Overheard a guy at the gate saying he books flights on Tuesdays at 3am

I was waiting for my flight in Denver last week and this dude was telling his friend he only books flights between 2 and 4am on Tuesdays. Said airlines update their systems then and prices drop for a short window before algorithms catch up. I tried it for a trip to Chicago and saved about $40 compared to what I saw the day before. Has anyone else tried booking at weird hours like that or is this just a myth?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivan404d ago

Yeah that Tuesday 3am thing is real. I've been doing it for years. Set your alarm for 2:45am, check Google Flights and the airline's direct site. The key is to search incognito mode and clear your cookies first. I saved $120 on a round trip to Seattle last month by booking at 3:15am on a Tuesday. Just make sure you're ready to buy right then because the fares bounce back up by 5am. The algorithm resets and catches up fast.

stellablack3d ago

The whole incognito and clear cookies thing extends way beyond flights. It's like how grocery stores put the milk at the back so you walk past everything else, or how streaming services hide the cancel button in a maze of menus. The system is designed to catch you off guard, and the cheap fares at 4am are just one little crack in the armor where the algorithm isn't paying attention. I swear my phone knows when I'm desperate for a last minute hotel and jacks up the prices. Once you start looking for these little loopholes, you realize they're everywhere, just hidden in plain sight.