Cheap flights to
Cancún (CUN)

Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a magic formula to find a date when flights are cheapest? Unfortunately, that doesn’t exist. However, there is a window when prices are typically lowest. We call it the Goldilocks Window––not too early, not too late. For domestic flights, that means booking 1–3 months before a trip. For international trips, you should start looking and booking a little earlier, about 2–8 months ahead of a trip.

If you plan to travel during peak season, or for a wedding, holiday, or other trip with specific dates, we recommend planning even further ahead. If you want to visit Cancún over New Year’s Eve, for example, you should start looking for flights around July. Don’t wait for last-minute deals, especially if you’re traveling in the high season. They’re few and far between, and fares jump at the 21-, 14-, and 7-day points before departure dates.

The Greek Islands Trick is what we call the fun, sneaky way of getting to the Greek islands for cheaper. It involves flying to get yourself as close to your final destination as possible for as cheap as possible, then finding a cheap budget airline flight for the final leg.

You can use this trick to reach Cancún, too. If you really want to fly from Chicago to Cancún for spring break in March, you could be looking at flight prices upwards of $650. Instead, look for flights to Mexico City. If you find a flight for $300, you can then look for a cheap regional flight between Mexico City and Cancún. It requires more work, but it potentially saves a couple hundred bucks that you can put toward an extra night in a hotel.

Similarly, you can save money by looking at different departure airports. Travelers living near Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson likely don’t consider flying out of any other airport, which makes sense, as the world’s busiest airport is right on their doorstep. Believe it or not, there are situations when even Atlanta-area residents could save by flying out of another airport.

We see amazing deals from airports big and small all over the country every day. If you see an incredible deal from Austin to Cancún, for example, it could be worth checking out flights from Atlanta to Austin. Sometimes pairing two cheap flights can save a bundle.

The easiest way to save on flights is to travel during the off season, when flight demand is low. You can save a ton of money by visiting Cancún in the summer. We also like traveling during shoulder seasons, the periods just before and after high season. The weather is better than in the low season, but the hotel and flight prices are cheaper than in the high season. It’s a win-win. Mid-April to mid-June and mid-September through October are shoulder seasons in Cancún.

If you’re set on traveling during the winter, we don’t blame you. Sometimes you really need to escape the cold! In this case, try to fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays, which are generally the cheapest days for airfare. The most expensive days to fly are Fridays and Sundays.

We’re all busy, and vacation planning should be fun, not stressful. Take the work out of searching for airfare by setting up flight alerts. Simply set your travel dates (adding a few alerts if your dates are flexible), and wait for an email telling you prices have dropped.

Cancún is Mexico’s busiest airport and well-served by most big US cities, as well as many smaller ones. Most US visitors can reach Cancún on a nonstop flight. There are also plenty of direct flights from around Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, and about 15 European cities. Visitors from the rest of the world can usually reach Cancún with just one stop.