Which day is cheapest to fly in Canada?

Domestic flights that leave on Friday are up to 20% cheaper. You'll want to skip Saturday to Monday departures unless you're willing to pay more. Thursdays are a good option for international travellers, who save an average of 10% on airfare. Wednesday departures saved 5%, but Sunday and Monday were the most expensive days to fly based on ARC's average return airfare data collected from January to August 2022.

How far in advance should I book a flight?

Expedia recommends booking at least two months before a domestic flight to save an average of 40% on the price of your ticket. People who wait until a month before their flight end up paying much more, but so do those who are extra eager. The travel company doesn't advise booking more than 100 days in advance since domestic airfares can be more expensive between four and five months before departure. The best prices for in-country flights get listed around 71 days before take-off.

For international flights, airfare is cheapest three months in advance and those who book within that window save around 10% on tickets. "Last-minute flight deals are increasingly rare," based on Expedia’s price-tracking data.

Which departure time is the best to avoid flight cancellations and delays?

Morning flights between 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. are less likely to be cancelled. Afternoon flights leaving after 3 p.m. are, on average, 15% more likely to be cancelled.

You can also hedge your bets by avoiding peak travel periods. Flight delays were about 40 minutes shorter between February and May, compared to busier summer months.

Cancellations dropped from around 10% at the start of the year to around 4% by August. The positive trend is expected to continue in 2023 leading to an overall reduced risk of flight disruptions. “While the recovery has been volatile, our data indicates that travel is beginning to normalize and travelers are once again taking advantage of the ability to travel by air,” said Chuck Thackston, ARC Managing Director of Data Science and Research.