The Best Time to Book Air Travel

Air travel can be complicated without proper planning. (Photo: airplane image by Christine F Saulnier from Fotolia.com )

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Finding cheap airfare can be a challenging experience. So many different websites and airlines offer tickets, making it hard to know where to begin or when to go ahead with a purchase. It s not just important to look in the right places when searching for airfare deals. It s also helpful to look at the right time. Understanding the best times to book air travel can save you money, so plan your next trip accordingly.

In Advance

Purchasing airplane tickets well in advance is one of the best ways to find lower fares. Prices for flights usually increase over interval periods of months and weeks leading up to a given departure. Independent Traveler suggests booking anywhere from three to six months beforehand. Reids Guides also mentions six to eight weeks as the minimum buffer for buying plane tickets before incremental price hikes commence.

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Avoiding Holidays

The cost of airfare generally skyrockets during holidays and peak travel seasons such as Christmas, Thanksgiving and spring break. Not only does holiday travel cost more, but booking an airplane ticket over the holidays may also add to the expense even if the trip is scheduled for another time. Book tickets several months in advance if you absolutely must travel during the holidays, and consider waiting until a holiday period has ended before booking tickets in advance for other upcoming trips.

Research and Flexibility

Aside carefully browsing the market, being flexible with your air travel can save you even more money. As long as your exact travel dates aren t firmly established, you can experiment with different dates and times to see which combination produces the lowest fares.