Cheapest time to book airfare

[Dakota731]

It used to be about three months before trip - is that still true? Probably going with Southwest

 

[FCDub]

Any sort of golden rule in the past was purely coincidental. Now, in the time of the pandemic, there is even less of a chance of predicting anything.

Book when you are comfortable with the price.

 

[Evita_W]

Honestly we booked last month for a trip this month, about $150 round trip from California. Airfare prices are unbelievable right now.

 

[bookwormde]

for southwest typically yes 3.5 to 1 month out. There a certainly times outside this range where for a few days you might see a good fare even when they are initially released but that is hit and miss.

I use the flight calendar view to help anticipate windows

 

[sam_gordon]

I'll tell you down to the minute when to get the cheapest fare if you'll give me the next set of winning power ball numbers. Deal?

Bottom line, even before covid, there was no definitive time, no matter what anyone would say. The day of the week, the time of day, the originating airport and the destination airport are all factors on what happens, as is the airline. So someone could say "I always find the cheapest fares 3 months out", but unless you're flying from their city to the same destination and on the same airline, it really doesn't mean anything.

AND, unless someone looks at tickets daily, if not multiple times a day from the day they were released until the day of the flight, they don't know that they got the cheapest price.

We were flying to Europe in April of 2017. I started looking at flights in October. They were routinely $1200-$1800pp. By checking daily (and utilizing google flights), I caught a sale where the tickets were $650pp. The sale lasted 36 hours.

 

[nolatravelgirl]

there is no magic date and airlines use sophisticated models to determine dynamic pricing based on how well a flight is selling, historical data points. You also have to take into account holidays. There are some flights that only go up from the day that they are released. Book when the price is good for you. Trying to time the market is not possible.

 

[rwdavis2]

The place that tells you when to book also has the next set of lottery number as well.

 

[Evita_W]

I find that Google Flights and Kayak have a reasonably accurate price predictor normally, but right now all bets are off.

 

[sam_gordon]

I find that Google Flights and Kayak have a reasonably accurate price predictor normally, but right now all bets are off.

I was using Google Flights for that European trip I mentioned earlier. One day it said "good deal", the next day "high cost". The price didn't change.