When to book for the best price F 3. The Prime Booking Window:
OR bargain hunters, there are many theories about the best time to buy plane tickets. Prices can fluctuate for no obvious reason but the general rule has always been not too long before the flight and not too close to the departure date. Somewhere in-between is the airfare that’s just right — at least when it comes to domestic flights.
Now US website cheapair.com , after studying and comparing the ticket prices for over 1.3-billion flights in the US from 2015, has come up with a theory. It has identified five distinct booking windows based on how soon before the flight you book, with clear pricing trends and pros and cons to each.
1. First Dibs: This is 6½ to 11 months before travelling. Buying now means you can pick your flight times, nonstop options and seats. But you will pay an average of R800 more than you would during the next window. 2. Peace of Mind: When the flight is 3½ to 6 ½ months away, good options still exist but tickets are an average of R310 more. Three weeks to 3½ months before flying. This is the sweet spot for bargain hunters. Though it’s not guaranteed you will get a good deal if you buy your ticket on any random day in this window, you should check fares frequently because at some point the best fare is likely to pop up. On average, the best time to buy a domestic flight is 54 days in advance, say researchers. 4. Push Your Luck: Two to three weeks before a flight, fares can vary dramatically. Depending on how full flights are, travellers may get a fantastic deal or they may pay significantly more. Popular flights during peak seasons are less likely to have low fares at this time. 5. Hail Mary: While there are occasional deals in the 13 days leading up to a flight, you’re much more likely to pay more for a limited selection of available seats.
And if you’re hoping for a secret number, the single day when flights are cheapest is 54 days before travel. But, of course, that’s an average, meaning it could be of little help for your specific plans.
Says cheapair.com CEO Jeff Klee: “Fifty-four days is a good number to start with but it’s important to know that every trip is different. Generally, a trip price starts off high, slowly drops and then starts to climb a few weeks before the flight.”
When it comes to buying tickets for a specific flight, becoming familiar with average prices and watching out for fare alerts will be of more help than an average. Also, these windows are based on North American domestic travel and may not apply to other markets.
An earlier study by cheapair.com came up with a very different picture. While “the middle” is best for domestic flights, it seems when you’re travelling internationally, the lowest fares are booked early. On most airlines, international flights open up for sale 335 days before departure, and they don’t typically drop that much from their initial price. Instead, they stay fairly flat for a few months, then start to creep up, until about 90 days before departure when the pace of increase starts to accelerate.