Best Time to Book Flight?

[AUDramaQueen]

We already booked hotel and tickets for a trip to DL this December. How far out should we book our flight for best price? We'll be flying out of ATL and into SNA. We are WDW people who usually drive and I have never had a trip planned so far in advance so not sure what to do!

 

[Porsche4]

I have my trip booked for the first week in December and have already booked my airfare from San Francisco to John Wayne Airport. The further out you book your airfares the better prices you will get. As the plane seats fill the airlines raise their prices. As we live in Australia and travel overseas a lot I always book our long haul airfares right at opening which I think is like 360 days out or something. I then book all my internal flights in the country I am visiting as their booking windows open up too. Sometimes the airlines will offer a deal closer to the time and I lose out money wise but peace of mind and timing of the flight is always more important to me than saving a few dollars. If you can be more flexible or don't care what time your flight leaves and arrives you can always wait but I am a planner and know what I want to do and when.

 

[smartlabelprint]

6-9 mos early I start watching prices.

 

[Rich M]

If your booking on Southwest I would look in June during their big sale. Also besides booking into SNA I would look at LGB. Long Beach Airport is the hidden gem of Southern California.

 

[alleighboo]

I'm on the East Coast and going June 18th-24th. My prices have FINALLY dropped and I'm about to book. I've been checking since I booked the trip in August 2023. Unfortunately, I fly out of Charlotte and they're an American hub so I can't take advantage of cheap Southwest prices. Flying to any smaller airport is like double the price for me so we fly into LAX. This is about the distance out from my trips in the past I've book so about 4 months for me!

 

[ValpoCory]

If your booking on Southwest I would look in June during their big sale. Also besides booking into SNA I would look at LGB. Long Beach Airport is the hidden gem of Southern California.

If you book Southwest on points, buy today, and you get free point refunds every time the price drops. It's great piece of mind.

3 weeks ago, my March 8th non-stop flight was 35,000 points. 2 weeks ago it dropped to 13,990 and I rebooked. Now it's back up to 29,000 points.

It's fun to keep checking! Sort of like Genie+ for airfare.

 

[Pluto468]

I always book my flight as soon as I know when I'm going. My airline (Alaska) doesn't charge anything to make changes, so I keep an eye on fares and change if I want to as the trip get closer. I already have my November 2024 flights booked.

 

[kikismom]

I like to book 6 weeks out but lately have traveled with people who like to book far in advance. We fly from SEA to SNA and there are just so many options I can usually find really good fares about 6 weeks out. The only time I book before that is if Delta or Alaska has a really good sale.

 

[gmi3804]

There's no "best day" to book a flight. General consensus in the travel industry is that you should book domestic flights about three months out. I check with Google Flights to see if the current fare is above or below average and decide accordingly; they offer a fare watch service that you can use if you want to gamble (with their data to back you up) that the fares will drop.

Southwest is an exception, but even they don't always post their lowest fares when they're published, as they have sales often and oftentimes the prices drop. Sure, you can rebook and get the travel credit back from them, but then you're having to keep track of the travel credit. If you use SW miles, they'll just credit you the difference in the form of miles credited back to your account, no strings attached.

 

[AUDramaQueen]

There's no "best day" to book a flight. General consensus in the travel industry is that you should book domestic flights about three months out. I check with Google Flights to see if the current fare is above or below average and decide accordingly; they offer a fare watch service that you can use if you want to gamble (with their data to back you up) that the fares will drop.

Southwest is an exception, but even they don't always post their lowest fares when they're published, as they have sales often and oftentimes the prices drop. Sure, you can rebook and get the travel credit back from them, but then you're having to keep track of the travel credit. If you use SW miles, they'll just credit you the difference in the form of miles credited back to your account, no strings attached.

Thanks! I wasn't really looking for the best day of the week to book, just a general time frame.

And thanks everyone else for your input

Since it's so close to Christmas, we will probably book Delta since we're flying out of ATL and they seem to have the *least* amount of issues. I will keep an eye on LGB as well as SNA.

 

[gmi3804]

Thanks! I wasn't really looking for the best day of the week to book, just a general time frame.

And thanks everyone else for your input

Since it's so close to Christmas, we will probably book Delta since we're flying out of ATL and they seem to have the *least* amount of issues. I will keep an eye on LGB as well as SNA.

Domestic: 3 months. International: 6-9 months.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking there are certain airlines with fewer issues. It’s all random. Choose the one that you’re comfortable with (I avoid the super-cheap but adds-up Spirit and Frontier), with the best times and prices for your particular trip.