Best time to book flight - USA east coast to Athens return?

we always book on opening day which is 330 days from your return flight home.

Are you set on a specific airline? You may want to look at change options (fees, restrictions, type of reimbursement) for some of the airlines.

We usually fly Delta, just better connections for us. We usually book when we see a price we like and an itinerary that works. We also have the luxury though that we are not locked into dates, a perk of retirement, so we use price calendars and if extending a trip to catch a deal is required, no problem.

Then once booked, we watch prices, set alerts, and if a better price pops up, we change, since Delta does not charge a change fee. Any saving are given as e-credits, which since we travel often, we can always use.

If you will fly any airline, then apps like Google Flights (and others) will track a route, letting you know when a deal pops up, plus tell you expected prices for a route.

I would start looking at prices now to get a sense of where they are, but I wouldn't seriously consider purchasing until at least December or January - unless a real bargain came up.

The Expedia App has a nice price tracking tool where it graphs the price changes over time for saved searches. And the app shows prices for multiple fare classes at the same time - you don't need a separate query to look across basic economy, economy, premium economy, etc..

I fly out of Boston with Delta as they offer non-stop flights.

I start looking as soon as flights are available about 10 months prior to going.

Right now flights for May 2025 are very high but that "high" could mean different things for different people and budgets.

According to one web site I look at they recommend waiting until after the 1st of the year when the costs could drop as much as $300, however that's out of Boston with Delta.

This year I got a non-stop flight from Boston to Athens for April 2024 with Delta for $778 which included seat selection and one checked bag with a booking in late January!

I'm hoping for a big price drop after the 1st of the year.

I guess the best answer for you is to book when you feel the price is within your budget.

Lots of good advice here ... but the basic best advice I got was ... research priciing on a PRIVAATE browser window ... I don't know what it's called on Chrome or Firefox, etc, on the Mac browser, Safari, "Private window" is under "File". This is Important if you want to be shown the best pricing. On a non-private (regular) wndow, if you go onto an Airline site, OR Expedia, or other search sites, and access flights at a certain price --- they have a "cokkie" record of having shown you that price... and if a lower price becomes available you will NOT be shown it. Private window allows you to check pricing anonymously because no record kept.

This works with all kinds of info BTW. For instance if u use regular window to research hotels in Athens on booking dot com giving your info, the next time you return, your screen will only display that company's llink for "Top 10 Athens hotels" or "Best Ahens hotels" -- even if better choices at moderate prices exist.

My credit card company has a book a flight section.

Once I input my information I will get a price but also get a recommendation to either book now or wait for a better price.

I also will get a price reduction if I book now and the price drops later if I decide to book now.

I've constantly been getting a "wait" for a better price.

It's telling me to wait to book the flight after January 1 when prices are "predicted" to drop by at least $300.

This is a flight from Boston to Athens with Delta.

Maybe check if your credit card has something similar to see what they have to say.

tommy - that sounds wonderful! but may help to know if this kind of service is only on premium-level credit cards, not the basic variety ... or if it's a card from a major bank system (chase etc) or a specific organization ... otherwise we're hunting for something hard to access.

I'd rather not reveal anything about my credit card.

You can't randomly book a flight on a credit card unless you have an account with them.

If you have a credit card check to see if you can do a test flight booking through them and see if they provide any info when to book, either now or wait.

I just check to see what the recommendation is for when to book rather than book through them.

I've never booked through my credit card company only through the airline's website.

I check on google flight on a regular basis when I plan to fly but knowing in advance whether to wait or not is very helpful especially if the prediction is to wait for lower prices.

I do it as soon as a perfect schedule shows up with a price I can live with. I always travel in May and typically book in late winter or early spring, but I don't think there is any perfect time.
If you are looking at an itinerary that is anything other than round-trip to ATH, then I would ask here for advice.

janet and all - Sadly, I recently learned prior to my May 2024 trip to Ireland that using a private browser does not save one money on flights or hotel reservations. Apparently, that was a myth. If you google that question, you too will get to read the sad truth. :(

Capital One is one company that offers a proprietary travel site with the features mentioned above:

https://capitalonetravel.com/