Best time to buy airline tickets? first come out or wait?

[bcinohio]

I know there is no exact answer to this but for those of you who fly a lot, when is the best time to buys tickets? When the dates first open up or wait? My DS's band is marching at WDW Easter 2011. I have flown SW once and liked it and will probable look at it. DS and DH will ride with band on buses and DS, Grandma, and myself would like to fly down. I know it is a busy time of year and the rates are higher. I was planning on looking right away(they should open the dates about 6 months ahead I think).

What has been your experience? Purchase right away or wait?

Thanks

 

[Bob P]

Checking airfare prices is like investing in the stock market! Sometimes you look really smart by waiting, and sometimes, well...not so smart. Sometimes the price will go up, and sometimes it will go down.

Are you a gambler? My opinion is: as soon as you are comfortable with the price, you should book it.

 

[brenda1966]

Easter week? Spring break week? I can tell you that after I booked my airfare I kept watching it and it only dipped once, by about $20 (and I was too slow to grab it). Now, it's about twice what I paid.

So, it really depends on when you're wanting to fly. For a holiday, high vacation time of year, I'd be more inclined to buy quickly. For a summer ticket, off-peak travel, I might wait.

 

[aimlyles]

Not sure about Easter weekend but we are going over February vacation (in about 2 weeks) and ended up paying $641 per person round trip. We didn't make the plans until October and the prices have never really gone down much. I'm pretty sure someone posted saying that when they first came out they were about $250 round trip. For a big week like Easter it may be best to buy when they first come out.

Someone who bought tickets for Easter week 2010 when they first came out may be able to post what they paid and you can compare to what they are now. Our trip is 2 weeks away and the prices still haven't come down at all, I'm still hoping to be able to get a credit at the last minute

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> like investing in the stock market

Normally I say wait and buy on a dip.

For really busy travel dates (Easter, Thanksgiving), I agree it is usually best to book at IPO.

 

[DISNEYNY]

We are trying to book for August on SW from Buffalo. The fares are high for the whole summer - $114. I will be wailting until they come down or booking on another airline. I hope they come down - I love SW!!

 

[dburg30]

Checking airfare prices is like investing in the stock market! Sometimes you look really smart by waiting, and sometimes, well...not so smart. Sometimes the price will go up, and sometimes it will go down.

Are you a gambler? My opinion is: as soon as you are comfortable with the price, you should book it.

Ding Ding Ding correct answer..

 

[disneyfaninaz]

I'm kind of doing both. I purchased our outbound flights (not to MCO) at the price they came out with originally (still are BTW). I am waiting to see if the price lowers then I will buy my incoming flights with the credits from the outgoing flights.

 

[JoeCathyAngelina]

Last year I booked our April 17-24, 2010 school vacation flight tickets in May the day they became available, round trip, non-stop on Delta from Boston for $239 each. Those same tickets today would go for about $1,500 each if you could get them.
We have reservations for April 16-23, 2011 school vacation week.
I'm going to start checking for prices, flight schedules in May and looking to buy our tickets, May 19th at midnight, 331 days before our trip.
Good luck all,
Joe

 

[ancestry]

I think it depends on the airline you are looking at traveling on.

Air Tran offers sells on and off all the time. I usually hold out when traveling on Air Tran and only buy during a sale.

However, Jet Blue seems to offer their lowest prices further out. The more the plane fills up the higher the prices. They are usually the cheapest if you are the first to book.

The legacy carriers are all over the map.

The best thing to do in my opinion is determine what is a "fair" price (not necessarily a cheap price) and book when the fare hits what you have determined to be a "fair" price.

 

[WiscMomof2]

Over any major holiday I would definitely book early. When we went over Easter a few years ago I booked the day the schedule came out for Airtran and paid a lot less than I would of if I waited.

 

[Dziactor]

With Southwest I buy the day the fares are released.

 

[Missytara]

Checking airfare prices is like investing in the stock market! Sometimes you look really smart by waiting, and sometimes, well...not so smart. Sometimes the price will go up, and sometimes it will go down.

Are you a gambler? My opinion is: as soon as you are comfortable with the price, you should book it.

Agreed - it is like playing cards and hoping you will get the ace!

I would watch the fares for a bit and watch the trending as well.

I found posted fares were cheapest during the week between Tuesday morning until Thursday night. I even watched fares change from very early in the morning, to lunch time.

I.E. - I finally went for it and booked my flight on a Tuesday morning at 6:15 am when I got to work. I paid non-stop round trip from BWI to MCO for $170.00, traveling down on T-giving weekend. By the time I got hold of my two traveling companions and they booked it around 3:00 pm the same day, the air fare had gone up about $30.00 per person.

I got lucky - I watched the fare for the exact same flights, go up steadily until it reached $340.00 round trip about two weeks before we left.

Fares also seemed to go up Friday morning through Monday morning. My thinking is that is when most families are home together and are probably finalizing plans, etc.

I agree - when it gets to the point when you feel comfortable paying, book it.