I’ve always understood that there’s a certain rhythm to travel prices - the closer to the travel date, the more expensive. Unless of course you find a deal the day before because there’s an unfilled flight or something.
But is there more of a breakdown than that? It seems to me that if you buy too far out from your travel date, it’s just as expensive as buying a week beforehand.
Any tips?
I’ve found that buying far out can be an advantage, particularly with air tickets, because you are insulated from price increases, which are more common than price reductions.
Otherwise I would say that picking what time to buy travel tickets is like picking what time to buy stock. Lots of variables come into play on both sides of the supply and demand curve and it’s difficult to predict with any confidence when is the best time to buy for any particular trip.
Rest assured that no matter when you book your plane ticket, someone else on the flight will have paid far less than you did.
And there will be others who have paid far more.
The best time to buy a house is a year after you bought one.
The best time to buy a computer is a month after you bought one.
The best time to book a holiday is a week after you booked it.
It’s all part of the mystery of life…
If you book from American Airlines on their web site, then according to them, the best/absolute last time to book is 21 days in advance. If you try any later (closer to the date you want to leave), then you will definitely pay a lot more.
Unless of course American Airlines finds itself with some unsold seats on some routes and just wants to fill up the plane. Then the fares may be discounted even more than if you went for the 21-day advance purchase.
You want cost certainty? Invest in cattle futures.
All bets are off when the price of fuel is rising as fast as it is now. Many airlines have already tacked on fuel surcharges, and more can be expected as fuel costs rise:
I bought my Xmas tickets a month ago, and the price for the same flight is up $30 already.
Generally, I buy from 3 weeks to 3 months out. I haven’t noticed much of a price difference. It only seems to get really expensive if you try booking less than 2 weeks in advance. And, even then, it might not be that expensive.
Generally, flights leaving and arriving mid-week are cheaper than flights on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
It’s true that some airlines have created the concept of “fuel surcharge”. Whether you believe that it’s not just another way to have a competitive headline price with even more hidden extras, is up to you.