Everyone wonders if there is a “sweet spot” for booking airfare. Unlike with cruising, where earlier is better and buying nine months to a year in advance can get you the best deal, airlines are different. Sales don’t come out that far in advance, so unless you just need a seat on a specific date and time, there’s no need to plot out your travel that early.
It used to be that you could get a fantastic deal if you bought your airfare six or more months in advance, but now the airlines are much more competitive. With fewer flights and routes and higher prices, airlines wait until the last possible moment to announce fares. Right now that is about three months from flight time. One reason for this is that routes are being eliminated or changed all the time, so you might even see your takeoff time adjusted before your actual travel day. Another reason is that it gives a sense of immediacy for booking. If you were thinking of going somewhere, but needed a good deal to push you into actually taking that trip, these fare sales might just give it to you.
Sometimes you can find a great deal last-minute – three weeks or less before you travel – but now those are few and far between. With the number of flights going out now compared to even a couple years ago, there are fewer seats to fill. This means if you know where you want to go, it’s better to know sooner rather than later. So, what is your best buying window? Look to buy your airfare between six weeks and three months out, and since only about 10 percent of the seats on any given plane are earmarked with the best deals, when you see a fare sale with great prices, you need to jump on it before those seats have been purchased. It is unlikely those prices will come back for you to take advantage of again.
