With pandemic restrictions easing, you can definitely say hello to traveling once again! So, if you have a long list of dream destinations to visit, now’s the perfect time to cross out some places on your travel bucket list. But besides searching for affordable accommodation for your upcoming trip, one of your priorities also involves looking for the best time to buy plane tickets.
After all, making the most out of your travel includes budgeting your travel expenses accordingly. And everyone knows how plane tickets usually make up a considerable portion of your travel expenses. With all of that said, this now begs the question, when exactly is the best time to buy plane tickets? And how can you efficiently find these amazing deals?
Anyway, if you’re having difficulty finding the best travel deals, here’s a comprehensive guide to help you out. That way, you don’t have to keep constantly asking yourself if you should wait it out or not!
Factors Affecting the Prices To Buy Plane Tickets
Ideally, experts recommend that you should start tracking to buy plane ticket prices at least ten to eleven months prior to your much-awaited trip. In doing so, you can snatch low-priced fares for your much-awaited trip. But of course, aside from appropriately timing your flight booking, many factors will still significantly affect the prices of plane tickets. Here they are:
• Your area’s abundance of flight service providers: Are there several flight service providers departing in your area? Or perhaps, are air services there not as abundant compared to other areas? If your area doesn’t have a lot of competition, the chances are that flights will cost more. But with other competing airline companies, you can expect a lot more affordable rates.
• The distance: Longer distances mean costlier ticket prices. So, if you’re going for farther, international trips, make sure to allot more cash to your travel expenses.
• The time of the year: Are you flying during the summer or holidays? Or are you going to a particular country during their specified peak season? If these are the cases, don’t expect a significant decrease in fare prices if you’re booking flights during these periods.
• How close is your expected departure date: Do you still have months ahead of your expected departure date? If that’s the case, your chances of getting affordably-priced tickets are still high.
When is the Best Time to Purchase Plane Tickets for Domestic Flights?
As previously mentioned, you must be on the constant verge of deciding if you should buy plane tickets early or during the last minute. And if your planned trip involves purchasing domestic plane tickets, here’s information from CheapAir’s 2021 study on domestic flights that might help you out.
So, according to the said study, the best time to buy plane tickets for domestic flights is during what they call the prime period. The study mentions that this period offers the most affordable flights. To add, this period also takes place 21 to 95 days before your expected trip. You can find the juiciest deals during this period, with ticket prices plummeting to the 5% low-costing ticket brackets.
Naturally, you won’t have an abundance of seating options in planes if you book flights during this timeframe. But hey, that’s a small price to pay in exchange for a wallet-friendly to buy plane ticket! And with more money saved up on expenses, booking during the prime period is definitely worth it.
When is the Best Time to Purchase Plane Tickets for International Flights?
On the other hand, the best time to buy plane tickets for international flights really depends on the destination. Besides, it’s worth noting that international travel spots have varying peak seasons. Considering that, determining the most optimum booking window for international destinations differs per country.
For instance, some destinations will require you to book at least ten months ahead of your flight to get affordable options. Meanwhile, other destinations are much more lenient. In fact, booking a flight two months prior to your trip in some countries can still score you some cheap booking fares.
Anyway, CheapAir’s 2021 study on international flights has identified the corresponding prime zones for low-priced flights for the following areas below:
• Canada: 1.5 – 3.5 mos. prior to the expected trip
• Mexico: 1.5 – 4 mos. prior to the expected trip
• Caribbean: 1.5 – 3.5 mos. prior to the expected trip
• Central America: over half a month – 3 months. prior to the expected trip
• South America: 1.5 – 4 mos. prior to the expected trip
• Europe: less than 2 mos. – over 9 mos. prior to the expected trip
• Africa: 1.5 – 10.5 mos. prior to the expected trip
• South Pacific: 2.5 – 9 mos. prior to the expected trip
• Asia: 2.5 – 6.6 mos. prior to the expected trip
• Middle East: 1.5 – 5.5 mos. prior to the expected trip
When is the Best Time to Purchase Plane Tickets for Summer Trips?
Are you sad that you spent your previous summers locked up because of the pandemic? Well, you don’t have to feel that way anymore for this year’s summer. So, if you’ve been daydreaming of visiting that one summer spot you’ve been looking forward to, now’s the time to turn that trip into reality!
However, since the summer season falls under the peak season, you should definitely book your flights earlier. So, unless you can afford the high fare prices during peak season, it’s recommended that you purchase tickets three and a half months prior to your upcoming summer trip.
Besides, airlines will usually sell incredible summer airfare deals to customers during that timeframe. According to FareCompare, airline companies often do this to find out the demand for summer vacation trips.
When is the Best Time to Purchase Plane Tickets for Holiday Trips?
When is the best time to buy plane tickets for your holiday vacations? Similar to flying during summer, traveling during the holidays could also significantly dent your budget if you don’t plan things ahead. So, what should be done if that’s the case?
According to Real Simple, travel fares will hike up once Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Due to that, you should book flights for your holiday trips during September and just before October ends. And as the Christmas season also approaches, you can surely expect exorbitantly-priced to buy plane tickets.
Furthermore, if you don’t mind flying exactly on Thanksgiving or Christmas, go ahead and do it! After all, USA Today reports that travel prices dip during these days. Traveling on these dates also means bidding farewell to long lines and huge crowds, allowing you to experience a much smoother travel journey.
And if you’re lucky enough, you can even score free travel accommodation upgrades. These upgrades range from flying to first-class or getting fancy hotel accommodation. If you think about these perks, traveling during these days isn’t so bad after all.
Other Recommended Tips for Finding the Ultimate Plane Ticket Deals
Phew. That’s certainly a lot of tips to remember. But those tips and tricks for the ultimate airfare deals don’t end there. After all, there are still plenty of ways to help you secure the best airfare deals. So, if you want to take your airfare deal searching to the next level, here are other tips you can consider below!
Try booking a flight during early Tuesday mornings
Do you commonly see advice online saying that you should book your flights on specific days of the week? The same CheapAir 2021 study on domestic flights states that no particular days of the week affect ticket prices. Their findings indicate that low-priced tickets only have a $1 price difference despite the day of the week.
However, FareCompare still recommends booking flights on early Tuesday mornings. As per FareCompare’s advice, some airline companies will offer ticket sales during those intervals. From there. Other airline companies will follow suit and lower their prices to compete with other airlines.
Even if you’re not likely to avail of these promos, you don’t really have anything to lose if you give FareCompare’s tip a shot. So, don’t forget to set your alarm clock and see what’s in store for you by then!
Book mid-week flights to save up on travel expenses
Are you still looking up other great means to save up on travel expenses? Here’s another helpful tip. Besides considering the best time to buy plane tickets, you should also highly consider the best time to schedule your flights.
CheapAir’s 2021 study on domestic flights also indicates that you can save up on travel expenses by flying in the middle of the week. In the study, flights held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays offer way more affordable booking fares to buy plane tickets. After all, you can save $82 more than flying on a Sunday by booking mid-week flights.
With that said, you can schedule your return flights in the middle of the week to save up on costs. Sure, if you’re flying solo, the price difference may not seem that significant to you. But if you’re a huge family, then every saved buck will surely count.
Use flight tracking sites and tools to find the best plane ticket deals
Are you not that patient when it comes to scouring the net just to look for the best plane ticket deals? Fortunately, you don’t have to do some intense searching just to find the best airfare deals. Besides, there are plenty of fantastic tracking tools that contain tons of valuable features for tracking flight deals to buy plane tickets.
For instance, one useful feature found in Google Flights and Kayak is a flight price tracker. Moreover, this tool comes with a dedicated alert system to notify you of an airline’s best deals. With the combination of the tracker and its alert system, you can stay up-to-date with the best airfare deals.
In addition, you can also use flight searching sites to browse through various dates and flight fares according to travel spots. Other sites will allow you to look up travel fares depending on your provided trip schedule. For example, if you’ve entered a “three-day trip in the next five months,” the site will lay out all airfare details regarding your selected country or region.
However, do note that tools such as Google Flight are simply tools for searching or tracking flight deals. You can’t actually book flights within those sites. Once you’ve found an excellent deal, you will still have to do the necessary steps to book the flight directly with your chosen carrier.
Consider subscribing to flight deals newsletters
If you’re a so-called hodophile, aka someone who loves to travel, subscribing to flight deals newsletters is a good idea. Upon subscribing to these newsletters, you will get regular notices regarding excellent airfare deals. So, as soon as sweet deals show up, you could be the first to know about them.
Simply look up flight deals newsletters online to buy plane tickets, and you’ll see a ton of suggestions for your reference. Gladly, many of these newsletters provide information to you free of charge. So, you don’t have to shell out money just to know about these amazing flight deals to buy plane tickets.
Make thorough comparisons before settling with your selected deal
Immediately seeing a shiny, promising flight deal in front of your eyes may tempt you to think you’ve struck gold. But before settling with your currently selected deal, never forget to make thorough comparisons first. Besides, you never know that a better travel deal might be waiting for you! Basically, you don’t want to be impulsive with your decisions.
Avoid planning last-minute trips
This may sound like an obvious tip, but others still can’t help doing it. Well, perhaps it can’t be avoided. Besides, who doesn’t love last-minute getaways with your family and friends? Life can be stressful, so make sure to live it to the fullest by traveling!
Still, if you keep doing this and aren’t exactly loaded with cash, your savings will be negatively impacted in return. So, the next time your family members or friends call for another sudden trip, tell them that it might be way better to plan things earlier to avoid overspending on ticket fares.
Overall, the best time to buy plane tickets depends on many factors, which could mean good or bad news for you and your travel budget. Fortunately, several means can help you get the best flight deals. Although details regarding these prime booking fare opportunities are pure estimates, they’re still valuable advice to help you save a handful of bucks for other expenses. May you find the best deals that absolutely spark joy for you and your wallet!