How far in advance do you buy international air tickets?

[Imua 0]

I am in the habit of buying international air tickets way ahead of my trip, sometimes as far as three months ahead of time. I always thought that was the best way to get a decent fare. I see some people who buy tickets close to the departure date(esp. if it is after visa interview) and I am wondering if they are paying through the nose. Just wondering what other VJers do...

[Sister Fracas 5]

At least 4-6 months ahead. We usually look around for the best prices for several weeks and then book. We just don't like leaving it till too close to depature and running the risk of the fares going sky-high (errr, no pun intended). I know you can get good deals real close to the date especially if you are able to be real flexible in the days you fly and how long you stay.

[Marilyn. 340]

when hubby would fly up to Canada.. I usually always found the best deals about 4 weeks before ...

[john_and_marlene 162]

We just booked our tickets for Nov-Dec. I don't usually book quite so far in advance, but this time we are using air miles and very few seats are ever available for very long at the best redemption rate.

2 round trips to Manila

60,000 air miles X 2 = 120,000 air miles

Total taxes and fees: $55.00

It will be a long time before I have enough air miles saved to do this again, but the cash cost sure feels good this time.

[Dan J 277]

2-3 months ahead of time. I keep an eye out for deals and book when i find them. Sometimes you can get some good deals on short notice, but mainly in the low season.

[Zee Bee 61]

I usually start looking about 6 months ahead of time but actually buy the ticket about a month or so in advance.

[Amby 490]

normally I buy tickets 2-3 weeks in advance. a few times I've bought them about 4-5 days in advance. somehow I always find a really good deal. i'm really flexible on dates and times though

[britty 1]

As an Event Manager, I can tell you that booking flights in advance is not ALWAYS the best option. Airlines tend to reduce the price of a flight substantially if the flight does not appear to be filling up. If you are booking a very popular route, then booking way in advance at least secures you a seat. I tend to book my flights about 2-5 days in advance. I always get a great deal on Expedia or my travel booking company. For example, my parents came over to the US from London at Christmas and by booking late, I saved about $400. You can always call the airlines and get a price from each, then return to the first you called and start the price matching game. That works too !

[Sister Fracas 5]

I've looked at the price of tickets that I've bought and I've never seen a great reduction in price....perhaps because we are always flying in high season (summer or Christmas). The tickets we bought for last Christmas went up about $500. We got ours when Virgin was offering a deal. And yes, like I said, you CAN get them really cheap if your dates can be flexible. Ours can't espeically with hubster's job as a teacher.

[chri'stina 190]

When my husband buys for trips to India, he buys 3-4 weeks ahead of time. Doesn't seem to make a big difference for him if he bought earlier than that. He doesn't always know the exact dates he will go til about a month or so before hand.

[bora bora 1]

I usually try to buy my ticket about 2 months in advance, but I know that is not always possible.

My sister got a great deal once by waiting 'til last minute when there was only one seat on the place. She was watching that flight for a couple of days to get that (it was on-line).

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

prices for flights historically begin to skyrocket about 3 weeks before the departure date

if you purchase 6 months ahead of time, or if you purchase 3 weeks ahead of time, you will usually be paying about the same amount

i usually try to wait for sale periods of the airlines that i use, or check to see if specific websites are having deals...the time period varies very much for me

[*JG* 2]

It depends.....if I'm planning a vacation, it might be months and months in advance.

When I was visiting Andre every month, it might be 2 weeks to a month in advance.

A couple of times, I got them the day before.

[DeadPoolX 9]

I've found it usually depends on four things:

1. Location - If you're flying to Hawaii, it'll probably cost more and require you to book ahead sooner than if you're flying into Newark, New Jersey.

2. Time/Date - How far ahead you book the flight might depend on when (month and day) the flight takes place and what time. Naturally, weekends are busier than during the middle of the week and early mornings and evenings are usually the most crowded times at the airport as well.

3. Airport - Which airport you fly into (or through, if you're making a connection) sometimes matters, since some are more passenger-friendly than others. In addition, if you're going through a hub for the airline you're on (i.e. Denver for United, Houston for Continental, Atlanta for Delta, etc), that could work for or against you.

How it might work "for you" is that there will be lots of flight options to choose from and in the event you miss your connection (if you have one), there should be other flights available. It could work "against you" if the flights are full and the airport is jammed pack, which can happen during the summer or the holidays.

4. Airlines - Which airline you take also matters. For instance, my wife is Canadian, so you might think the most logical choice would be Air Canada and sometimes it is. However, returning to the U.S., that can make things tricky if the airport is busy. Since most Canadians fly on Air Canada, anywhere there's an AC ticket agent there's also a huge lineup -- and you'll need to see a ticket agent if you can't print your boarding passes for whatever reason or you're checking luggage; sometimes it's a similar situation if you're on a smaller regional jet and need to gate-check your bag before boarding.

[Jason-Sasha 1]

I buy far in advance. and I use multiple searcg engines and ports. I rarely have to pay more than 700 dollars for a roundtrip ticket to anywhere.