Best time to buy airline tickets?

[Bigpaw]

I know there isn't an exact science or a crystal ball laying around that would show the best time to buy airline tickets, but I was hoping a seasoned traveler might have a fairly good idea when we should think about buying our tickets for a Feb 1, 2013 trip to WDW.

 

[eeyore#1fan]

I would probably wait to buy the tickets when they are the cheapest.

 

[AshleyD1983]

Buy them as quickly as you can. From my experience, the closer you get to the trip the price will continue to increase. Sometimes the price will increase drastically depending on demand, number of flights, etc. The flight could also be sold out if you wait too long. I am not sure what airline you are planning to fly.... We are huge fans of Southwest. With Southwest, if you book your flights and the prices go down later they will issue a credit for the difference to be used on a later flight. They will not give you cash back but at least you will get a credit for another flight. Most airlines do not do that. I watch the prices like a hawk and I call every time the prices change. You can accumulate quite a credit if the prices fluctuate a bit. Hope this helps.

 

[smileymomof3]

Most travel sites say to book your flights 2-3 months before your date of travel to get the best price. I was just wondering this too for my December trip!

 

[smileymomof3]

I would probably wait to buy the tickets when they are the cheapest.

Haha

 

[Missytara]

I have purchased mine very early in the morning, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Later in the day, especially around lunch/dinner times, they will go up slightly.

From Friday to Monday, they go a good deal because families are more likely home and finalize their plans.

 

[sam_gordon]

I already got mine for our June 2013 trip. I tend to book within a month of when they come out (so about 300 days out). I've also found the prices never get that low.

IMO, there are ONLY two "rules" when it comes to buying airfare...
1) "Book when you can afford/are satisfied with the price."
2) "Don't look again" (unless you're on SW or Jetblue that offers free credit).

I suggest checking prices daily until you do book.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

There is no magic formula. Do a Google search for this subject; you'll find much of the old advice (buy on the 1st Tues of the month with a full moon, etc.) no longer applies. Very generally, the cheapest fares are usually offered when the fares are first released. After they sell out, the fares increase. Every once in a while there will be a sale, but you can't count on it.

 

[OKW Lover]

Lost in Cyberspace has got it right. There are no rules or even general guidance that apply in todays airfare markets. Your best bet is to use a service like www.kayak.com to monitor the prices for the days you want to fly. When you see a good price, grab it.

 

[DisneyOHFan]

When we go to Orlando, we fly SW and purchase them as soon as they come out in case they do not reduce the fair. Then I check daily because we do find they tend to go down in price. SW allows you to rebook and get a credit for the difference which we apply to our next trip.

 

[Zenika]

We are heading "home" in January and just bought 5 round trip tickets from frontier for $918.00!!! I couldn't believe that price when I saw it! We love Frontier and it is non stop! I spent some time each morning looking at all of the airlines to find a good deal. I was not expecting something so cheap this far out, but was surprised!

 

[mischief32]

I bought our tickets for our December trip when Jetblue released prices for my dates in March. Then waited until Airtran released prices in June for return flight. Prices have gone up since then.