Piratefly

Are last-minute flights cheaper?

No. In the last 3 days before departure the same flight cost on average 49.6% more than its cheapest observed fare. Comparing 24,317 flights seen both 3–4 weeks and under a week out, the late fare was higher 67% of the time (median +9.7%).

Piratefly price data, updated 2026-10-31 · 4,928,479 fares observed 2026-06-14 → 2026-10-30 · CC BY 4.0

How much more you pay vs. the cheapest moment, by how early you book
Average premium over the same flight's lowest observed fare · 81,915 flights
0–3 days before departure: +49.6% average, +23.5% median (18565 flights) +49.6% 0–3d 4–7 days before departure: +42.6% average, +19.6% median (35592 flights) +42.6% 4–7d 1–2 weeks before departure: +34.5% average, +14.8% median (43450 flights) +34.5% 1–2w 2–3 weeks before departure: +27.1% average, +10.5% median (38608 flights) +27.1% 2–3w 3–4 weeks before departure: +21% average, +6.7% median (42702 flights) +21% 3–4w 1–1.5 months before departure: +17.2% average, +4.2% median (51165 flights) +17.2% 1–1.5m 1.5–2 months before departure: +17.5% average, +3.8% median (38564 flights) +17.5% 1.5–2m 2–3 months before departure: +22.4% average, +6.1% median (38402 flights) +22.4% 2–3m
Source: Piratefly flight price research · 4,928,479 fares observed 2026-06-14 → 2026-10-30 · CC BY 4.0

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Source and method

One-way economy fares observed by Piratefly's price tracker, not booking data or surveys. Full method, all charts and CSV: When to book flights — Piratefly research. Open dataset: doi:10.5281/zenodo.23290390. Please credit "Piratefly" with a link to this page.

Check any route live: Fare Index · Piratefly API · MCP server.

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