When is best time to book airfare?

[Eden]

Hi ~ When are the best airfare deals published? 1, 2, 3 etc.,. months prior to trip? Thanks, Eden

 

[erin.w]

We always booked right when the flights come out, at least 6 months prior (we always fly Jetblue). We usually see rates increase as the trip nears. I don't think I've ever seen prices go down.

 

[twinsplusone]

I am by far an expert on this, but we've flown three times in the last year and all three times we booked as soon as the flights were announced and the prices never went down. We booked on Midwest. Now, I know that Southwest offers credits if your flights go lower.

 

[jcarter29]

now who can tell me more about when flights are announced? i am not a flier usually but will be flying for our next trip. does it vary by airline? we would be flying either airtran or delta.

your help is appreciated )
Kim

 

[2littleprincesses]

To add another question to this post: Besides Tuesday and Wednesday--what are the cheapest days to arrive/depart?

 

[DISdreamin']

For Delta, I think it's 331 days...and you have to have 331 to your last day of travel, not your first. I usually find cheaper fares flying mid-week, but have often been surprised when doing a search. It really depends on the time of year and holidays/breaks, etc.

As far as Delta, I bought tix for this summer (to visit in the in-laws out west) on the morning they became available and got them for under $200. The next day they were $300, and now they're up to around $500. So I'd say - usually - buying them ASAP is better.

Good luck, and don't forget to give kayak.com a whirl!

 

[CrzyforPiglet]

There are so many factors that go into airfares like where you're travelling to, travelling from, what time of day you want to travel, how long you'll be gone, what time of year you're travelling, etc. that it makes it hard to come up with a good answer. I think a better question is what have other people paid for a ticket from X to Y and use that as an idea of a good airfare price. Like for us we have been travelling to Orlando from MI for the past 2 Novembers and will be going again this year. In 2008 our airfare was $240 a ticket so in 2009 we saw tickets for $220 we jumped on it (probably 7 months out) and we just bought our 2010 tickets this year (8.5 months out) because the price was $198.

Good luck!

 

[iwrbnd]

It's like playing the lottery! That's why we go with Southwest because you can get credit if the price goes down. I've noticed the prices will go down sometimes but then rise drastically within 1-2 months of departure.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I have to agree that lately airfare seems to be the cheapest when the prices are first announced.

To the original poster...a word to the wise about Delta. Do not get your heart set on your flight times. And if you needs specific times- DO NOT BOOK DELTA. Delta is notorious for changing your flight times MULTIPLE times before you actually fly. Some times the change is very minor (couple of minutes) but other times, there is a several hour difference. If you do book Delta- pay attention to what other flight times are costing. If they change you to another flight altogether that was cheaper originally, they won't tell you that it was cheaper. However, if you point it out to them, they have been known to refund the difference.

 

[DISdreamin']

To the original poster...a word to the wise about Delta. Do not get your heart set on your flight times. And if you needs specific times- DO NOT BOOK DELTA. Delta is notorious for changing your flight times MULTIPLE times before you actually fly. Some times the change is very minor (couple of minutes) but other times, there is a several hour difference. If you do book Delta- pay attention to what other flight times are costing. If they change you to another flight altogether that was cheaper originally, they won't tell you that it was cheaper. However, if you point it out to them, they have been known to refund the difference.

Additionally, if you choose a cheap flight (totally our MO) and find the time changes by more than one hour (either departure or arrival), you may be able to call and get them to change the times to better suit you. The one hour difference, I believe, is key. I actually had them switch our return flight last January from a 6am departure to a 6pm departure because they changed the departure time by more than 60 minutes! I didn't pay a cent more, but the flight we ended up on was originally MUCH more than the one I paid for - oh, and we got an extra MK day out of the deal!!!

So...as the PP said, Delta almost certainly WILL switch times on you - I can't remember a ressie lately where they haven't. However, if it is enough of a change, you might actually be able to use it to your advantage.

 

[kteesmumma]

Has anyone been able to book a flight the day before..if your original flight gets cancelled from the airline. We are dealing with Airtran for our flight in May and have already had one flight change of 10 mins and another change was our flight was cancelled...we had to pick a different flight...it wasnt that different in time of arrival..but our original flight was a NON STOP and this one is a layover...if we happen to have another change or cancellation..can we request to have a flight the day before??

 

[njsweetP]

When travelling to Disney and I know the dates I'm travelling I usually purchase as soon as the fares are listed (a little less than a year in advance). So for this year's trip which is in June I purchased my tickets in October, but usually I would have purchased sooner (had to wait on other info) like mid July. The fares haven't gone down since I purchased my tickets (I check at least once a week). The only time the fares have gone down was when I purchased tickets to Aruba back in 2003. (booked thru BJ's and was able to get a credit.)

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

Has anyone been able to book a flight the day before..if your original flight gets cancelled from the airline. We are dealing with Airtran for our flight in May and have already had one flight change of 10 mins and another change was our flight was cancelled...we had to pick a different flight...it wasnt that different in time of arrival..but our original flight was a NON STOP and this one is a layover...if we happen to have another change or cancellation..can we request to have a flight the day before??

Sorry this is really common with Airtran out of Boston too We don't fly Airtran or Delta anymore because of this. I don't think you can switch days without paying a fee UNLESS this is a storm expected. Then they will let you leave early if they can.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

It just depends.

DH booked us a trip to Dulles from Orlando and it cost one amount. Then we had to change it due to possible weather trouble less than 48 hours in advance....

It ended up saving us a few dollars. This was southwest.

I booked a last minute trip to Californa for 4 on Southewest from Orlando for a funeral (ended up cancelling b/c funeral was on a day that we could not attend)---and it was $1500 for 4 tickets. I ddin't think that was bad at all. Again, on Southwest.

It is best to just shop and have an idea of what is a good airfare and what is not. If I can cross the Mississippi River for less than $250pp, I'm happy--though happier if it is less than $200.

If I can scoot around the east coast for $125 or so pp, then I'm happy.

Most often this is on Southwest.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I have to agree that lately airfare seems to be the cheapest when the prices are first announced.

To the original poster...a word to the wise about Delta. Do not get your heart set on your flight times. And if you needs specific times- DO NOT BOOK DELTA. Delta is notorious for changing your flight times MULTIPLE times before you actually fly. Some times the change is very minor (couple of minutes) but other times, there is a several hour difference. If you do book Delta- pay attention to what other flight times are costing. If they change you to another flight altogether that was cheaper originally, they won't tell you that it was cheaper. However, if you point it out to them, they have been known to refund the difference.

I booked a flight from MCO to HNL via ATL 11 months in advance.

One fine day much closer to the trip, I was reviewing my itinerary--b/c flights can change, one of my original ones was cancelled and my departing flight from Orlando, landed in Atlanta about 30 minutes AFTER the plane change departed. But noone called me. They of course were very willing to assist me when I called and I was able to switch things arond and get a much earlier arrival HNL flight by changing the whole intinerary. All at no cost. I just thought it funny that noone bothered to tell us and I have always wondered if they ever planned to tell us.

 

[Happy Mom2]

My friend works for an airline, and she told me the cheapest price on flights were always exactly 15 days prior to the flight. Not sure how true this is, and she doesn't have to pay to fly so she never has to buy tickets. I guess I will see how well this works. We are planning to drive (12 hours) to WDW in Dec. If the rates are cheap enough, we may fly.

 

[cart-mom]

I have to agree with most of the pp's - as soon as the fares are announced or shortly after is when they are usually the best rates. I usually fly Airtran and yes, they have changed my flights. Once it went from a non-stop to a layover and more than an hour difference. Called them up and changed flight with assigned seats with no problem or charges. You surely have to keep an eye on their flight times to see if you benefit or not. I'm hoping for lower airfares than I'm seeing right now, though. Last year we flew down to MCO from PHL for just $56 each way. Not asking for too much, am I? As far as Southwest goes, right now you can only book till mid- August. They update their system on 3/23 to extend till November.

So, basically you have to book early and keep checking your flight no matter who you book with.

 

[huskies90]

We are thinking of doing Xmas week this year, leaving on 12/26 and returning on 1/1 from the NY area or possibly Hartford. Right now flights are about $450 RT which is way more than I would want to spend. Only the major carriers have released fares for those dates (AA, Delta, Continental, United). JetBlue, SW, Airtran, Spirit have not released their fares yet.

Does anyone have ANY experience or idea about airfares that week? Should I hold out for something lower? Is $200-$250 a possibility for that week or is there no chance?

Also, does anyone know when Airtran, JetBlue etc will be releasing fares for that week?

 

[mrsmarilyn]

Hi ~ When are the best airfare deals published? 1, 2, 3 etc.,. months prior to trip? Thanks, Eden

It depends--because prices fluctuate daily. Use yapta.com to track your flights and you can start to see the patterns. Generally wed. afternoon is cheapest to do your actual buying. Prices go up over the weekend, down during the week. The day you purchase your ticket is just as important as the time frame you are traveling in!

 

[nilseks]

I agree, earlier seems to be better. It wasn't always that way, but over the past few years that seems to be the case.

We are going in October. My brother called me last November and said he found a ridiculously cheap deal on United--$148/pp round-trip from O'Hare to Orlando, non-stop (that was with all fees included)! I didn't even think the flights were out yet but I knew they wouldn't get cheaper so we booked that day. Our family of 4 has never flown to Orlando for less than $800, and this time we are going for less than $600. So there definitely are deals out there well in advance.