Do airline prices drop right before an unfilled flight?

[Wes]

I thought I read somewhere that airline prices are best booked 2-3 months out and that they increase as they get closer to the date of the flight ... but if the flight is not booked, then the seats are sold for big discounts.

Is this true?

If it is true, how do you find one of these flights? Do you call the airline, or do you use one of the Priceline/Travelocity/Expedia/???

[TravelSheryl]

Purchasing an airline ticket at the last minute is the most expensive time to buy. Priceline is sometimes the cheapest at the last minute, but certainly not always.

[bicker]

A television consumer reporter here in Boston (that I don't particularly trust, incidently, so don't quote me on this) mentioned yesterday that often airlines that have flights with many open seats put those seats on sale on their web site a couple of days before the flight.