You've found a decent airfare. Now comes the annoying question: book it or wait and hope the price drops?
There isn't one magic day, time or booking trick that guarantees the cheapest flight. Airfares change according to demand, available seats, route, season, competition and how close you are to departure. That's why the advice your mate swears by after scoring a cheap flight to Bali might be completely useless for your Christmas trip to London.
For Australian travellers, the smarter approach is to know when to start looking, what can push prices higher and when waiting becomes a bigger gamble than booking. Here's how to approach it.
Best Time to Book Flights: The Quick Answer
| Question | Quick answer |
|---|---|
| How early should I look for domestic flights? | Start monitoring fares several weeks before travel, and earlier for peak periods |
| How early should I look for international flights? | Start several months ahead, particularly for long-haul or peak-season travel |
| Is there a cheapest day to book? | No day consistently guarantees the cheapest fare |
| Is there a cheaper day to fly? | Sometimes. Changing your travel date can matter more than changing your booking day |
| Should I wait for a last-minute deal? | Usually not if your dates are fixed or you're travelling during a busy period |
| Should I book early for school holidays? | Yes. Fixed-date peak travel generally gives you less room to wait |
| Can price alerts help? | Yes. They're more useful than repeatedly checking fares and trying to guess the market |
The short version: start watching fares early, stay flexible where you can and don't hold out indefinitely for the absolute lowest price. A good fare that suits your trip can be more valuable than a cheaper flight with lousy timings, long connections or restrictive conditions.
How Far in Advance Should You Book Flights?
There's no booking window that works for every route. A Brisbane to Sydney flight behaves differently from Sydney to Tokyo. London over Christmas is another story again.
Rather than treating a particular number of days as a rule, use booking windows as a signal for when you should start paying attention to prices.
When to Book Domestic Flights in Australia
For domestic travel, start comparing fares several weeks before departure. Recent airfare studies have found lower average fares within certain booking windows, but these should be treated as historical patterns rather than guarantees.
Your route matters too. High-frequency routes such as Sydney to Melbourne may give you more choice than regional routes with only a handful of services each day.
If you're travelling during school holidays, Easter, Christmas, a long weekend or a major event, start earlier. The problem isn't simply that fares may increase — the flight times you actually want can disappear too.
When to Book International Flights
For international travel, it's generally sensible to start looking a few months ahead. That doesn't necessarily mean booking the first fare you see. It means learning what fares normally look like for your route.
For peak periods and long-haul travel, start even earlier. If you're planning Europe in July, Japan during cherry blossom season or an overseas Christmas holiday, you don't have the same flexibility as somebody taking an off-season trip with no fixed dates.
When Should Australians Book Flights by Destination?
The destination matters just as much as the booking date. Here's a practical way to think about some popular overseas trips from Australia.
New Zealand and the South Pacific
Start checking fares a few months ahead, but pay close attention to Australian and destination school holidays. A short flight doesn't necessarily mean a cheap flight when everyone wants to travel at once.
Bali and Southeast Asia
Bali, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore are heavily influenced by holiday demand. If your dates are flexible, compare several departure days. For fixed peak-season travel, start earlier rather than hoping for a dramatic last-minute sale.
Japan and North Asia
Demand can spike around cherry blossom season, ski season and Japanese holiday periods. If your itinerary depends on particular dates, give yourself more booking time. Our Japan travel guide has more on timing, and comparing Tokyo and Osaka arrival options may also help.
Europe and the UK
For June, July, August, Christmas and New Year travel, start monitoring well ahead. Long-haul European trips deserve more planning because many travellers compete for the same peak-season seats.
USA and Canada
Fares can vary significantly according to season, destination and routing. Look beyond the headline fare, because baggage, seat selection, connection times and fare conditions can change the real value.
Is There Really a Cheapest Day to Book Flights?
Probably the most persistent airfare myth is that there's a particular day when airlines suddenly release their cheapest seats.
You've probably heard Tuesday. Someone else will swear it's Wednesday. Another person will tell you to search at midnight in private browsing mode.
There is no single day of the week that consistently guarantees the cheapest airfare across every airline, route and travel date.
Different airfare studies sometimes identify particular days as cheaper on average, but averages aren't promises. The better question is: is this a good price for the route and dates I actually want?
What's the Difference Between the Cheapest Day to Book and the Cheapest Day to Fly?
The day you book is when you purchase the ticket. The day you fly is when the aircraft actually leaves. Changing your travel day can sometimes have a much bigger effect on price than changing the day you make the booking.
Instead of assuming a particular weekday will always be cheapest, compare nearby dates. Sometimes the saving is enough to pay for another night of your holiday.
When Should You Book Flights for Peak Travel Periods?
Australian School Holidays
Families don't have much flexibility around school dates. If you're travelling with several people, booking earlier can also make it easier to find enough seats at the same fare.
Christmas and New Year
Don't build a Christmas trip around the hope of a last-minute bargain. If the trip matters and your dates can't move much, certainty becomes valuable.
Easter and Long Weekends
Flights immediately before and after public holidays can fill quickly. Check whether shifting your departure by a day changes the fare.
European Summer
June through August is popular with Australians heading to Europe. Start watching prices well before departure and consider flexibility around arrival airports.
Major Events
Grand finals, concerts, festivals and major sporting events can put sudden pressure on routes. Treat the flight as part of the event planning rather than something you'll sort out later.
Should You Book a Flight Now or Wait?
Nobody can promise what an airfare will do tomorrow. But you can make a sensible decision based on how much flexibility you have.
Consider Booking Now If:
- Your travel dates are fixed
- You're travelling during a peak period
- You're travelling for a wedding, cruise, concert or major event
- Your route has limited flight options
- You're booking several seats together
- The fare fits your budget
- The flight times and conditions suit your trip
- Waiting would create more stress than the potential saving is worth
You May Have More Room to Wait If:
- You're still several months from departure
- Your dates are flexible
- Several airlines operate the route
- You can travel from different airports
- Current prices look unusually high
- You're actively tracking the fare rather than simply hoping it falls
A good question to ask yourself: if the fare increased tomorrow, would you regret not booking it today? That won't predict the market, but it's useful for working out your own tolerance for risk.
Flexibility Can Save More Than Perfect Timing
Try Different Travel Dates
Search a few days either side of your preferred departure. Moving by one day may expose different fares.
Compare Nearby Airports
Flying into a different airport can occasionally save money or make your itinerary easier. Just include the cost and hassle of getting from the alternative airport to where you actually want to be.
Compare Direct and Connecting Flights
Direct flights are convenient, but connecting services can sometimes cost less. Two connections and a 27-hour journey to save $120? Maybe not.
Consider an Open-Jaw Trip
Arrive in one city and depart from another. For example, fly Australia to Tokyo, travel through Japan, then fly home from Osaka. This can eliminate unnecessary backtracking.
Use Price Alerts Instead of Guessing
If you're not ready to book, don't rely on memory — set a price alert. Flight-search tools can monitor your route and notify you when fares change, and some use historical pricing to indicate whether a fare looks relatively low, typical or high. Just don't let price tracking become an endless game. Once you've found a fare you're happy with, there comes a point where booking it is more useful than continuing to chase another $40.
Are Airline Sales Worth Waiting For?
They can be. But the word "sale" doesn't automatically mean you're looking at the lowest possible fare. Before you pounce, check the:
- Travel dates
- Baggage allowance
- Seat selection
- Change and cancellation conditions
- Connection times
- Airport locations
- Extra fees that matter to you
A sale fare that doesn't suit your trip isn't a bargain. And for high-demand travel with fixed dates, waiting weeks for a sale can backfire.
The Cheapest Flight Isn't Always the Best Deal
Imagine two flights from Australia to Europe. Flight A is $1,420. Flight B is $1,510.
Flight A has two connections, a 10-hour overnight transit and baggage that doesn't work for your trip. Flight B has one sensible connection and gets you there much sooner.
Price matters. But so do total travel time, connections, timings, baggage, fare flexibility, airport changes and routing. Sometimes paying slightly more produces a dramatically better journey.
A Simple Flight Booking Strategy
- Start looking early. Give yourself time to understand the normal fare range.
- Compare nearby dates. Don't assume your original departure day is your cheapest option.
- Look at the whole itinerary. Check connections, baggage, airports and travel time.
- Track prices if you're not ready to book. Use alerts rather than repeatedly searching and guessing.
- Book earlier when your flexibility disappears. School holidays, events and fixed dates leave less room to gamble.
- Stop chasing the perfect fare once you've found a good one. Nobody knows with certainty whether tomorrow will be cheaper.
That's really the trick — not finding the mythical perfect booking day, but knowing when you've found a flight you're comfortable buying.
Flight Booking FAQs
Start checking domestic fares several weeks before departure. For school holidays, Christmas, Easter, long weekends or major events, start earlier.
Start monitoring fares a few months before departure. Long-haul trips and peak-season travel generally deserve more lead time.
There is no day that consistently guarantees the cheapest airfare across every airline and route.
It varies by route and demand. Compare fares across several nearby departure and return dates.
Sometimes, but relying on last-minute discounts is risky, particularly when your dates are fixed.
Consider booking when you've found a fare that fits your budget, your dates are fixed and the flight works well for your trip.
Seeing a fare change after repeated searches doesn't necessarily mean the airline raised it because of your searches. Availability, demand and fare inventory change frequently.
There's no reliable rule that flights become cheaper simply because you book late at night.
A sale can be worthwhile if your dates are flexible, but compare total cost, flight times, baggage and conditions.
Compare nearby dates, check historical price guidance where available and compare competing airlines. Most importantly, judge the complete itinerary.
Need Help Deciding Which Flight to Book?
Sometimes the difficult part isn't finding flights — it's working out which option actually makes sense. A cheaper fare might mean a painful connection. Another flight might cost slightly more but save hours of travel. When you're comparing airlines, fare types and departure dates, the options can get messy quickly.
If you'd rather talk it through with someone, the iFly team can help you compare the routes, fares and conditions and find an option that works for your trip.