when to buy plane tickets?

[SugarSweetLee]

How far in advance do you usually buy your plane tickets? Do you ever notice a "sweet spot" for better pricing?

 

[aengus]

I tend to start looking as soon as I know the dates I want to be there. Having used the same airline for several years now (jetblue) I know what the average price should be and will pull the trigger when I get into that average range. After I book I keep an eye on the price and if I see any reduction I call up and they credit me the difference. This probably changes airline to airline but that is at least how I personally handle it. Check your personal airline of preference and see what their policy is.

 

[Aliceacc]

Our trips are always over the summer... we're both teachers.

I always book airfare in January. I watch the prices (admittedly a bit obsessively) and bite when they go down.

Last winter, the total for the flights I wanted was $1440 every single day for about a month. One day it dipped down to $1220 and I bought. The next day it was up to $1440.

 

[SugarSweetLee]

I always book airfare in January. I watch the prices (admittedly a bit obsessively) and bite when they go down.

Last winter, the total for the flights I wanted was $1440 every single day for about a month. One day it dipped down to $1220 and I bought. The next day it was up to $1440.

I think I need to take a page out of your book and just keep checking. I'm feeling pretty frustrated because when we started planning last week (Wednesday) for a trip in January, the price was the same every day through yesterday Monday morning. Monday afternoon I decided to go ahead and buy, and the prices had jumped by more than $100 per person!! They have gone down by a little bit since then, but are still quite a bit more than the intial price we saw all week (which is the number we were budgeting with). Maybe they'll go back down in another day or two.... Edit: Nope, gone back up.

 

[SugarSweetLee]

I tend to start looking as soon as I know the dates I want to be there. Having used the same airline for several years now (jetblue) I know what the average price should be and will pull the trigger when I get into that average range. After I book I keep an eye on the price and if I see any reduction I call up and they credit me the difference. This probably changes airline to airline but that is at least how I personally handle it. Check your personal airline of preference and see what their policy is.

Yeah, definitely regret not pulling the trigger when it was trending steady all week/end. Stupid airlines jacking their fees up and down, toying with my heart...