when should i book air travel?

If I knew, I would be selling you that information. There is no magic time to buy. If there were, everyone would be doing it and it would no longer work. Generally earlier is better than later but that doesn't always work either. You best approach is to watch the fares for awhile and see what the pattern is. Goggle flight and some other sites will let you see the pricing history of that flight. Decide the fair price that you are willing to pay, and buy it if it gets close to that price. And don't look back. It is nearly impossible to buy at the lowest prices since there are many factors affecting the price that you do not know about or can control. I would watch the prices for a while but be prepared to buy in March and April.

I agree that it's hard to know. I normally watch prices for quite some time after I pin down my destination and dates. That way, I have an idea of what a good fare is. My cash purchases (I sometimes use miles) have never been made more than 6 months in advance. However, I have no experience buying tickets from a secondary market like Austin. From posts here on the forum, it seems as if it may be helpful to buy such tickets earlier than I need to buy.

One thing I will say is that if there are few options for a non-stop flight and you really want that (or few options for just one stop and that is important to you), you may be smart to buy earlier. It seems to me that the extra cost of the best/fastest itineraries tends to increase as the travel date approaches when most of the options are less than good.

As noted no one has a crystal ball regarding the cost of flights. Or if there is a best time to book.

My style of travel is to book my flight 3/4 months out.
So flight is paid off before I board the plane.

That’s my preference. I book directly with the airline.

For my London trips I fly VA. Direct LAX to LHR overnight flight. Moved from Economy to Premiere Economy over 5 years ago. Have never looked back.

Google. Find a flight you like on an air carrier you like and be done with it. If its not direct definitely give yourself a minimum of 2 hours to change planes.

Airfare, accommodation and car rental are the biggest travel costs.

Definitely have travel insurance.

I looked up flights in October, 2023, and they're showing multi city flights for about $705 on United. That's less than what I'm seeing summer fares on European flights. Best thing is that they're showing one stop connections at United. The other airlines are showing 1 stop going and 2 stops coming back.

At those fares, you could go ahead and buy--if you have the specific dates.

It is a good question. On Canadian airlines' sites, you often pay more, the more you start checking. I do 6 months in advance. It is hard to pin a good time, because the fares end up all over the place.

bostonphil7:

For our England trip next May, we booked our airfare from DFW to LHR on Nov. 2nd. Since then(35 days) that same flight has increased by $292 p/p. Most likely due to this being holiday travel season. Just watch the flight you are interested in and monitor the prices.

Also, watch the seat availability. That was also a big factor in us booking as early as what we did. I had been watching the prices and seats (I checked every Tuesday....just me!) and once the price decreased by $150 p/p, I jumped on it.

Also, be mindful that some airlines will charge you to reserve your seat based on the fare you book. Unless you have Elite status with your airline!

Thanks for the info

I am getting a handle on booking air.

I think that I am going to go through American using my Citi / American credit card. I am American Advantage.

My total air fare before insurance is just over $1,000. Insurance is like $130 for the entire round trip.

American will put me on B A going to London and from previous experience, I will have to pay something to choose my seat which I plan on doing.

Last time I flew B A, we had curry chicken both ways but going, B A forgot to put on the curry so we had dry chicken. Coming home, we did have curry and it was good. Also unlimited wine came with the ticket.

Flying back from Lisbon, I have one stop where I change planes in Philadelphia. I am avoiding all the departure fees from LHR. I do not have to pay to pick a seat flying home. I think that I might be on American all the way from Lisbon.

Do I go through immigratIon after getting off the plane in Philadelphia before boarding my plane to Austin? I have Global Entry which might make it faster.

The availability of seats does not always provide a good indication. Sometimes airlines will off load blocks of seats to third party resellers and some of those seats may come back. And sometimes the airlines will hold back blocks of seats giving the idea that the demand is higher than it actually is. You are planning a game against a computer that knows everything and you know very little. It is not an even playing field.

You would go through through immigration/passport control and customs in Philadelphia. Good luck, Philadelphia is the one airport I avoid at all costs -- but that just me. What insurance are you buying?

It sounds like you are continuing your thorough research before your trip. There is no best day or best time of day to purchase. Pricing is dynamic, so it is good to get a sense of the typical airfare for your routes and be ready to act when a fair price is available. British Airways offers an AARP discount
https://www.aarp.org/membership/benefits/travel/british-airways/

The secret here is not to hold out for the absolute “best” price, but for a reasonable price. You should also look into what trip insurance coverage is already available through your American Airlines Citibank card so you are only purchasing the insurance you need.

Frank from Colorado,

why do you dislike the Philadelphia airport? I looked up info and reviews. Mixed reviews like everything else.

I gather that it is an older airport. Some persons described it as a small and others described it as large?????

Have no idea what insurance I am buying. I go through the airline when I am booking. I hope that I never have to use it.

Carol now retired

I am a member of AARP. Did you ever go to any of the conferences/ conventions that they once had?

After a lot of research, I think that I can still do better going through American using my Citi card. I have just upgraded to Platinum and supposedly I get perks and rewards. American will put me on B A flying to London but flying home from Lisbon, I will be flying American and changing planes in Philadelphia. I will be able to avoid changing planes at Heathrow and the fees incurred when you fly out of Heathrow.

My memory is that I would be paying about $300 more if I booked directly with B A.

I am holding off booking because I am trying to decide if I want to add an extra day in London. Five nights is just not going to be enough. But both time and money are issues.

Philly is my home airport. Not to fear it. Immigration has been pretty quick ever since the e-readers were added.You will have some walking depending on where you gate in A as the Immigration Hall is essentially between the two legs of A. And then another walk to your connection, which will likely be in B, but nothing untoward.

I believe you have about a +4 hour layover in Philadelphia. You should not have a problem.