How far in advance to book flights??

[nickandlarisa]

So for everyone planning their trips far in advance, maybe you can help me out. What is the norm for most airlines for when they have a flight schedule so you can start pricing out and booking flights? We are traveling about 8 months from now and and I can't find anything yet on some of the main airline sites. TIA!!!

 

[Disneyfan71]

I know that Southwest has their schedules through April...as far as the others, you'll just have to check and see We're probably going to fly Southwest since they have the only direct flight from RDU to MCO!!!

But as far as schedules and such...each airline is different. I can say (since I worked for the airlines) it's better to fly on a Tuesday because NO one flies. We had a flight that left Raleigh to Fort Lauderdale on a Tuesday..there were only 10 passengers!!!

Just keep checking every month. I know it's frustrating but as soon as you see that airline is up to the month you're traveling, buy your tickets as soon as possible.

 

[brentalex]

The older airlines, Delta, American and others like that will release their schedules 330 days in advance. So if any of these airlines fly from your local airport you should be able to find flights. The newer airlines, JetBlue, Southwest and such, will release their flights much closer to the actual flight dates. They usually open up about 2-3 months at a time, so you may need to wait a bit for these. I bought our tickets on Delta for next April back in June. One problem with buying them so far in advance is that sometimes the airlines change times and you end up with something different than you first had. But so far nothing has changed for me, so my fingers stay crossed.

 

[nickandlarisa]

Thanks for all the info so far. We are flying out of BWI, and really hoping for AirTran or Southwest because they have usually been the cheapest. Has anyone flying Southwest had issues with not being able to sit together?? Last time I flew, they had open seating so it was kind of a free for all. DF is afraid of flying, and its our honeymoon, so we definitely want to sit together on the plane!!

 

[chemysterygal]

The older airlines, Delta, American and others like that will release their schedules 330 days in advance. So if any of these airlines fly from your local airport you should be able to find flights. The newer airlines, JetBlue, Southwest and such, will release their flights much closer to the actual flight dates. They usually open up about 2-3 months at a time, so you may need to wait a bit for these. I bought our tickets on Delta for next April back in June. One problem with buying them so far in advance is that sometimes the airlines change times and you end up with something different than you first had. But so far nothing has changed for me, so my fingers stay crossed.

Just a note about schedule changes - in the past when Delta has done this to me, if the new arrival/departure is more than one hour different from the old, they have been very accomodating about altering the new flights to fit my travel plans. The schedule change crud happens almost every time my family and I fly, and as long as the change was significant enough they have always been good about trying to find flights that would work better for us. It's certainly something to keep in mind, especially when every extra minute counts in the World.

 

[Angela0917]

Hi Larisa!

We're flying Soutwest for our honeymoon in April, and they just released their schedule for then about 2 weekends ago. So it looks like it's about 5-6 months prior? There were other airlines that had theirs available before then, but I was waiting for Southwest.

 

[Angela0917]

Oh, and in response to your seating question... even though you don't get to pick your seats, you can still go online 24 hours ahead of time and they'll give you a "seating group". Then when the plane's ready to board, they line you up according to your seating group, and that's the line that you board in. If you register close to the 24 hours mark, you'll be in Group A or B, and you'll be safe! I flew Southwest to Orlando this past summer and had no problems either way!

 

[nickandlarisa]

Hi Angela Thanks for the insight. Guess I still have to wait another month or two! Is there anyway to check in for your return flight 24 hours ahead from your resort?? (Not planning on taking my laptop on the honeymoon )

 

[michelleiada]

Hi Angela Thanks for the insight. Guess I still have to wait another month or two! Is there anyway to check in for your return flight 24 hours ahead from your resort?? (Not planning on taking my laptop on the honeymoon )

The resorts all have computers in the lobby for the purpose of printing your boarding pass for your flight. Just make sure you check in 23 hours and 59 seconds from your flight and you will get into the group A boarding. This guarantees that you will sit wherever you want!

 

[Kat73]

I booked for my Feb trip in August, so six months out worked great for me. I got a rate that wasn't maybe THE cheapest ever, but it was cheaper than what I normally pay. I'm probably going to start looking for tickets again in Jan/Feb for my September trip. And this is with Delta, which is who I almost always fly with.