
Anyone who has ever bought an air ticket will tell you how ridiculously expensive air fares can be. Now, the price of the tickets you may have bought/will buy are not fixed. Airplane ticket prices fluctuate all the time, but it’s much easier to get a better deal these days with online travel agents. As compared to when you had to physically buy your ticket from an office in person. That said, you may still not be able to get the best bargains if you don’t make your bookings at the ‘right’ time.
I dug around a little deeper on the web and found out; flights tend to be less expensive between 4 months and 3 weeks toward the departure date
So, I did a little snooping around and found something that might help with those tricky fluctuations in price.
I went to the trusty internet to look this up and found out that in 2019, January was the cheapest month to fly for domestic trips. The next two cheapest months to fly were September & October. Apparently, flying in September could save you up to 10% of your usual annual flight costs. Alas, 2019 was a long time ago, so I looked for something more recent.
I dug around a little deeper on the web and found out; flights tend to be less expensive between 4 months and 3 weeks toward the departure date. Also, the myth; “the best time to book a flight is a Tuesday night” is completely false, the day of the week doesn’t really affect the price. However, Tuesday night is the best time to FLY, because nobody wants to fly in the middle of the week!
Some analysis was done by CheapAir.com about the six booking zones and what to expect:
First Dibs (203-315 days in advance)
You will pay about $50 more during this period than if you waited for a lower airfare. The positive during this period is that you will probably have more choices when it comes to itinerary and seating.
Peace of Mind (116-202 days in advance)
Tickets cost about $20 more during this period than if you waited for the lowest airfare. Still, there are plenty of good options for seats and flights.
Prime Booking Window (21-115 days in advance)
Airfares average within 5% of their lowest prices during this period. It is the ideal time to hunt for bargains and book your flights.
Push Your Luck (14-20 days in advance)
Fares often rise during this time. The most convenient flight options are sold out, and the best seat options are already taken. But you may luck out and find some lower fares during this period.
Playing with Fire (7-13 days in advance)
The pricing during this period is, on average, $135 lower than it would be if you waited until the last minute to buy your tickets, but it’s still not the ideal time to buy. Flight and seat choices are also limited by this time.
Hail Mary (0-6 days in advance)
If possible, you should try to avoid booking flights during this period unless a last-minute emergency arises. You’ll pay an average of $220 more than if you had booked during the prime booking window.
All things being equal, you will experience the most savings on airplane tickets when they’re booked further ahead than 6 months. Barring that, you want to travel on holidays or in the middle of the week. Please not that this guide does not take periodic special offers by airlines into account. Additionally, 3rd party websites sometimes offer you cheaper tickets, however their lack of flexibility means it’s a good deal only if your plans are set in stone. You are generally better off booking directly from the airline if you need flexibility.
Do you have other tips and tricks to getting cheap air fares? Please share your travel hacks in the comment section.