Faremax: Travel Forums

How long exactly, before the time you are to take your flight, should you book it? I mean, what is the most economical. I always try and book as early as humanly possible because I need two side by side seats, and cannot risk getting separated, but have wondered if I would be better waiting a bit.

WEll, I do not have any special rule for that. If I have plan made before long time of the journey then I do book tickets 2 weeks ago. Generally I need to go each two weeks, so I do book ticket before 3 or 4 days.

I always schedule my trips about a month or so in advance, If I can do earliar then I will because that means that the tickets will be cheaper. I do this out of convience for my pockets.

So are the tickets ALWAYS cheapest the further back before the trip? I booked the tickets for my latest trip in early March, and the trip isn't till end of July and I got a wonderful deal. I went back a week later and the prices had doubled. Is it a quota issue-so many tickets at X price, then it goes to the next price band for so many tickets, then the next?

I never cared that the price can be cheap If I book earlier. Sounds cool. Do all airlines provide that facility?

No idea. I only know that my flights have been that way.

Of course, the earliar you schedule the cheaper your tickets. It's always been like that. I don't think it will ever change.

I think it varies depending on where you are going.  I've gotten some amazing deals on long haul flights booking at the last minute - that's risky though.

I just booked tickets to Sweden, they would have been £40 return including taxes if I'd been able to book them around 18 days before the flight.  I didn't have the cash then though, so I had to wait.  I managed to book 10 days before - and the price had gone up to £70 return instead.

So short / budget - book in advance.  Long haul I think the prices go cheap > expensive > cheap again as the date gets closer.

I buy tickets months in advance, especially because ticket prices surge as it becomes closer to the holiday season. For example, if I know for certain that I'll be traveling, I buy tickets in Jan-Feb when I plan to travel in June. But it would probably still be cheap if you buy it in April.

I think a month in advance is a good rule of thumb.  That way you can alook around for a really good deal too without running out of time.  I like to buy tickets for the busy season during the slow season, saves you a lot of money, but you do have to be sure of the dates well in advance.

Actually it depends greatly on where you're going. If the demand isn't that great, the price isn't high either.