The Worst Times to Fly as a Single Person

1.Start Simple: Picking the RIGHT DAY OF THE WEEK

Let’s start simple: what are the worst days of the week to travel?

The day you choose to travel can affect a lot of things, from the ticket price, to the delays you might experience at the airport. It’s probably no surprise that weekends are often busier and more expensive than week days, as many people prefer to schedule their holiday flights around their work lives.

However, you might be surprised to learn that Fridays according to one report, are usually the days with the most delays, followed by Mondays. You might actually face fewer delays travelling on a Saturday if you’re willing to pay the extra cost..

Generally, you’ll get the best fares and a better experience travelling on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. Those are the days where you can skip expensive prices, and lengthy queues caused by families and business travellers.

The worst days to fly, on the other hand, are Sundays, Mondays, and Fridays. A ticket on a Sunday might cost you a little less than one on a Saturday, but you’ll be more likely to face delays.

Breaking it down:

• Highest cost: Saturdays
• Worst overall: Sundays, Mondays, and Fridays

Another quick point worth mentioning is you won’t always have the option to choose your flight day, out of the way or quieter destinations may not have inbound flights every day.

2.The Worst Time to Fly: Picking the RIGHT TIME OF DAY

The time you schedule your flight for can also make a difference. Generally, most experts recommend booking the earliest flight in the day. That way, your flight is less likely to be affected by delays that occur as planes come and go.

Certain times of day are often cheaper than others for travellers. For instance, you’re more likely to get a great deal if you book a flight when nobody else wants to travel. Most of us don’t want to wake up at 3am to catch a flight at 6am. Similarly, most families with children don’t want to start their flight at midnight, to arrive at their destination the next morning.

If you’re willing to mess up your internal clock for a day or so and if the transport you’re using to get to get to the airport in good time fits with your flight times, choosing a less desirable time could save you money. Plus, you could always potentially sleep on the plane, and help your body adjust to any new time zones you’re visiting.

Overall, the worst time of day to book a flight is anywhere between mid-morning and late afternoon when everyone will be clambering for a seat.

Again, you might not have a lot of control over the times available, depending on the airline and the routes it uses, but it’s worth considering all of your options.

3. The Worst Time to Fly: Picking the RIGHT TIME OF THE YEAR

Now we come to the most complicated part, picking a specific period in the year when you want to travel. We all know that prices for flights are higher during global and international holiday periods. On top of that, there’s a lot more chaos in the airports.

If you want to book a trip around December, then you can expect to pay a little more, and deal with more delays for the Christmas season. If you’re looking at flying to the US, where Thanksgiving sends thousands of people onto planes every year this extends to November too,

Beyond those dates, the other worst times to fly for single people include:

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
There are a few reasons travelling during the school holidays isn’t a great idea. Roads in most parts of the world are packed, along with airplane seats. Plus, a lot of airlines, hotel companies, and booking companies increase their prices around these times. They know families, and even single parents families, are willing to pay a little more to avoid taking their children out of school.

Plus, if you’re travelling alone during the school holidays, peace and relaxation can be harder to find. Many tourist attractions you’ll want to visit will likely be packed with families.

The challenging thing to remember here is that school holiday times can vary around the world, so it’s worth double-checking the school holiday times for the particular location you’re planning to visit.

MAJOR EVENTS
Holidays aren’t the only things that cause clutter and chaos in an airport terminal. Major events draw in the crowds too. In the US, for instance, sporting events like the Super Bowl and World Series create a lot of demand for flights, which can lead to higher prices.

Other huge events like festivals and music tours can make it harder to book flights and hotels too. It’s worth double-checking whether anything significant is happening in the place you’re visiting before you book. If you want to attend these events, I’d recommend booking your flight as early as possible, to make sure you actually get a seat.

PEAK TOURISM DATES
Certain dates of the year attract more tourists than others. In the US, for instance, Florida attracts more visitors during the months of major celebrations at Disney resorts. In most sunny climates, you’ll find the “peak” seasons occur around the middle of June, through to the middle of August when most places are at their warmest and when lot of activities and events usually take place.

In the colder parts of the world, peak dates often occur around times when the ski slopes are in perfect condition, such as around December through to March.

OTHER PUBLIC HOLIDAYS 
Whilst Christmas can cause a lot of issues when it comes to getting affordable, stress-free flights, it’s not the only major holiday worth thinking about. Each region has it’s own selection of public holidays that can make solo travel more difficult.

Not only do these holidays attract visitors, but they also mean there will be more locals, families, and tourists packing all of the venues you want to visit. Plus, you’ll probably deal with more traffic wherever you go too.

Check out the public holiday calendar for the region you want to visit in advance. Remember, some locations have more public holidays than others. For instance:

• Myanmar: 32 public holidays
• Nepal: 30 public holidays
• Sri Lanka: 25 public holidays

In Europe, Austria has the most Bank Holidays with 12–13 paid public holidays per year, including some that fall on weekends whilst in the UK we have a relatively small number of Bank Holidays; 8 bank holidays a year in England and Wales, 9 in Scotland and 10 in Northern Ireland.