When to buy airline tickets?

Does anyone have thoughts about when is the best time to start looking for airline tickets?

We're taking a cruise July 2012.

Thanks!

Eppie

Does anyone have thoughts about when is the best time to start looking for airline tickets?

 

We're taking a cruise July 2012.

 

Thanks!

Eppie

The experts on that subject hang out here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=128

The experts on that subject hang out here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=128

Thank you!

When it comes timing for best price there are no "experts" what experts can tell you is larger general trends, but like stock prices so many factors come into play.

My take is that you priced out tickets as part of your cruise and are happy plus/minus 10-20% swing in tickets. The question is do you feel lucky? Sometimes prices go down as economy softens and or demand doesn't materialize. Sometimes prices go up as demand goes up or supply goes down.

Only 4 weeks ago tickets for spring break to a place were were planning was 500 and now its 800 bucks, YMMV.

Does anyone have thoughts about when is the best time to start looking for airline tickets?

 

We're taking a cruise July 2012.

 

Thanks!

Eppie

I start LOOKING as soon as I decide to go somewhere by air.....I BOOK when the price becomes acceptable to me! Usually, it's about 45-60 days out....but if I get what I feel is a fair price before that, I'll go ahead and book them.

I don't know if Southwest is available to you or not. But since there are no change fees, book it now. If the price goes up, you are good. If the price drops, just make the change and you get a credit toward your next flight. We booked a Chicago to Orlando flight at $277/person. Three fare drops later it was $199. We used the credit from that to pay for one of us on our next trip.

We always book well in advance. Since you're looking to fly in the summer, it's hard to say how the prices will go over the next few months. Prices in the summer are typically higher, but with this economy, you just can't assume that anymore.

I agree with CB at Sea.....book whenever you deem the price to be acceptable to you....after all, you are the one paying for them.:)

Its a bit of a crapshoot. Flights that are selling don't get cheaper. Flights thar not can get cheaper. Problem is the average flyer cannot tell how their flight is selling. Generally buy when you think it is the right price for you and then stop looking.

I start looking the same day as when I book my cruise. If I think the airfare is a good deal, I usually go ahead in buy. Sometimes i wait for SW prices to come out, since they dont charge extra for making flight changes.

I start checking prices as soon as I book my cruise. If I see a good price I grab it. This worked well a couple of years ago when in November, I found a price of $225 pp for non-stop tickets from EWR to LAX for an April Cruise.

If I do not find a good price, I begin to check prices everyday about 90 days out. I check several web sites, sometimes multiple times a day, especially on Tuesdays, watching price trends. When I see the price drop or what I believe is a good price, given the trends, I buy the tickets.

I must admit I am curious enough to continue to check prices occaisionally after I have purchased the tickets and have found that often I seem to have gotten the best price. If not, the difference is not much, usually just $10 to $20.

The one caveat is holiday tickets. I use the same method, but I start looking seriously as much as 6 months in advance. For example, I bought our tickets to Dubai in December in July. I watched the prices, looking for a specific flight. When prices on that flight and others started to rise, I weighed our options and purchased tickets for a different flight. Since prices have continued to rise, I think I made a good choice.

My cruise is on June 2012...think would be better to book air tickets early...i'm actually thinking of booking it now since the price is reasonable...by then airfare would have gone up...

I don't know if Southwest is available to you or not. But since there are no change fees, book it now. If the price goes up, you are good. If the price drops, just make the change and you get a credit toward your next flight. We booked a Chicago to Orlando flight at $277/person. Three fare drops later it was $199. We used the credit from that to pay for one of us on our next trip.

I agree with this. If you can use southwest, I would definitely give it a shot. We booked our trip for last month, months and months in advance, the price dropped to well under $99 and we cancelled and rebooked saving close to $300 for all 3 of us.

Also, they say the best time to buy (which I've heard for years) is on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

http://www.farecompare.com/travel-advice/tips-from-air-travel-insiders/

We book as soon as we can -- reason -- very, very few flights out of Pittsburgh to anywhere any more -- thus the planes fill quickly.

We watch the fares and usually bokk 30 to 60 days out. The fare go up and down, sometimes hourly, and when it looks like a good deal I leap in and buy. It's a bit like the stock market, you can never be lucky enough buy all the time at the low.

I also check the empty seats to see if the flight is filling which means higher prices.

It's just like cruise prices, who knows when?

Air to London is craze from the East coast.

I also check the empty seats to see if the flight is filling which means higher prices.

It's just like cruise prices, who knows when?

Just an FYI

If you are using airline seat maps to check empty seats, those are VERY unreliable. The plane could be almost completely sold out but people have just not picked their seats. This is particularly true for travel groups, tours and cruise line booked air. The seats are sold but no one has picked their seats yet.

There are various publicly available subscription tools that give a VERY accurate seat count but again, they are subscription ($5.00 per month).

Only 4 weeks ago tickets for spring break to a place were were planning was 500 and now its 800 bucks, YMMV.

I found this out the hard way. I was on Oasis when SW opened fares the end of next March. By the time I got home the cheapest fare out that day is $310 (one way plus taxes).

Im spending a extra night in Tampa to pay for not getting online during my cruise and booking.

OP I do think when you are cruising makes a huge difference. Spring break fares are looking crazy. I was afraid to wait, so I got a hotel and airfare the next morning to come home and locked it in.

Im still kicking myself all the way to the curb for not even looking until after I got home. Now I know!!

Just an FYI

 

If you are using airline seat maps to check empty seats, those are VERY unreliable. The plane could be almost completely sold out but people have just not picked their seats. This is particularly true for travel groups, tours and cruise line booked air. The seats are sold but no one has picked their seats yet.

 

There are various publicly available subscription tools that give a VERY accurate seat count but again, they are subscription ($5.00 per month).

I dont know .. just asking. My flight home Dec 3rd, I had to change times (american changed the times actually), and I only had the choice of aisle or center of 3 seats. Now I dont see any seats except exits.

Could this be a really full flight .. or just inaccurate? I would rather have a window than a aisle, but still none showing to choose from.