HOW FAR IN ADVANCE SHOULD I BOOK A FLIGHT? | FLIGHTLAYAWAY
Sometimes even when it
appears you’ve won the game and managed to find the best flight deal, you can
be faced with further challenges when you arrive at the airport. Unfortunately,
flight mishaps like delays can strike when you least expect it. This often
leaves air passengers stressed and out of pocket.
But did you know that when
particular flight issues like delays occur, you could be eligible for flight
delay compensation from the airline? At Flightlayaway we make it our
mission to help passengers understand their rights.
Speaking of which, before
one gets to the airport – there is the conundrum of working out how far in
advance to book your flight.
There are also important
factors to consider that determine the best day of the week to buy flights—your
destination, when you plan to travel and whether you are booking a domestic or
international flight.
According to Airlines’
annual airfare study, “The price of a flight change on average every 4.5 days,
and each change averages $33 up or down”. This implies that booking a flight is
all about timing. We recently divulged the costly ramifications of being an
early bird when purchasing your plane ticket; alternatively, an expensive
last-minute flight is likely to curb your spontaneity when booking trips in the
future.
So is there a magic number
to consider when locating the prime booking window to buy tickets for your
dream trip? In this article, we’ve done
the grunt work for you and compiled a comprehensive guide with key travel
insights that will save you from spending hours gazing anxiously at your screen
in a bid to wait out the best flight deal.
Continue reading to learn all you need to know to buy airline tickets on a budget:
·
How Far in Advance Should I Book a Domestic
Flight?
·
When is the Best Time to Buy International
Flights?
·
When to Book Flights to Popular Destinations
& Times
·
What is the Cheapest Day to Book Flights?
How Far in Advance Should I Book a Domestic Flight?
Flying within the country?
That’s good news in terms of how much lead time you’ll need to buy tickets.
When you’re booking a domestic flight, book your tickets between one and three
months prior to your trip.
If you are traveling within
your country, Rick Seaney, CEO, and co-founder of online research FareCompare
believes that the cheapest day to book flights is from about three months to
three or four weeks before departure.
According to Travel &
Leisure, Kayak compiled one year of flight data and discovered the following:
“Six months before
departure, domestic ticket prices were about 20 percent higher than the lowest
fares. They started dropping three months out and hit a low to seven weeks
before departure.”
Best time to book flights
One survey has determined
how far in advance savvy travelers ought to book a domestic flight to get the
lowest fare. From their findings, they concluded that on average, 47 days was
the best time.
It’s important to remember
that these numbers aren’t written in stone, but rather, are to be used as a
guideline on what to consider when searching for the most affordable booking
window. In general, Kayak urges travelers against waiting too long, by saying:
“Whatever you do, don’t wait
until the last week, when prices shoot up – by 25 percent”.
When is the Best Time to Buy International Flights?
It takes a lot more
preparation to plan an international trip—and that includes booking your
tickets further in advance. International flights don’t see the same kind of
fluctuation domestic flights do, so more often than not what you see is what
you’re going to get.
The travel connoisseurs from
FareCompare insist that the cheapest days to fly international are between five
and a half months and one and a half months from departure.
Cheapest days to fly
international
Put simply, three months out
is when you want to start thinking of booking domestic flights – whereas for
booking international flights, three months out is the last minute you want to
be thinking of booking. Go more than three months out to book tickets for
international flights to ensure that you’re getting the best deal possible.
We also advise that we take
these digits with a pinch of salt because every international market is bound
to be different, with its own unique caveat.
When to Book Flights to Popular Destinations & Times
Airline ticket sales operate
on complex formulas, but one thing that remains fairly simple is the concept of
supply and demand. When there is less supply, there will be more demand.
Understandably, when there is more demand, there will be higher prices.
What that means for your
travel plans is that you’ll want to book early when traveling to popular
destinations and during peak times. Going to the beach or to Europe this
summer, when everyone else is doing the same thing? Book early. Heading home
for the holiday? Book early.
In general, apply common
sense and you’ll get a good deal. However, there is one caveat to remember:
supply and demand don’t mean airlines will lower their prices the month of a
flight if seats aren’t filling up.
No matter how you dice it,
trying to book a flight the same month of your trip (international or domestic)
is going to cost you more.
What is the Cheapest Day to Book Flights?
There are a plethora of
sources online that advise travelers on the best day and time to book their
dream trip. However, as prices largely depend on airline routes and fluctuating
prices make it difficult for research findings to stand the test of time, it’s
safe to assume that there are no hard-and-fast rules.
Up until this year, there
was the popular belief that the cheapest day to book flights was Tuesday at
midnight, as travelers who purchased flights on this day saved about 6% on
their flights. However, this is no longer the case because more business
travelers are booking their flights during the week.
Cheapest day to book flights
It can be mind-boggling
trying to keep up with air travel predictions on the best day and time to book
flights, so as a rule of thumb, we advise that if you’re scouring the net and
land on a deal that has you jumping up and down in excitement—providing you’ve
done your due diligence—regardless of what day of the week it is, it may be a
good idea to snap it up as the price may not go down any lower.
Flightlayaway
service the United States and International Countries. If you are looking to
plan a trip with your family or friends, you can book flight
tickets with different installation options
Flightlayaway. You can book now pay later, but before flying.
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