You might not have celebrated National Best Friends Day on June 8, National Piña Colada Day on July 10, or National Nude Day on July 14 (do you hate fun?), but there's at least one more quasi-holiday this summer you won't want to miss.
Friday, Aug. 23, is National Cheap Flight Day. This sacred event, which has been unofficially marked since 2015, commemorates the glorious season when airfare prices usually dip as summer begins to wrap up and, praise be, savings on plane tickets can occasionally be found after months of higher prices.
Unfortunately, cheap flight season takes up only a little space on the calendar. After it's over, airfares steadily rise as the end-of-year holidays approach, reaching a peak around Thanksgiving.
Unlike with other holiday-related phenomena (looking at you, Easter Bunny), you don't have to take the temporary decline in airfare prices on faith.
Hard data from online travel agency CheapOair, a website that gets hyped up enough about the day to put out advance press releases, shows that since June 1, the average cost of a U.S. domestic airline ticket has decreased by 33.4%, while the price of tickets for international flights has dropped by 10%.
What's more, those trends are expected to continue through August and September, according to CheapOair's analysis—suggesting the holiday isn't really a National Cheap Flight Day but a National Cheap Flight Month.
“Summer is winding down and consumer focus is on returning to normal work and school schedules," explains Glenn Cusano, president of CheapOair parent corporation Fareportal, in a statement. "Our data shows that airfares are trending downward, and we expect that to continue for the immediate future. By sharing this information, CheapOair reminds us that it’s really the perfect time to get a jump on holiday travel plans."
'Tis the season, in other words. So get packing.
To improve your chances of finding a bargain even more, consult our ranking of the best airfare search sites in 2024.
