Planning a trip can be tricky, especially when it comes to buying airline tickets. But what if you want not only to get tickets but also to save some cash on fun activities, like betting on Bet20 or going sightseeing during your trip. To save money, it’s important to know the best time to book.
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What the Price of Tickets Depends on
At the earliest, airline tickets can be bought 12 months before the departure date, but more options will be offered about 6 months before the flight.
If the trip takes place during the high season, it’s advantageous to buy tickets in advance. For example, if you are planning a summer vacation at the sea or a flight during the holidays, especially before Christmas or New Year, the probability of taking a flight at an attractive price decreases as the departure date approaches.
But sometimes buying tickets in advance is disadvantageous, as airlines form fares through dynamic pricing. For example, if there are many unsold ones left, their price is automatically reduced closer to the day of the flight. Thanks to this approach, 60 to 80% of airplane tickets are sold cheaper than economically justified. This alleged discount is obtained due to the fact that the rest are sold more expensively. Moreover, it allows those who need tickets urgently at the last moment to buy them. At the lowest price, air tickets can be bought about two months before the flight.
The cost depends on:
- Date of departure.
- Information about the completed reservations.
- Competitors’ ticket prices.
- Weather data.
- Current news.
- Major events.
Knowing these factors can help you calculate your trip more intelligently. For example, ask what events are planned for where you are going. It’s clear that if your trip coincides with the tour of a famous artist, the ticket prices won’t be low. So, you can try to move your vacation or look at ticket fares for close dates.
When Are the Cheapest Airfares
Airlines are well aware during Christmas and in the summer, the number of tourists increases, so you shouldn’t expect cheap tickets for these days. If it’s difficult for carriers to predict the load of the aircraft, they hold sales and reduce the cost in order to analyze the number of customers by prepayment. That is, the behavior of airlines can be predicted, which means there is a possibility to outsmart them.
Airlines form prices according to a template. Price rises in the summer period and at the end of December are quite predictable. So, it’s realistic to break the pattern. For example, you want to fly to Rome at a low price. It’s cheapest to do it in February, but then you need to be ready for worse weather. Postponing your vacation to the warmth is also not the best option, as it’s expensive to travel to Italy in the summer. It is better to choose April-May for traveling, when the cost of tickets is at an average level, and the weather already allows you to walk and enjoy your vacation. Plan your vacation so that you don’t have to support the airlines’ plans.
Sometimes vacations are associated with high seasons, such as school holidays. Then it will be impossible to cheat much, but it’s still possible to save on tickets. To do this, you need to use the search for the whole month at once and choose not the most popular destinations.
What Time of the Day Is the Best Time to Buy Tickets
According to some experienced people, there is a certain time during the day when tickets cost the least: it’s one o’clock Wednesday night. But you need to consider what region the airline is located in, as it’s the carrier’s time that should be one hour of the night. This is because companies often discount tickets on Sunday and finalize them on Monday. Within a day, people buy the reserved tickets, and the remaining ones are back in the program again. But you can’t buy them online; you have to call the airline and book over the phone.