When is the best time to book holiday travel?
GrayBush asked:
I’m asking when I am most likely to find the cheapest flights for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Should I book long before, somewhere in the middle, or wait for a last minute deal?
Boris
I’m asking when I am most likely to find the cheapest flights for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Should I book long before, somewhere in the middle, or wait for a last minute deal?
Boris
July 19th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Interesing. I just answered a similar question for someone else.
Holiday or non-holiday is no difference. The best time to buy an airline ticket is when that ticket is at its lowest price. Well this may sound stupid, but hear me out. Airline tickets can fluctuate in price regularly - daily and/or hourly. It is about demand and supply. Popular flight destination and times are normally going to be more expensive; however, each airline offers sales or specials from time to time. The way to take advantage of these offers is to watch the prices regularly and when a good offer is available - buy it. If you wait, the price could change that day or the next day. There is no real secret. Some say wait till the last minute. Well if the flight is a popular flight, chances are you won’t get a ticket at any price. Don’t believe the last minute special, it seldom pays off. The best thing to do is plan in advance. I mean as soon as you know when and where you want to go, start looking. Pick a web site. Most web sites are the same. There is no particular web site that is better than another as far as pricing. They sell for the same airlines. The web site does not set pricing. Be flexible in your dates and departure times. It may be cheaper to fly during the week and at odd hours. Remember supply and demand, the more popular, the more the cost. I like to use Travelocity because it has a flexible flight locater. You just put the month or months you want to travel and it shows you by airline the flight starting with the cheapest. You pick the best price and then the travel dates that the fare is offered. If the price isn’t good enough, try again later. It is important that you start early. Airlines usually post prices 330 days in advance. I recommend that you start at least 4 months before your planned flight and sooner if possible. I have booked really cheap sale fares as much as 8-10 month in advance. I will give you and example. I was planning a trip this Christmas as my wife and I usually do. I started looking in January. In March, I saw a sale to my destination for $118 a ticket ($157 with taxes and surcharges). This was a Christmas flight so it can work for Holiday seasons. Of course, I bought it. The next day, that very same ticket was $480.
The secret is plan ahead and start looking. Book when you find a deal.
July 20th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Look everyday for your flight, but always start early. I’m always looking for deals. Here are some I suggest:
- it gives three great uses:
1) it searches ALL individual airline websites AND third party websites (expedia, priceline, etc) and spits out the cheapest prices.
2) it shows the price history of that exact round trip ticket
3) it estimates with a confidence factor how much it will be in the next 7 days.
if you live near where spirit flies to, sign up for $40/year and they send you awesome deals. i once went to nyc from ft lauderdale for $35 round trip… the week before Christmas!
if i’m using farecast, i usually end up purchasing 3 weeks in advance, which is usually said to be the best time to purchase. but for holidays, ALWAYS search early (3-4 months in advance). once again, search everyday!
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:27 am
i don’t believe in last minute deals, I book much in advance
July 25th, 2009 at 1:54 am
The time for thanksgiving is right now! If you haven’t left it too late even? The same goes for Christmas, you need to be thinking about firming up you travel plans in the next couple of weeks, and looking right now to see what is available, for TG all the choice dates will be fully booked or very high fares, but you may still get some if you are flexible with your dates and times.
July 28th, 2009 at 7:16 am
I think right now maybe.
Try LCC airlines like southwest,jetblue,airtran,united,us airways,usa 3000,westjet.
You can visit this site to Find the Cheapest Deals Online and for Free coupon codes,Free Discount Coupons and Vouchers on Airlines and Hotels
July 29th, 2009 at 2:20 am
It totally depends… there are quite a few sites that you can search that will likely give you the best prices available. check out the website BookMe and you will be able to compare prices on all the reputable travel sites in just a couple minutes. it’s very convenient and will save you a bunch of time and money. Also, make sure you buy them online… otherwise they charge much higher fees for phone orders. good luck.
July 29th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
I generally keep checking the sites to get the best deal.
You should check it once in 10 days.