When to book internal flight (on Delta)

[iona]

We’ll be flying from Boston to MCO next September on Delta (as we have a credit). We want to fly on a particular flight (no wriggle room on date/time). The flight becomes available to book in the next few days.

Does anyone have any experience of how the flight prices are likely to change as we get closer to the date of the flight? For Delta are they cheapest when they first go on sale or does that happen, say, four months out? Or is there no fixed pattern? I’m trying to decide whether to book them as soon as I can or wait (the credit doesn’t entirely cover the cost of the flights).

Thank you!

 

[macraven]

I switched to delta exclusively 5 years ago
I usually wait 4 months out before booking

for me it was worth the wait

but have booked 6 months out and maybe only one adjustment to the flights
Their adjusted schedule, not mine
I switch airports from one of their puddle jumpers to a large plane
I find my best rates at around the 4 month period before rates increases

 

[sam_gordon]

I switched to delta exclusively 5 years ago
I usually wait 4 months out before booking

for me it was worth the wait

but have booked 6 months out and maybe only one adjustment to the flights
Their adjusted schedule, not mine
I switch airports from one of their puddle jumpers to a large plane
I find my best rates at around the 4 month period before rates increases

I'm curious... do you track the prices from when they're released? If not, you don't know if four months out would be the cheapest.

For the OP... prices will jump all over the place. I've found cheap prices a month or two after release, and I've found cheap prices closer to departure. My best suggestions...
* As soon as you know when & where you're traveling, and assuming the flights are released, set up tracking. You can use Hipmunk, Kayak, or Google Flights (I use Google Flights).
* Book when you're comfortable with the price. That's it. There's no magic time frame. What works for one person for a given flight may or may not work for you.

That being said, being locked into certain days I get. Being locked in to certain times, especially close to a year out will more than likely lead to disappointment. Delta (most airlines) will probably change the time of a flight (possibly multiple times) before you actually take it. That can work in your favor. If they make a change that results in the departure or arrival of your flight changing by 2(?) hours or more, you can call and have them switch you to any other flight that day at no charge.

Also, here's a thread I did a couple years ago with various price tracks from various flights: https://www.disboards.com/threads/best-time-to-book-air-heres-some-documentation.3781184/

Looking at the first chart, if you booked at four months out (120 days) you would have paid more.

 

[Cheburashka]

I don't recommend waiting anything out, hoping for lower prices. There is no way for you to predict which way they will go. Airline prices respond to demand. When a flight starts booking up, the price goes up. If a lot of time has passed & they're not getting the bookings they want, the price might decrease. You have no way of knowing which will happen for a particular flight at any month mark prior to your trip. You can't tell how booked up a flight is by looking at the seating chart, because so many passengers book basic economy & can't select seats. And, if a flight is really, really not booking up, it will probably just get cancelled.

As a PP indicated, simply book when you're comfortable with the price.

 

[OKW Lover]

Does anyone have any experience of how the flight prices are likely to change as we get closer to the date of the flight? For Delta are they cheapest when they first go on sale or does that happen, say, four months out? Or is there no fixed pattern?

There is no fixed pattern. Prices will rise and fall depending on booking activity. If the flight is getting full, the price will rise. If the flight isn't full enough getting closer to the date, then the price will go down. Nobody but Delta knows the actual criteria.

 

[macraven]

I’m locked in due to cat sitter availability
I do a hopper out of Chattanooga to Atlanta to Orlando

for the last 5 years have been able to get acceptable rates with Delta that I have no problem for costs

 

[Donna M]

I predict that prices will be going up due to fuel prices with what is going on now. I say get the tickets when you feel ok with the price, and don´t look back.

 

[_19disnA]

There is no magical formula that anyone can provide on when to optimize flight bookings. None of us have ever lived through a global pandemic either, so no one knows how things will recover going forward. Airlines will continue to balance supply/demand as air travel picks up but there is no way to know how long that will be. Most airlines have fare categories and when the lowest price seats are gone, the fare jumps to the next higher level. Popular routes also tend to sell faster so if they can fill planes to certain destinations they may never offer a discount. If you know you have to travel on certain dates, I would book the flight as soon as you have finalized hotel and other travel plans. Non-stop and the most desirable times tend to sell out first, so by waiting you may get stuck choosing a connecting flight or having to travel at a time of day that isn't your preference.

I am not clear on why you have to travel at a specific time. Regardless of when you buy your tickets, the airline may subsequently change their schedule for any number of reasons that are beyond your control. As someone else mentioned, if the flight you booked changes the arrival/departure time significantly, the airline will allow you to modify you tickets without charge.

 

[spiders]

If you’re really worried about fares then making the drive to Atlanta instead of originating in Chattanooga will save you a lot of money.

 

[KPeterso]

Agree with others - book when you see a price that looks good to you. I will say I typically do not find the best prices until 2-3 months prior to the flight for my route, but I am watching like a hawk even before and am ready to pounce once a price I like comes available. Right now, i am stalking Delta for airfare in early March and it has not started to drop yet. For my flight in September, I purchased tickets in July and my flights for last March in January. My September did go a little lower after I booked, but I was ok with what I paid so I let it go.