When Is The Best Time To Buy Airline Tickets?
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Bad news procrastinators, airline ticket fares are going up, and the best time to buy tickets keeps getting pushed further and further out in advance. And by in advance we’re talking 5 1/2 months in advance in some cases, as the NY Times discovered in a recent test of the best times to buy airline tickets for various parts of the world. Here is what they found to be the “sweet spot” for flights to Europe, the Caribbean and Asia:
Europe: 21-22 weeks in advance
Caribbean: 11-12 weeks in advance
Asia: 23-24 weeks in advance
Of course, much of this may be due to the fact that fuel costs have been rising precipitously in the past year or so, so of course fares six months ago were cheaper back when fuel was trading almost 25% lower than it is today. Also, as I wrote about a few weeks ago, prices have been going up across the board for various industry reasons, so again it’s not a surprise tickets were cheaper back before those changes started taking place.
For those of us who specialize in buying tickets as late as possible, remember that there are certain days and time that airline tickets are cheapest, specifically Tuesday afternoons seem to be the best day and time for bargains of the week. So act now, lest you risk having to endure the dreaded “staycation” this summer.
[Laptop User by Jennifer Lampb/Flickr]