The Best Time to Book Flights in 2026, According to Opodo Data
Leading online travel agent, Opodo has analysed all bookings for return flights made by UK travellers last year (1st January – 31st December 2025) in order to share insights on the best day, month, and even hour to book in order to save big on short, mid, and long-haul travel in the year ahead. Try out our new Opodo tool online to book at the best price!
Planning ahead
Opodo’s analysis reveals that, while savings on bookings can vary by destination, picking the right time to purchase is one of the most important ways to secure the best travel deals.
Being prepared pays off:
- Bookings to European destinations made 31-60 days in advance saved the most compared to bookings made 0-15 days in advance (average price €183 vs €247)
- For The Americas, bookings made 31-60 days in advance were most cost-effective (average price €731 compared to €961 for bookings 0-15 days ahead of travel)
- For Australasia, bookings made 91-100 days in advance (average price €1449) were the most affordable, saving travellers nearly €400 compared to when bookings were made 0-15 days in advance (average price €1808)
Best day of the week to book
Opodo’s data suggests that there really is a best day of the week to book flights. Although this may differ by destination, clear patterns have emerged:
- Through 7 out of 12 months in the year, Sunday was the best day to secure a saving (February, April to August & December)
Breaking it down by continent, Brits can make valuable savings by booking on the most cost-effective day:
- For travel to Africa: Sundays were the cheapest (average €593)
- For travel to The Americas: Fridays were the best value (average €773)
- For Australasia: Saturday was the cheapest day to book (average €1412)
Best hour to book
Timing is also a factor in nabbing the best prices and the good news for Brits is that generally, there’s no need to wake up at the crack of dawn to secure a deal.
- Across the year, on average the most expensive hours to book were between 4am-6am, while the most cost effective were most likely to be between 9pm-11pm
- For example, looking at all travel in 2025, in January the best hour of the day to book travel was between 1-2pm with average prices at €256
- For long-haul flight bookings to Australasia, the best prices were on offer at midnight (average €1219 compared to an average of €3751 at 5am – saving travellers over €2500)
Your favourite continent: the best month to book?
- Travelling to The Americas, the best month to book was May (average €736)
- For Asia, August was the best time to book (average €574)
- For travel to Australasia, September was the cheapest month (average €1487)
- Short-haul European getaways: prices were at their lowest in January (average €182)
Your favourite country: the best month to book?
Opodo has revealed the best months for Brits to book travel to some of our favourite destinations:
- France: September (average €164)
- Italy: January (average €168)
- Spain: September (average €156)
- Greece: October (average €246)
- Portugal: November (average €196)
- US: May (average €658)
Even better ways to save?
In addition to being day, month and lead-time savvy, travellers can secure even better value for their trip every step of the way by taking advantage of Opodo Prime. Lock in fares with price freezing, discover exclusive AI-tailored deals, enjoy 24/7 customer support, take advantage of the full flexibility with the ability to cancel for any reason, and share perks with friends and family to make travel even more affordable. Subscribers can keep an eye out for exclusive deals with Opodo Prime Days, occurring throughout the year.
Try out our new Opodo tool online to book at the best price!
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