When planning for a vacation, sometimes the only cost-effective and time-efficient way to get to your destination is by flying there. With flight prices often very high, finding the best possible deal is important. Luckily, there are a few tips you can use when attempting to purchase airline tickets for your summer vacation.
"The earlier the better" is a pretty cliché phrase, but it is true when buying airline tickets. The people that have the most advance notice of vacation plans for the summer are more likely to get a better deal than those who are thinking of traveling at the last minute. But how far in advance should you purchase?
According to Michele Simon from Topaz International, a corporation for strategic support for corporate travel professionals, there is a price break at 21, 14, 7 and 3 days before your flight date. There is also a discount with flight departures and arrivals that leave on Sunday rather than on Saturday (or what is better known as a "Saturday night stay"). However, the Saturday/Sunday discrepancy is becoming less and less common as the industry progresses.
So when should you buy tickets for a summer flight? The Topaz International study suggests purchasing a ticket at least 21 days, or three weeks, beforehand. Once you are within 21 days your tickets may drastically increase as it gets closer to your flight date.
For example, are you leaving for an August getaway? Try booking your flight the first week of July or earlier.
According to John Gillie of The News Tribune, you may want to hold off on buying ticket too far in advance. Gillie suggests purchasing tickets earlier than 21 days but later than 6 months before your flight.
The reasoning for this is that the low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines doesn't post its schedule of flights until about 6 months in advance. Once they do, other airlines will attempt to match the deal as closely as possible to be competitive, usually by lowering their prices.
Also, be conscious of holidays and high traveling days, such as the 4th of July and Memorial Day weekend. Because the airlines know that they are more than likely going to fill these flight easily, they may not offer good deals on airfare.
