Today Is the Most Popular Day to Book Summer Air Travel
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Consider this your reminder to book those flights you’ve been eying for your summer trips.
It’s the first Tuesday in June — the day that, according to metasearch site Hipmunk, is the most popular day of the year to book summer air travel.
It is also one of the cheapest, too.
According to Hipmunk’s analysis, more than a third of flights are 15% cheaper on the first Tuesday in June than the median booking price for summer travel as a whole. As a result, 90% more flight bookings occur on the first Tuesday in June as compared to median number of daily flight bookings for the rest of the summer.
“Traditionally, the first Tuesday in June is also the date that Southwest Airlines announces its fall sale routes and other carriers follow suit,” Kelly Soderlund, Hipmunk’s travel trends expert, said in a release. Soderlund said in an email to TPG that that “the SWA sale creates another sort of ‘Southwest Effect’: other airlines drop prices + travelers are running searches/reminded that they need to book their summer travel.” She dubs the day “Summer Travel Tuesday.”
Plus timing plays a role in the uptick in flight bookings today, according to Soderlund. “It’s officially June, most schools are being let out, and people are really starting to focus their attention on tightening up their summer plans,” she explained. “And so the confluence of those aspects—along with some great travel deals—gives us Summer Travel Tuesday.”
Of the flights booked on the first Tuesday of June 2018, 70% departed in June or July of the same year, Hipmunk found.
But not everyone is convinced of the “Summer Travel Tuesday” phenomenon.
“If airlines thought that customers thought there was a ‘Tuesday sweet spot’, or knew of an ‘every Tuesday’ discontinuity in fares, don’t you think they would close any ‘Low Fare Gap’?” airline consultant Robert Mann told TPG in an email. “After all, they would be consciously leaving money on the table, which they are loath to do.”
What’s not up for debate, however, is that Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines did launch flash sales on Tuesday. Southwest fares on dozens of routes dropped below $100, and Alaska launched its summer sale, which will run from June 4 – 10 for travel in August. Here is a chart of some of the biggest savings on Alaska fares:
Hipmunk says that the following destinations will have some of the best deals on Tuesday:
- Domestic Destinations:
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco
- Las Vegas
- Denver
- Chicago
- International Destinations:
- London
- Paris
- Madrid
- Cancun, Mexico
- Vancouver, Canada
Featured photo by Orbon Alija via Getty Images.
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
Earn 90,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in the first three months of card membership. Offer ends 11/10/2021.
With Status Boost™, earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles and 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer expires 11/10/2021.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. *Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $75 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®.
- Enjoy an exclusive rate of $39 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club® for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.