It’s National Cheap Flight Day this week. Can you really get a better deal?

Believe it or not, this week marks National Potato Day, National Bacon Lovers Day and, on Aug. 23, National Cheap Flight Day.

Sign In or Create an Account

Supposedly, it’s one of the best days of the year for airfare deals. But given that it comes alongside a national day for a root vegetable and for lovers of smoked pork, you’d be forgiven for having your doubts.

Here’s everything you need to know about Cheap Flight Day, as well as how to check if you’re actually getting a good deal.

Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.

By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

National Cheap Flight Day falls on Aug. 23 every year. It purportedly marks the point where airfares begin to decline, as family vacation season comes to an end and kids go back to school.

But Gunnar Olson, flight deal analyst at Thrifty Traveler, is skeptical.

“Unfortunately, the best time to book a flight is just when that individual flight, and that individual seat that you’re looking at, might be the cheapest,” he says. “Airlines are constantly changing and evaluating what to charge for each seat on every single flight, so these are complicated, complex technical things.”

Olson adds that fares can drop at any moment, rather than on pre-determined dates, and travellers have to be ready to book deals when they see them.

But while National Cheap Flight Day might not necessarily be the best day of the year to book a trip, there are other ways to grab a great flight deal this week.

As Olson explained, National Cheap Flight Day is unlikely to save you much money. However, a couple of airlines do reliably put on legitimate flight sales towards the end of August.

According to flight deal alert service Jack’s Flight Club, only a handful of airlines run sales that are “the real deal” — as opposed to a price that is just marginally better than usual, or still far more expensive than competitors — and these include summer events from British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic.

BA’s end-of-August sale usually lasts around a month, according to the deal-finding service, which notes that, “In the past, almost all of their long-haul routes would be discounted and as cheap as they ever go.” These days, however, “it tends to be a leaner selection, with only their North America and India routes reliably hitting those lows.”

Virgin Atlantic’s sale usually takes place at the same time, with Jack’s Flight Club pointing out that “the rivalry between Virgin and BA is so strong that whenever one of the two drops a sale, the other will usually show up within hours, sporting fares during the same period to many of the same destinations.”

These sales are almost always as good as the two airlines offer.

Actually, it’s less about time of year and more about how far in advance you’re booking.

Flight Centre Canada shared its latest booking-window data with National Post, which showed that across five high-volume Canadian routes, economy round-trip fares booked 90 or more days before departure were 38 to 59 per cent lower than fares booked in the final week.

Trips to Europe, however, were a different story. Across five high-volume Canada–Europe routes, fares moved up and down depending on the route and booking window, with no consistent sweet spot.

“That doesn’t mean travellers should wait,” said Amra Durakovic, head of communications for Flight Centre Canada. “Booking earlier still gives you more choice, particularly if your dates are fixed, or you want specific flights, seats or accommodation. It simply shows that the same pricing rule doesn’t apply to every trip.”

With a combination of irregular air fares and sales that might not be as good as they look, it’s hard for travellers to know whether they’re really saving money on flights.

Olson recommends using Google Flights, which provides context travellers can use to check if they’re getting a good deal.

“When you search for a flight on Google Flights, it’ll tell you, for example, that prices are probably going to go up in the next 10 days on this flight. In which case, it’s a good time to book,” he says. “It’ll also give you a grasp of where prices have been over the last couple of weeks and months.”

This allows travellers to assess whether they’re getting a flight at a lower price than usual, while Google Flights’ price alert system notifies travellers if the price of a flight they’re watching drops.

So, while National Cheap Flight Day might not lead to the best deal, there are other ways travellers can cut the cost of their next trip.

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.