How far in advance to buy airfare for best deal?

[gunka]

Planning a Disney Cruise for May 2014. With over a year to plan we need advice on when is generally the best time to purchase advance airfare. Or is there a certain time of year when airlines offer specials or discounts. We will be flying from So Cal to MCO. Thanks in advance.

 

[CDolacki2003]

This can be a difficult question to answer. I am currently playing the "airfare game" right now. We are going in October and while some carriers like United and Delta have the fare listed 1 year in advance, other such as Air Tran and Southwest are only posted 6 months in advance. One thing I learned from a Continential employee was to always book (purchase) midweek, not on the weekends when the fare is highest. I dont mean your flying time but when you attempt to book online check the prices on Tues/Wed/Thursday, they will usually be cheaper than purchasing on a Fri/Sat/Sun/Monday. I have been doing this for years and have saved sometimes over $100 dollars per ticket.
I am currently watching United for our trip but am going to wait 2 more months until Air Tran's prices come out. It can be a pain checking all the time but you may be able to save quite a bit of money, also be prepard to purchse immediatly if the fare is low, you may never see that price again.
This is just my little strategy and it may not work for everyone, but checking for airfare is all part of the fun of planning our Disney trip.
Have fun and I hope you find a good rate. Enjoy the cruise, we just was on the Dream in June and loved it!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Fares for May 2014 won't be released for legacy airlines until around June 2013, and much later for airlines such as WN. Do some investigating now, so you have some idea of what you will likely pay.

The advice given by the above poster about booking certain days of the week just doesn't hold true these days. When you see a price you like, buy.

 

[CDolacki2003]

Lost I totally agree to jump n the best deal you can find, but I fly a lot and I do find the rates to sometimes be cheaper if purchased during the week, just my opinion.

 

[ShiPooOwner]

I don't remember where I heard it or read it, but the suggestion was that Tuesday afternoons offer the best deals. I've found my lowest airfares for my past few flights on Tuesday afternoons. I usually fly to FL 3-4 times a year from MN and I'm a believer in Tuesday afternoons for the best prices. I usually book 2-3 months out for the best prices.

 

[Jen12573]

My Southwest flights for Easter dropped yesterday morning (return flight down by $149), but by 3pm the return flight had jumped back up by $68. Tuesdays are good days, but I've found morning is better, depending on the airline I guess. Though it dropped back down by $68 again this morning.

 

[gunka]

How far in advance? Any rhyme or reason? When the rates are released, six months out, three months, etc..

I totally get how Disney Cruise does there pricing, but I have no idea about the airline industry.

 

[DisneyOrBustColorado]

Here is my strategy. Keep in mind that I am an insane planner. You have to have a little bit of time to do this. The more time you have the better.

Sign up on www.AirFareWatchDog.com you enter your email address & your departing & arriving airport. They send you airfare deals to your email. I keep a notebook & write down all of the deals that they send me, what day the deal came out, what dates & days of the week the tickets were good for etc... soon I have a notebook page filled with airfare rates. By doing that I have a great idea of what an awesome airfare deal looks like. Some of the airfare deals announced on Southwest through airfarewatchdog.com have lasted less than a day so you don't have time to think it through. When you know you've found a good deal, you jump on it!

I hope that makes sense. It works for me anyway. Since we pretty much vacation every year, I kind of keep a running notebook filled with airfare deals now.

This is so much easier then checking airline websites everyday.

 

[MAJPLO]

We purchased air for May 2013 in November, six months prior. I've been watching to see how the rates change. They have mostly stayed the same or gone up since then. I've seen a few lower fares since then but they are flights with multiple stops and at times we wouldn't be able to make anyway. We will be traveling from San Francisco to Ft. Lauderdale.

 

[tinkermommyof3]

We buy our airfare the day the airline releases the fares for our dates of travel.

 

[gunka]

Thanks for the tips. I am ok with over planning, so I will sign up for airfarewatchdog.com and keep track

 

[seashell724]

Thinking of signing up for that website too! We would be booking for our trip about a year from now. So should I track now already? I am wondering if trends seem to repeat themselves year to year or if they change each year. Thanks!