TA Flights - When to Book for best prices?

[~Fianna]

Anyone have any insight on when the "sweet spot" so to speak is in pricing? I've been looking at the itinerary since the flights were released in November and they haven't moved at all.

 

I'm wondering if 3-6 months out they'll be cheaper and then get more expensive again as the flight gets closer?

 

(LAS-VCE/MAD-LAS itinerary, if the airports in question matter.)

[FLACRUISER99]

Anyone have any insight on when the "sweet spot" so to speak is in pricing? I've been looking at the itinerary since the flights were released in November and they haven't moved at all.

 

I'm wondering if 3-6 months out they'll be cheaper and then get more expensive again as the flight gets closer?

 

(LAS-VCE/MAD-LAS itinerary, if the airports in question matter.)

Sometimes the best prices are 30-45 days away if bookings are light. However If the route is booked heavily the prices will be the highest! Its a crap shoot if you see a good price grab it.

[Donray]

Anyone have any insight on when the "sweet spot" so to speak is in pricing? I've been looking at the itinerary since the flights were released in November and they haven't moved at all.

 

I'm wondering if 3-6 months out they'll be cheaper and then get more expensive again as the flight gets closer?

 

(LAS-VCE/MAD-LAS itinerary, if the airports in question matter.)

 

First, fly when no one else wants to. Feburary is a good month for getting the lowest fares.

[Atomica]

My rule of thumb is book whenever you see a price that looks good to you. That way you're not left out in the cold if prices rise dramatically.

 

I've seen transatlantic fares bottom out, and I've seen them increase astronomically. We're paying far more money this year to fly to Barcelona than we did last year to fly to London - but I see prices have gone up again, so it's good we booked when we did.

[kenish]

You don't say what month....as others have mentioned there are good deals for January travel but your window has probably closed for this July/August and it's only "up" until then.

 

Most travel sites report that fares are generally higher, as the economy recovers and airlines have trimmed supply of seats. So I wouldn't wait around hoping for fares levels of 1 or 2 years ago. Also read some of the posts on this board...people choke at the fares they are seeing and are later glad they went ahead or sorry they waited. All this aside, you never know when a "killer deal" will pop up but know what that looks like and be ready to act instantly as they can vanish in hours or even minutes.

 

A few more specifics on your travel dates and fares you are finding will get you a lot of feedback and assistance.

[CruiserBruce]

I agree with Kenish. It looks like perhaps your travel dates are in August or Sept of this year. The sales have probably already happened (United did theirs in Jan and Feb for Summer Europe) and as the date gets closer, it is unlikely the prices will go down unless there is a serious problem selling tickets.

 

Soooooo, do you wait and try-hope-pray to get a cheap ticket, on a route that gets you there, but goes some funky, hopscotch route, or buy now, and have a reasonable chance to pick good seats, a more comfortable route, and any other selection issue you might have?

 

And, of course, if a cheap ticket doesn't appear, then you are forced to pay a huge fare, just to get there in time.

 

I am flying SFO-FRA-FCO over in August and back in Sept. Coach is pretty full, although it looks like UA sold a lot of tickets to consolidators and tour groups. So, things are filling up.

[Globaliser]

I'm wondering if 3-6 months out they'll be cheaper and then get more expensive again as the flight gets closer?

There are only two possible answers to this question: "yes" and "no".

 

Unfortunately, you won't know when was the cheapest time to buy your ticket until the moment the aircraft doors close and and the aircraft pushes back.

[frugaltravel]

Unfortunately, you won't know when was the cheapest time to buy your ticket until the moment the aircraft doors close and and the aircraft pushes back.

 

How will you even know then without asking all the other passengers on the plane who happened to start and end in the same cities as you? :D

[Globaliser]

Sorry, I forgot to say: You also have to have been checking the fares for your flight every minute of every day for the entire 360-day (or so) period that they were on sale, so that you get all the necessary data points. :)

[FlyerTalker]

Or you have managed to perform serious corporate espionage upon the revenue management department of that airline.....;)