Save money on your next flight using new data-driven techniques

Berg adds that airline pricing is volatile and happens automatically on computer-based models. — Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

If you’re looking for the best deal on airfare, don’t wait until Tuesday. The idea that cheaper seats can be booked when the clock strikes midnight Monday night is just a myth, according to travel app Hopper.

That advice is a relic of a former time, says Hayley Berg, Hopper’s lead economist. Back before airlines had machine-learning revenue models, employees would clock out on Fridays, flights would sell over the weekend, and they’d come in on Monday morning and adjust prices if routes weren’t selling well. That usually took a bit of time, and flights were cheaper to book on Tuesday once those adjustments had gone through the system.