Why booking Tuesday afternoon gets you cheaper flights than any other time - Silicon Canals

"Ever found yourself staring at flight prices, watching them jump around like a nervous cat? Last month, I was booking a trip to Prague (one of those cities where you can practically taste the history in the cobblestone streets), and I noticed something odd. The same flight I'd been tracking for days suddenly dropped by nearly £80 when I checked it on a Tuesday afternoon."

"Most people assume airline prices are purely about supply and demand. They're half right. Airlines use something called dynamic pricing, which sounds fancy but basically means they're constantly adjusting prices based on who's looking and when. Research published in the Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management describes how airlines can adjust prices relatively infrequently or, at the limit, on a transaction-by-transaction basis using various dynamic pricing mechanisms including assortment optimization, dynamic price adjustment, and continuous pricing."

"But here's where it gets interesting. These price changes aren't random. They follow patterns based on human behavior. Think about when most people book flights. Sunday evenings? Monday mornings when they're procrastinating at work? These are peak browsing times, and airlines know it. Their algorithms are designed to capitalize on urgency and desperation. Tuesday afternoons hit a sweet spot. The weekend warriors have already booked. The Monday morning panic buyers have made their purchases. By Tuesday afternoon, airlines are looking at their unsold inventory."

Flight prices fluctuate according to dynamic pricing systems that adjust fares based on who is searching and when. Airlines monitor peak browsing times—weekend evenings and Monday mornings—to capitalize on urgency and demand. Algorithms and pricing mechanisms, including assortment optimization and continuous pricing, enable adjustments ranging from infrequent changes to transaction-by-transaction variations. Lower demand windows, such as Tuesday afternoons after weekend and Monday purchases, prompt airlines to reduce fares to sell unsold inventory. Understanding these behavioral patterns and timing can help travelers anticipate and find cheaper fares by checking prices during strategic low-demand periods.

Read at Silicon Canals