How long before a planned flight should you buy a ticket?

[marty344]

I am planning to fly overseas on January 18th 2024. Should i wait a month before the flight so around 18th December, or should i buy it sooner.

I can't help but think that the ticket prices, other than covering the costs of paying all the crew on the flight and the fuel, are based on supply on demand. Is it true that the fewer the seats reamaining on a flight, the higher the ticket price as the airliner / ticket seller knows the buyer will be willing to pay whatever the amount to get on that flight?

Has anyone noticed any major differences in how far out from the flight they by the ticket in the price. Finally when is the absolute latest that a ticket should be purchased out from the flight date.

 

[Forg]

Sale fares are usually quite a few months before flights … eg. I can’t recall which airline’s SPAM I got last week, but the specials weren’t until April.

So between now & the flight, specials are unlikely to appear … except for very-last-minute discounts if a particular flight is dead empty. I’ve heard of those, but never seen one. In my opinion, for January 18th I’d be looking to buy now in case flights sell out, as it’s more likely that flights on a date in January will sell-out than go on special a couple of days beforehand.

 

[trooper]

Air New Zealand has specials on...ending TODAY...In fact in about 3 and a half hours... (I booked for Late Feb/March to the USA, prices were quite decent in Economy/Premium Economy) Of course it depends on WHERE you are going...

 

[SYD]

I would have thought Jan 24 is now too late for any deals. But stranger things can happen.

I tend to do the opppsite of waiting. Instead be aware of what is a normal price, what’s a good sale fare and when you see one - pounce. Even if it’s months away.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

There is one slight hiccup, its school holidays, and a lot of families go away this time of the year.
Europe is far, and people go up there to see the snow, or to ski, or feel the icy cold!
Sales might happen, but seats will be tight, as airlines know they can make a lot of money out selling all available seats.
Some airlines have high demand months, and even black out dates, they call it peak.
If you can hold till Feb, it would be the end of school holidays, kids would be back at school, but uni would not have started yet, so airlines might have seats then.
What status do you have with QF/VA?
Highest status, means you get more chances of first dibs at any available "reward" seats they "might" release, or their partners might release to them.
You can buy a flexJ/flixF tix, hours before the flight, if you have a lot of money.
The earlier you do your planning, the better.
For Jan 2024, you should have been look at least 365 days, before, or months before.
Buy now, fly now, will tend to put you into flexY/flexJ/flexF, and they will be very expensive, but you do earn the most points and status credits from flying the more expensive fares.
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Maybe book a cheap Y JQi flight, MEL/SYD - SIN, and then look at rev fares from there onwards.
Flights from and to Aust, is quite limited, maybe 10 or so int airlines fly in and out of Aust, but if you get up to SIN, there will be more choice of airlines from there onwards
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Off the planet way, Aussies need a visa on arrival to Brunei, and you might need to transit one night, but RB flies from MEL - Brunei, and maybe up to SIN, and you can get one of the ME airlines, from there, that do not fly to Aust, for cheaper fare/s to the ME then Europe.

 

[JohnK]

We're planning on travelling to Thailand June 2024 and I'm hoping to purchase airfares very soon at the price point that I feel they are worth. If not then I'll take the next sale which should be Jan/Feb 2024. Would not want to wait any longer.

 

[RooFlyer]

Is it true that the fewer the seats reamaining on a flight, the higher the ticket price as the airliner / ticket seller knows the buyer will be willing to pay whatever the amount to get on that flight?

In general - yes. Airlines usually have a set number of 'cheap' or 'cheaper' seats in any class; there may be 3-4 tiers (maybe more) within economy for instance and these price tiers can change dynamically. People will naturally select those first, then only the more expensive remain for sale. A 'sale' later on may still be more than the early, cheapest regular price. When only few seats remain, they can be very expensive.

I have an international flight that I bought as soon as the week I wanted went on sale, 11 months out, from memory. I thought it was expensive but its now very much more.

Of course buying early means you are pretty confident that the date won't have to change. If you buy cheaper and early, but then need to change months later, you not only will pay a change fee, but unless there are seats still available in the same price class (not talking about the same cabin class) that you originally paid, you will have to pay the difference to what is presently available. That additional may be large.

 

[Beano]

It would depend on whether you had the luxury of choice. Sometimes you can't hang about until the specials turn up so have to go with what's available.

 

[Cessna 180]

I generally book on the day or the day before if a morning flight.

I will book a few days prior if the cheapest seat is already in the "flexi" category. IE, so it is easily changeable without penalty.

I have booked overseas holidays in advance when using Classic Rewards, but at least they are refundable for a minimal cost.

It baffles me how anyone can know what they are doing or where they need to be more than a few days in advance, but that is just me.

If I did have a thing on in January as you said above, and are confident you will be going, may as well book now.

 

[Beano]

For business it may be two weeks or one week in advance and take what I can get. For personal travel it may be three months ahead, and still take what I can get. Travelling when prices a low isn't usually an option.

 

[Andy72]

Definitely not always cheaper to book in advance, for example flights to yyz dropped by about 1500 hundred return about 3 months before my travel date. Good thing is unless you are on a cheap ticket you can change to a cheaper fare and pay a small penality

 

[SYD]

Definitely not always cheaper to book in advance, for example flights to yyz dropped by about 1500 hundred return about 3 months before my travel date. Good thing is unless you are on a cheap ticket you can change to a cheaper fare and pay a small penality

Yes, 3 mths and greater can be the sweet spot. It can also depend on the time of year (school hols, Easter etc are usually Blackout periods for a lot of QF Sales but that can vary by fare class). The OP’s scenario is less than 2 mths AND summer holiday period.

Some domestic Sale fares can be for travel quite soon but many (JQ and VA especially) can be for months and months away.

QF J SYD-YVR is now routinely popping up for $5,999 return (USA is still $7k+ in J). We booked that fare in Feb for travel in Aug this year (including 4 wks in the US). For a few $100 more you could return from YUL or YYZ.

 

[Lynda2475]

It baffles me how anyone can know what they are doing or where they need to be more than a few days in advance, but that is just me

It baffles me how you don't know what you are doing for than a few days in advance!

Except in the case of domestic red-e deals or last minute award releases, a few days out from travel airfares will be very expensive compared to months out. As seats in the cheaper fare classes sell out only the pricey ones remain. Your flying experience doesn't improve by paying 2-4 times the cost of the person sitting next to your who booked a few months out.

Most people working for an employer (as opposed to themselves) have to to request leave at least 6 months out of they want to take a month off so that resource planning can ensure there is enough coverage whilst you are away i.e. the whole team isn't away at the same time.

I find giving 6 months + notice means employer cant really say no, as that is heaps of time to put in place a transition plan etc. IME if the notice period for the leave is not at least 4 times as long as the leave length, in my industry you can generally expect a no.

If I'm wanting international awards, I usually lock those in 8-11 months out and then have all the other big details all sorted by 6 months out. For majority of my long weekends (Kings Bday, Labor Day, Xmas Shutdown, Aus Day, Anzac Day, Easter) I will usually book during the March DSC promo unless the prices are crazy. On the rare occasions where Im needing to travel in school holidays when I know lots of others will want to be off, getting your leave locked in early means you are the one who gets a no.

 

[Beano]

It baffles me how you don't know what you are doing for than a few days in advance!

Except in the case of domestic red-e deals or last minute award releases, a few days out from travel airfares will be very expensive compared to months out. As seats in the cheaper fare classes sell out only the pricey ones remain. Your flying experience doesn't improve by paying 2-4 times the cost of the person sitting next to your who booked a few months out.

Most people working for an employer (as opposed to themselves) have to to request leave at least 6 months out of they want to take a month off so that resource planning can ensure there is enough coverage whilst you are away i.e. the whole team isn't away at the same time.

I find giving 6 months + notice means employer cant really say no, as that is heaps of time to put in place a transition plan etc. IME if the notice period for the leave is not at least 4 times as long as the leave length, in my industry you can generally expect a no.

Unless someone else has done the same. It pays to be first in with the holiday application.

If I'm wanting international awards, I usually lock those in 8-11 months out and then have all the other big details all sorted by 6 months out. For majority of my long weekends (Kings Bday, Labor Day, Xmas Shutdown, Aus Day, Anzac Day, Easter) I will usually book during the March DSC promo unless the prices are crazy. On the rare occasions where Im needing to travel in school holidays when I know lots of others will want to be off, getting your leave locked in early means you are the one who gets a no.