Best time to book air? Here's some documentation

[sam_gordon]

Every week or so, someone comes on and asks "when's the best time to book airfare?". Invariably, someone will say "x weeks out". I use Google Flights to track prices. It turns out they even provide a graph of the cheapest ticket. So here's some of my searches/tracking going back a couple of years:


This one is international, and yes, because I was stalking airfare, I was able to get RT tickets for ~$600.












These are going to different locations domestically at different times of year. The traditional "6-7 weeks out is your best time" would be 42-49 days out. During none of these searches was that the "best" time to book. Yes, this is a very small sample. It goes to prove that what works for one person for a given destination/year does not always work for everyone.

The best advice is to stalk airfare as soon as you know you want to go. Do it yourself or use an app or website that will notify you. Then it's a gamble. And each person's risk acceptance is going to be different.

 

[atkinstogram]

The most important point you make is stalking Google Flights. Using GF, I bagged return Premium Economy flights from London to MCO in Sept 2020 for £800 each instead of £1200ish.

Usually the cheapest flights were when they were initiall released 11 months out, but this year that didn't apply, so I just kept stalking Google Flights until, randomly, the prices dropped for a day. They were back up to silly prices the next day, and have been there ever since..

Which reminds me, I should turn the alert off now. I don't want to know if they drop more!

 

[PSUGuy]

We use SW regularly both for the 2 checked bags and the fact that they'll lower your fare for free if your flight $$ goes down. Only for 2 trips did we get to lower the rate, almost always is the opening fare the lowest from PHL to MCO and back.

Bill From PA

 

[_19disnA]

^^ I agree. Depends on a lot on where you travel to/from and which airlines service those destinations. The non-stop and best connecting flights tend to sell out first no matter where you travel and then you might be left with a lower price option but have to leave home at 2 AM to get to the airport......LOL.

Around major travel holidays, you will likely get the best prices booking as soon as the fares become available. Fares rapidly climb to higher amounts once the low priced ones are gone.

Hard to generalize beyond that since when/where you fly makes a BIG difference in the prices.

 

[AngiTN]

Doesn't your charts indicate that there is no "best time to book"?
I see no consistency between them whatsoever. They are all over the place.
Which is what I've always said. You never know, you just have to book a price you like.
I mean, if you can book SW, then great. Sadly, they don't service every airport in the country.

 

[sam_gordon]

Doesn't your charts indicate that there is no "best time to book"?
I see no consistency between them whatsoever. They are all over the place.
Which is what I've always said. You never know, you just have to book a price you like.
I mean, if you can book SW, then great. Sadly, they don't service every airport in the country.

Yes. That was exactly my point... There is NO "magic" time to book. What works for one doesnt necessarily work for another.