How do you decide WHEN to purchase airline tickets?

[kms8066]

How do you know WHEN to purchase? I keep watching fares, thinking they will go down . . . and I'm going to be really, really upset if they go UP before I do it! I heard that Tues. afternoons are best time to buy, but watched our flights all week and there's been no change. We are cruising Nov. 15. Any insights???

[t60]

Sorry, this is a bit long bit it´s info I´ve collected from various sites over a period of time. I bought our flight tickets for Rio this Wednesday for next March.

Fly on: Tuesday

Wednesday

or Saturday

Buy on: Tuesdays

& Wednesdays

 

If you start researching when to buy flight tickets, you will find out that many people will tell you to buy your tickets on Tuesday at 3 p.m. personally, I am not sure that 3 p.m. is the cheapest time of the day to buy your ticket, but definitely Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest days . A good piece of advice I can give is to check websites which have discounts at night like this French website, govoyage.com.

Don't over check the same website

 

When you check the same flight over and over, websites can track you and predict that the demand is going to increase, and as a result, prices can rise . esp with economy airlines

To avoid this effect, use websites like Kayak.com where you can set alerts so it emails you when prices are going up or down. Or use a private window for browsing

 

Shopping too early = expensive flight tickets

Shopping too late = expensive flight tickets

 

When to Buy ? possibly

5-3 months for an international flight

7 weeks for a domestic flight

This is not an exact science and you can find good deals anytime if you know where to look but this time frame is a good start to at least get an idea of the price you'll have to pay.

Remember there are exceptions.

 

Regarding domestic flights and according to his research, the japanese economist Makoto Watanabe predicts that 8 weeks out is the best time to buy a flight ticket, while airlines advise 6 weeks out

 

Sandy in Spain

Edited August 30, 2014 by t60

[April7901]

I book when I see a price I'm comfortable paying.

 

Nearly 100% of my domestic flights are on Southwest. If the price drops, I just go in and re-book, giving me a credit for the difference that I can use on a future flight. I booked flights to DC for a work trip back in May. Since then, the price has dropped about $120, so I'm sitting on a $120 credit to use for my flight home at the holidays or for my flight to Seattle for my Alaskan cruise.

 

But bottom line - when you see a number you're comfortable with, buy it.

[sapete]

I agree. There is no "magical" time or day to book. The airlines use sophisticated yield management systems which adjust prices constantly. Pick a price you are comfortable with and don't look back. Happy cruising.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cb at sea]

We find the lowest prices about 30-45 days out...

[Bowie MeMe]

If there was a firm and fast rule for buying tickets at the lowest price -- everybody would and it would not be the cheapest! The mind set that you want to get a "good price" is usually the one to have. If you are only going for the absolute lowest price, it can lead you into making mistakes that could cost you much! The wrong tickets for flights can even cause you to miss your cruise to save a few dollars. There can also be ancillary costs -- extra early flight and long layovers you end up eating in airports or snacking more --expensive. Get bumped or miss a flight you end up facing hotel room costs or at least extra food not to mention the cost of "headache pills!".

 

Do yourself a big favor. Go to the cruise air forum of CC and read the sticky at the top on Choice air and other 3rd party tickets (Cheapy Air/ E-ped-a and all the others) and really know that the legal contract on air tickets is binding and in my opinion you never want to be the customer of anyone other than the company providing the services because they do take care of their customers first. As some of the bright people over there say, all airline tickets are not the same. It might say MIA (Miami) to MCO (Chicago OHare) but that ticket has many other binding legal realities and your ticket and your seat mates tickets can go for widely different prices and if something goes amiss widely different chances of getting to your cruise on time. Make sure that you have all the costs accounted for -- taxes/fees/baggage costs/seat selection costs etc. On my tickets to Asia -- the fees and taxes are more than the base ticket cost-- and different sellers figure the price differently. This is also true of hotel rooms and rental cars.

 

As I said -- watch for a fare that is consistant. If you find a ticket that is way off the norm price -- figure out WHY it is off norm. If those conditions are acceptable then go for it but know what is going on and as much as possible what the conditions of your ticket are. I usually ask myself why an airline would sell tickets to low cost guy over there and allow him a cut of the profit? This is especially true in 2014 where the planes are much fuller than they have been in my 40 years of flying for vacations. If you do not get the flight that you are ticketed on -- weather/mechanical/fights among passengers:p/oversell situations -- then the next flight that will get you to where your flight is going might be a long time off and full too before 200 folks from the disrupted flight try to get on the plane.

 

Patience and details and homework will get you a fair priced ticket more often than Tuesday at 8 pm advice. Tickets are added and subtracted and prices adjusted by computers in real time -- they don't ever wait until Tuesday to make their adjustments! FWIW/ I do agree that Tuesday and Wednesday flights in US are the cheapest and that Sunday PM and Friday afternoon are the absolute highest because still most of the air carriers profit comes from business travel and not leisure travel. But if going on Tuesday is going to cost you $400 for a hotel room Sunday/ Monday nights -- probably have not saved yourself money with the cheaper ticket. Wish I had a better message but this is the truth as I have experienced it. Good luck. Thankfully travel is worth the planning and worry getting there.

Edited August 31, 2014 by Bowie MeMe

[geoherb]

If we're are taking a cruise from the East Coast--where we could drive if we had to--I wait until the price is right. I can't stand paying more than $300 per person roundtrip for flights to Florida. Occasionally, when taking Christmas cruises, we have paid a little bit more than that. I'm also a great fan of Southwest. I always figure in the cost of luggage if we fly another airline.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We book ASAP...

[iancal]

Now that we are retired and booking most of our cruises inside the cancellation window we find that there is not much difference between booking six months out or six weeks out.

 

Going to Europe in 10 days, booked a few weeks ago. Pricing was actually lower when we booked than it was when we were watching prices in the April/May timeframe. This past January we booked 10 days prior to departure on a return flight to Bangkok and had what seemed to us to be the lowest price we had seen. Yet we booked the same flight for late Dec. this year, one way, a few months ago and the price has not budged.

 

So we do not know any more. I think it is down to supply and demand. One thing for sure though, as US airlines get their consolidations in order air prices and add on prices will continue to escalate.

 

Now we determine what a good price is for us and if the price hits we book. And then we forget about it because I the prices changes up or down it really has no impact on us. We do exactly the same for cruises and other vacation purchases.

Edited August 31, 2014 by iancal

[Bowie MeMe]

If we're are taking a cruise from the East Coast--where we could drive if we had to--I wait until the price is right. I can't stand paying more than $300 per person roundtrip for flights to Florida. Occasionally, when taking Christmas cruises, we have paid a little bit more than that. I'm also a great fan of Southwest. I always figure in the cost of luggage if we fly another airline.

 

Just be sure to check out other airlines too! Southwest for the last 2 years has NOT always been the best price -- sometimes especially for sales-- but not always! Hard for me as I had been flying to Florida on them 4 o5 roundtrips a year for 15 years and a dedicated fan!

 

If your trip is multidestination: (example to Asia or Europe) sometimes it works out that the US portion of the trip to Chicago/New York/San Francisco etc. is wrapped in the cost of the ticket or included in the award. 75K roundtrip to Tokyo from wherever in US. Sometimes because of lack of demand (think Chicago in dead winter) tickets are cheaper and award tickets more available than less wintery places. Sometimes a particular flight does not sell as well and the price goes down. Make sure that it does not cost you more for food/hotel/etc to take that lower cost flight. Under $100 I will usually choose on convenience -- well over $100 too:o Try to figure out what your base price is and then how far you can get on that base price.

 

Buy from the provider of services -- almost always. Today's planes are flying full and they don't need to lower prices and share profits with the discounters unless airline is getting a great deal (filling middle of night flights/very competitive market). All tickets are not the same! Legal basis for the ticket which you never see can be a BIG problem if you for any reason do not go on the exact flight scheduled. Overselling is a big problem these days -- yes they sell more seats than they have! -- and a discounter's tickets is the first one "sacrificed". :eek:

 

Free bags: If you have certain credit cards, get free luggage. With Southwest don't pay for bags but do have to pay to bump yourself up in the boarding sequence so tit and tat. Air Tran part of Southwest now has free seats but have to pay for bags! Several lines have free bag promotions. Never ever pay over weight fees -- unless you are like a friend who was moving to Europe and bought extra baggage allowance -- cheaper than shipping her life over!

 

Pick your time: School vacations, special events (even if you don't know what they are like the Miami Beach Yacht show), vacation periods all drive the price up. If you want to go -- so do others often. Ships being in in FLL/MIA 8 ships in port over Sat. and Sunday CHING the price goes through the roof. They know the ship schedule just like you. For visiting family, I only go Tuesday or Weds or I pay much more. If price is way up, usually can find out why with internet search. Then decide if must go that day. Factor in living expenses for extra day if you take a later/earlier flight. NEVER ask if I can make this flight after cruise. If you have to ask -- it is way too close:D Always be in town a day early -- can't risk a multi thousand dollar cruise for a $100 airline ticket that is delayed. #*%@ happens -- especially when you are on a tight schedule.

[April7901]

One other suggestion - remember to factor in baggage and seat selection fees into the cost.

 

There have been a few times when I've found that Southwest was not the cheapest fare, but by the time I added in baggage fees and seat selection, it was a difference of $20 or less - and for that, I'd much rather keep my points building on SWA.

[avgsuperheroine]

I like spreadsheets so every once in a while I'll look up prices for a set week going out of four different airports to the places we may someday take a cruise from. This gives me an idea of what a normal price is.

 

We usually do MSP to MCO. I've OFTEN found $200 direct flights and NEVER under $200. If I see it at $200 I grab it immediately. I've been fortunate the last two times to have gotten that price.

[bouhunter]

definitely Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest days .

 

A good piece of advice I can give is to check websites which have discounts at night

 

Don't over check the same website

 

When you check the same flight over and over, websites can track you and predict that the demand is going to increase, and as a result, prices can rise . esp with economy airlines

To avoid this effect, use websites like Kayak.com where you can set alerts so it emails you when prices are going up or down. Or use a private window for browsing

 

 

OMG some of this is too funny:D

 

Don't forget, Tuesday's with a full moon if it's rained within the last 12 hours is when you can get the absolute lowest airfare!

 

And be careful about checking airlines and car rentals the same day, the websites have a secret code that can decipher your travel plans and correspondingly increase the air and car rental prices. This practice is especially used on Thursday's and/or if you've also used any hotel websites on the previous Wednesday mornings........... :)

Edited September 1, 2014 by bouhunter