flights for being delayed a couple of hours.
- The main reason I prefer the early flights is traffic. I hate traffic! I would prefer to deal with traffic at 9 pm if doing a park and fly or driving at 3 am in the morning than sitting in Chicago during rush hour.
Red Eye Flights
Another time to consider for the cheapest time to fly is taking a Red-Eye flight. I prefer the red eye for the same reasons as morning flights. I usually end up working the following day when I fly back from Las Vegas. Even if I fly back late at night and I can do this partially due to the time change. When I land at midnight, my body is still in sync with Pacific (Las Vegas) Time, so it feels like it’s still 10 pm. The time change combined with the red-eye flight allows me to drive in lighter traffic and results in fewer delays getting back. Usually, the jet leg does not hit me till the next evening, so I would have already gone through my day of work before I would start to feel the effects and can sleep it off at that point.
So it can’t all be awesome right, or everyone would be taking these flights. The biggest pitfall of the red-eye flights is having a flight delayed or canceled. With living in Wisconsin, this does happen more often in those snowy winters. You will be stuck if you are on the last flight of the day and it’s canceled or delayed. Canceled Flights due to weather has happened several times over the years, but I have found it is a chance worth taking. You need to keep this in mind if you live in a weather-sensitive area like Wisconsin.
Please contact us or leave a comment below if you have other tips on the best time to fly.
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