Best Time to Book Cheap Flight Tickets
A common dilemma when someone is planning a trip 3 to 5 months out is whether to wait for the air fare to drop or book at the current price. A good thumb rule is that if you are intending to travel around a holiday, it is better to book as early as possible as the prices will keep increasing the closer it get to the departure date.
However, if the trip is planned away from the holiday season, it is better to book a flight ticket 4 to 6 weeks out to ensure you get the cheapest ticket. Another study by USA Today concluded that the flight ticket prices bottom out at exactly 7 weeks before departure.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to pin point a single date to book cheap flight tickets due to a large number of variables that go into deciding the price of a ticket. A fool proof way is to start watching the fares of to your destination 2 to 3 months prior to departure and book them when you notice the prices drop.
The Most Expensive Time to Book
Air fares were highest 11 days before departure and stayed at the peak till the day of take off. Interestingly, the second most expensive time to book a flight was around 7 months before departure. The reasoning could be that airliners has figured out that these people are desperate for a specific flight and wouldn't mind shelling out extra dough. Sadly, many of these early bookers wouldn't even realize that they are paying a higher fare than people who book 4-5 months later.
Best Time to Book International Flights
Several studies have found that the best to book an international ticket was 81 days (11 weeks) in advance. This makes sense since people generally plan international trips much in advance compared to domestic trips.
Booking Low Cost Airliners
An exception to these rules is low cost airliners – always book low cost airliners at the earliest to snag the best prices. Low cost airliners like Spirit, Air Asia and Ryanair will always reward the early bookers with the best price due to the simple reason they follow a different pricing system compared to traditional airliners. All the seats in low cost airliners start out at a base price, which is basically they cheapest they will ever get. As the seats starts getting booked, the price of the remaining seats steadily increases till they reach the peak for the last few seats.
When do Airliners offer Sales & Special Deals
You would have noticed the trend amongst airliners to publish sales right in the midst of a season (summer usually) thereby ensuring their flights are full for the rest of the season. Airliners sometimes offer a autumn sale in August, but you will notice that these sales appear during lean travel dates like January to March and October and November. As a general trend, sales are more likely to be announced on a Tuesday and gets sold out by Thursday.
However, if the trip is planned away from the holiday season, it is better to book a flight ticket 4 to 6 weeks out to ensure you get the cheapest ticket. Another study by USA Today concluded that the flight ticket prices bottom out at exactly 7 weeks before departure.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to pin point a single date to book cheap flight tickets due to a large number of variables that go into deciding the price of a ticket. A fool proof way is to start watching the fares of to your destination 2 to 3 months prior to departure and book them when you notice the prices drop.
The Most Expensive Time to Book
Air fares were highest 11 days before departure and stayed at the peak till the day of take off. Interestingly, the second most expensive time to book a flight was around 7 months before departure. The reasoning could be that airliners has figured out that these people are desperate for a specific flight and wouldn't mind shelling out extra dough. Sadly, many of these early bookers wouldn't even realize that they are paying a higher fare than people who book 4-5 months later.
Best Time to Book International Flights
Several studies have found that the best to book an international ticket was 81 days (11 weeks) in advance. This makes sense since people generally plan international trips much in advance compared to domestic trips.
Booking Low Cost Airliners
An exception to these rules is low cost airliners – always book low cost airliners at the earliest to snag the best prices. Low cost airliners like Spirit, Air Asia and Ryanair will always reward the early bookers with the best price due to the simple reason they follow a different pricing system compared to traditional airliners. All the seats in low cost airliners start out at a base price, which is basically they cheapest they will ever get. As the seats starts getting booked, the price of the remaining seats steadily increases till they reach the peak for the last few seats.
When do Airliners offer Sales & Special Deals
You would have noticed the trend amongst airliners to publish sales right in the midst of a season (summer usually) thereby ensuring their flights are full for the rest of the season. Airliners sometimes offer a autumn sale in August, but you will notice that these sales appear during lean travel dates like January to March and October and November. As a general trend, sales are more likely to be announced on a Tuesday and gets sold out by Thursday.
Source...