Travelers often seek ways to cut costs, but recent insights suggest a widely held belief about booking flights may be more myth than fact.

For years, it was believed that booking tickets or flying on Mondays and Tuesdays would reduce costs.

However, new data from Google Flights, reveals otherwise; there is no particular day of the week that consistently offers cheaper fares, according to Travel + Leisure.

“It’s worth knowing that you won’t save much by booking on any particular day of the week,” James Byers, the group product manager for Google search, said in a statement.

In reality, although Sunday is typically the most expensive day to fly and Tuesday the cheapest, the price difference is minimal—just 1.3 per cent.

“Ticket prices are constantly changing and being updated across different data providers, even from second to second,” Sophia Lin, Google’s director of product management for travel and local, previously shared with T+L. “And every day, our systems are computing an enormous number of possible ticket combinations for trips around the world.”

However, timing still matters when aiming for the lowest fares.

Google recommends booking domestic flights about 39 days in advance and international flights at least 49 days ahead to secure the best prices.

Booking timelines differ by destination. Flights to Europe are usually cheapest when booked 48 days or more in advance, while trips to Mexico or the Caribbean are best booked around 50 days ahead.

For the holiday season, Google recommends securing Thanksgiving fares 35 days early and Christmas flights 51 days in advance.

Although the booking day doesn’t have much effect on fares, flying Monday through Wednesday is typically cheaper.

According to Google, early-week travel can cut costs by about 13 per month compared with weekend flights.

Travelers can maximize savings by setting fare alerts and using Google Flights tools, such as price history tracking.

Google also notes that booking flights with a layover can cut costs by an average of 22 per cent compared with nonstop options.