Despite facing fierce competition from its Latin American peers, Cancun remains the number one vacation spot for Americans: other than being a gorgeous beach destination, it is incredibly easy and cheap to get to. There are nonstop flights linking every single major U.S. city to the Mexican Caribbean hub, and no shortage of low-cost options if you’re looking for some sun and sand.
But when exactly is the best time to book flights to Cancun, and how much will you actually be saving securing seats up to three months in advance? Thanks to Skyscanner, we have a definitive answer:
How To Find The Cheapest Date For Cancun Flights
The hugely popular search engine and travel agency Skyscanner has developed a new tool making it easier for travelers to find the cheapest day to book flights when planning their next trip, including how far in advance they should book it, and which are some of the nearest airports where fares may be more attractive.
Called the Savings Generator, it allows American customers to make informed decisions before paying unnecessarily high fares traveling to Mexico, especially now that the cost of air travel has increased at roughly 4 times the rate of the inflation. In sum, Skyscanner experts now advise them to book flights six months prior to the journey in order to benefit from ‘massive’ deals.
Of course, that’s a general advice, and when it comes to Mexico’s triad of world-class destinations, particularly Cancun, finding the best possible deals is dependent on a number of factors, such as season and departure point.
Leaving from New York (JFK), this is the average price for Cancun return flights for each month:
Best time to book: one week ahead for savings of up to $195.26
Cheapest day to travel: Monday (saving $112.58)
Most expensive day to travel: Thursday
Best time to book: 5 weeks ahead for savings of up to $187.02
Cheapest day to travel: Tuesday (saving $137.73)
Most expensive day to travel: Sunday
Best time to book: 7 weeks ahead for savings of up to $129.34
Cheapest day to travel: Tuesday (saving $146.09)
Most expensive day to travel: Friday
Best time to book: 12 weeks ahead for savings of up to $147.25
Cheapest day to travel: Tuesday (saving $117.32)
Most expensive day to travel: Thursday
Best time to book: 21 weeks ahead for savings of up to $135.29
Cheapest day to travel: Monday (saving $147.25)
Most expensive day to travel: Thursday
Best time to book: 27 weeks ahead for savings of up to $220.29
Cheapest day to travel: Tuesday (saving $128.04)
Most expensive day to travel: Thursday
Best time to book: 28 weeks ahead for savings of up to $211.81
Cheapest day to travel: Tuesday (saving $134.03)
Most expensive day to travel: Thursday
Best time to book: 34 weeks ahead for savings of up to $114.90
Cheapest day to travel: Sunday (saving $147.22)
Most expensive day to travel: Thursday
Best time to book: 42 weeks ahead for savings of up to $197.44
Cheapest day to travel: Monday (saving $210.60)
Most expensive day to travel: Thursday
Best time to book: 46 weeks ahead for savings of up to $241.71
Cheapest day to travel: Tuesday (saving $233.34)
Most expensive day to travel: Thursday
Best time to book: 40 weeks ahead for savings of up to $199.83
Cheapest day to travel: Tuesday (saving $99.32)
Most expensive day to travel: Monday
Based on data provided by Skyscanner Savings, the cheapest days to fly to Cancun from New York (JFK) are Sundays in September, booked at least 34 weeks in advance.
What About Other Departure Points?
Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. are among some of the other U.S. departure points.
From Boston, the cheapest days to travel to Cancun are Tuesdays in January, when passengers can save up to $51.89 while paying on average $407.86. They are advised to book 2 weeks ahead; meanwhile, those flying from Houston can get it as cheap as $230.49 when booking roundtrip flights on a Sunday in February only 2 weeks in advance.
As seen here, the 6-month rule for booking flights may not always apply, and that is particularly true over the high season in January and February, when last-minute deals tend to pop up frequently.
The Tool Offers An Estimate Only
Additionally, it is worth noting these are are an estimate based on Skyscanner’s 2022 data, and calculated by subtracting the ‘best time to book flight’ price from the average flight price, and the ‘cheapest day of the week to travel’ from the ‘most expensive day of the week to travel’.
As Laura Lindsay, Skyscanner’s Destinations Expert explained herself, ‘most people aren’t aware of some of the simple tips and travel hacks that could open up vast savings for them, which is now more important than ever‘. Indeed, flights have become a lot more expensive in 2023 as a result of the ongoing crisis and an unprecedented demand for travel.
‘These insights don’t have to be driven by industry hearsay‘, she concluded, ‘at Skyscanner we have access to thousands of data points powering our recommendations to unlock this intel for everyone‘. For more information on how to save on flights this year, whether you’re heading to Cancun or elsewhere, make sure you read this accompanying article.
