Best Time to Book Flights

Why fares move at all

Airlines divide each cabin into price buckets. As the cheaper buckets sell, the next fare becomes the lowest available, which is why prices tend to drift upwards as departure approaches even when nothing else changes.

Sales, new competition on a route and weak demand can push prices back down, so the curve is not a straight line — but the general direction on a popular date is up.

Rough planning windows

These are planning habits rather than guarantees, and they assume you want a specific date rather than the cheapest date available.

• Short-haul leisure: roughly one to three months ahead
• Long-haul leisure: roughly three to six months ahead
• Peak periods (Christmas, Easter, August, Diwali): earlier than you think, often five to nine months
• Business travel on fixed dates: as soon as the dates are certain

When last-minute actually works

Last-minute fares are occasionally low on routes with excess capacity and little business demand, typically outside holiday periods. If your dates and destination are both open, waiting can pay. If either is fixed, it rarely does.

What to do instead of guessing

Search early to learn what a normal price looks like on your route, then check again a few times. Once you have that reference point you can recognise a good fare when it appears rather than trying to time the market.

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