Hello Nicola Michelle,
Thanks for visiting Disney Parks Moms Panel.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if we each had a bit of
Peter Pan within us and we could simply fly powered by pixie dust and happy thoughts of our trip to Walt Disney World?
The question of when it's best to buy airline tickets, while not exclusively a Disney destination question, is certainly one we all ponder. I'd love to have a reliable and proven method for always booking the least expensive flights. I'm not certain, though, that there's a single "best" when it comes to purchasing airfare. There are so many variables such as the day you book, the day you travel, your departure city and destination, and your travel season. Combine those variables with the fact that ticket prices are constantly getting updated and it becomes a challenge to give a "best time of day" or "best day of week" answer. Tuesday was generally the most often mentioned day of the week for booking airfare deals, yet today you'll see travel sites mention Thursday and Sunday as well. Many of the popular travel sites conduct their own research studies and offer their own recommendations based on all the data they analyze.
So what's a Disney-traveling Mouseketeer to do without Tinker Bell around to get us in the air? My best suggestion is to check out travel sites that feature airfare trackers and fare alerts. Sites that come to mind include KAYAK, Airfarewatchdog, CheapAir, Google Flights, and Hipmunk. You can create an itinerary and save an airfare alert and receive emails to let you know about fare changes. You can also see fares for dates a few days before and after your preferred date. I also suggest looking at the mid-week fares, as in my experience a weekday flight such as a Tuesday flight tends to be less expensive.
Here's wishing you a magical stay.
Enjoy your Disney!
Jerry