When is the best time to buy a plane ticket??

[chomorro]

Im going to new orleans feb 29th through mar 7th. I almost bought my ticket last month because i was under the impression that the earlier the cheaper it is. Well it was $360 last month. I just checked today and it was $293. Should i wait until beginning of jan or just buy it now??

 

[08fz6]

that one is hit or miss. I haven't had to buy a ticket outside of a holiday. Buying early as you mentioned if you have a set day or days you need to travel is best. But it not being a holiday your guess is as good as mine.... With the price difference look at layover and take off landing times. It is possible the cheaper one you found has longer layovers...

 

[CanadianFZ6]

"When is the best time to buy a plane ticket??"


Right after a crash, 'cause safety will be a priority then...

 

[chomorro]

"When is the best time to buy a plane ticket??"


Right after a crash, 'cause safety will be a priority then...

LOL it would be ironic if the i crashed. Since im visiting a friend who used to do the safety checks on airplanes for a living hahaha.

I was thinking after new years flights might be cheaper but i guess if im wrong it should only be about 60 bucks more.....

 

[DDS]

Try http://www.priceline.com/ By friend just bought from there. You name your own price. Just work your way up from low.

Also she heard they are cheapest on a Tuesday, but I don't know how much truth there is in that.
Buy airline tickets on Tuesday afternoon

 

[08fz6]

I use cheapoair.com

 

[greg]

i know somebody who used to work for the airlines

prices go up and down based on demand, if several people all start looking at the same flights, then the computer system may think it's "popular" and increase the price. Weekends and when everybody is away from the internet may be the best times (i.e not at lunch or during the evening)

also try not to look at flights from more than 1 computer

 

[Cloggy]

i know somebody who used to work for the airlines

prices go up and down based on demand, if several people all start looking at the same flights, then the computer system may think it's "popular" and increase the price. Weekends and when everybody is away from the internet may be the best times (i.e not at lunch or during the evening)

also try not to look at flights from more than 1 computer

Thanks Greg, I never could figure how the prices vary so much. Generally about 3 months before the prices are quite low but the prices would vary during the same day
Well we got a great deal for christmas so we'll (me my wife and 2 daughters) be flying back to the UK this year, instead of taking the boat :thumbup:.

 

[famous556]

I have heard that the airlines or other ticket sales websites access your cookies and therefore your history to see if you have been shopping around for tickets or not. So a possible thing to try and get the cheapest rate is to visit many airline ticket sales sites and other sites such as priceline etc. and then visit the site you intend to buy from in the same browsing session. If that rumor is true then it should give you the best price if you have multiple competitors in your cookies.

 

[chomorro]

I have heard that the airlines or other ticket sales websites access your cookies and therefore your history to see if you have been shopping around for tickets or not. So a possible thing to try and get the cheapest rate is to visit many airline ticket sales sites and other sites such as priceline etc. and then visit the site you intend to buy from in the same browsing session. If that rumor is true then it should give you the best price if you have multiple competitors in your cookies.

But then the price would be higher because the computer thinks that date is popular from you searching on every website right?? There should be a myth busters on this......

 

[famous556]

lol, I suspect that a specific company may use that trick of raising the price if it sees a lot of activity on a certain flight, but if you go to different companies to research a certain date, I'm not sure that companies would share that information with each other. So my theory is, visit a lot of sites, but only every one once. Yes, Mythbusters should really test it and get some answers.

 

[7UPyours]

My wife has had best luck on Tuesday nights and sometime wednesday

 

[ebster1085]

Tuesdays near the end of the month, 100% without a doubt. I recently booked a trip to Whistler up in BC Canada and had been monitoring flights for the entire month of November. The flight I wanted was a constant $790 the entire month. Come the last Tuesday of the month, I check it in the morning at work, and it is all of a sudden $450! Bought it right then and there, no questions asked. Also a big fan of kayak.com for booking.

 

[callmegandhi]

Only when you plan on flying somewhere! :BLAA:

 

[greg]

Cheap Flights - Compare Airline Tickets with Skyscanner.com is a good website for searching too

 

[oaks]

Meh. Buying plane tickets these days is like playing a slot machine. If you see an itinerary you are happy with, decent seats, at a price you like, get it and avoid the stress of putting it off. On popular routes that are likely to sell out, prices go up, fewer seat choices, and itineraries get worse (with more stops and longer layovers,) the longer you wait in my experience.

$238 ($280 after fees) on travelocity.com at the moment, with more choices at $258. Seems fair.