how far ahead do you book flights?

[mabenoab]

Hi,

We don't travel much, and rarely fly, so I'm wondering if a seasoned traveller could tell me: how far ahead of time should I book my flights? We're due in Disney July 1, and my local airport has flights available, but should I wait before booking, or book right away? Do rates come down the closer to flight day, or do they go up with the cost of gas?

Just looking for some guidance, and to know if a lot of people fly in...

Thanks

 

[bavaria]

well I fly 100,000-150,000 miles a year on average and book as little as one hour ahead and as far as 14 days ahead. I don't even book my vacations more than two weeks ahead.

So really you are looking for input from seasoned leisure travellers, not just seasoned travellers.

It all depends on your route, time of year you are flying, and number of seats you require.

Do your research and find the 'right' price on your route by visiting airline sites, travelocity.com, and kayak.com. Sign up for travelocity's fare alert, and any airline alerts such as SW ding. When you see the 'right' price for your date, book it.

 

[Darcy03231]

I book about 4-6 months out.

 

[deedeetoo]

If the rates look good to you then book now. We are going the same time as you and booked in December. We found a rate that looked good at the time ($217 RT on Delta out of Boston) and decided to go for it. Since then, rates on that route have gone up, and rates from JetBlue and SW have both come out significantly higher than what we booked for.

You are going on a holiday week so I don't think the rates are going to come down much if you wait. Its more likely the planes are going to fill up.

 

[mabenoab]

Thanks for the feedback, I think I'll book my flights today...deedeetoo, I like the rates you got! so I guess it pays to plan ahead. We'll fly out of Manchester unless I can get a great deal out of Boston. Have a great time on your trip, and listen for our New England accents while you're in the pahk!

 

[suzimar57]

we always book at 330 days out (from return date)

 

[allysmom1218]

I've already got both my trips airline tickets purchased. My first trip is on 6/1/07 and my 2nd trip is on 12/9/07. I purchased the tickets for my 6/07 trip on Feb.8 for $266 per ticket roundtrip and now the same exact tickets are up to $660 a ticket. I have never waited to get tickets right before we leave because I am OCD about being organized!!!

 

[MinnieGirl33]

we always book at 330 days out (from return date)

what is the significance of 330 days?

 

[debster812]

what is the significance of 330 days?

That's the time frame many of the legacy carriers use to release their fares for upcoming travel.

I also book at the 330 day mark for our February vacation, since it is PEAK PEAK PEAK travel time from the Northeast, and once the flights are released, they rarely get any cheaper.

For other trips, anywhere from 6 months, to 4 weeks ahead. I'll generally book once I find a flight with times that are good for me, and a price that works for us as well, on one of our preferred carriers.

 

[Alexander]

I also book at the 330 day mark for our February vacation, since it is PEAK PEAK PEAK travel time from the Northeast, and once the flights are released, they rarely get any cheaper.

We too book our February break (President's Week) flights as soon as they are available. In 12 years I have never seen the prices for our flights come down. Isn't it funny how expensive it is to fly that week. Even more so than the major holidays (Christmas, Easter, etc.)

How soon we book our April tickets depends on if it is Easter week or not. If so, I book these close to the 330 mark as well. Otherwise, I will grab a good fare as soon as I see it.

I do the same for our August trip. I browse casually through fares and if I see something good, I book it. Usually in August, something cheaper comes along, but I am not comfortable taking the chance of waiting. I booked our August tickets in January this year, so I guess that's about 7 months early.