Best time to book flights - any tips?

Trip Planning Tips
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Does anyone have any tips on the best time to book international flights to get the best price?

I usually book them as soon as I have some travel plans in place or after I’ve booked a tour, but I know Black Friday is coming up and I’m wondering if it is worth waiting to see if they are on sale but it feels like a bit of a gamble!

I need to book flights for January and again for June. Has anyone noticed a pattern for when prices tend to be lowest? And do you have hacks for finding the best fares?

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Hey @ck_explorer1000 A few things I have noticed:

Time of year. If you know it is high season in that destination booking flights earlier is better. For example, I fly from Vienna to Cape Town in December. I know December is summer in Cape Town, so I have noticed the prices can get high the longer you wait because the demand gets higher.

Flight routes. I think a lot depends on the destination. I know that certain cities have a lot of flights going to them and others not. The ones with less inbound flights usually tend to get pricey fast because the options for those flights are limited. I recently booked flights for my Japan trip 3 months in advance and they were the same price as 6 months before because there were plenty of flight routes to choose from.

But waiting for Black Friday flight deals in recent years have not yielded any crazy savings in my experience. It is good to setup some price alerts on apps like Hopper or Skyscanner to get a notification if prices dip or climb.

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My hack: I always book my flights on a Tuesday! And about 2-3 months in advance. Booking too eary doesn’t guarantee the best price as @roann mentioned!

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Maybe you’re on to something here @micatravels - I checked my flights today (Tuesday) and they were in fact cheaper. Only by a few pounds but this all adds up!

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Thanks for your advice @roann - such a great point about flight routes! I’ll set up some price alerts like you suggest. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I also heard that purchasing flights will be cheaper on Tuesdays but I am not sure whether that’s true or not. It all depends on supply and demand.

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@ck_explorer1000 I’ve found that for international flights, the sweet spot is usually 2–4 months in advance.
I don’t rely too much on Black Friday deals — price alerts and flexibility work better for me.

Midweek flights, nearby airports, and booking once the price feels reasonable usually pay off.:slightly_smiling_face:

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