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How far in advance to book flights?

Trying to plan our trip for next May and not finding a flight from Dublin to Liverpool on May 3rd. Is there a time limit that I need to be aware of, such as 3 or 6 months out? Thanks.

Posted by
2092 posts

Most airlines' tickets are available 11 or so months before your return flight. I checked itasoftware.com and found so many I can't remember them all: Aer Lingus, United, Air France, Delta. To actually purchase though you'll need to go to the airline site. Since we depart from a tiny airport, I usually buy when I'm comfortable with the airfare but right away if I'm using miles.

Posted by
703 posts

Well I guess I tried the wrong airlines - British Air and Air Canada. I'll try your suggestions. Thanks!

Posted by
5697 posts

And some of the budget carriers may not fly a specific route every day of the week.

Per Rome2Rio, RyanAir and AerLingus both fly Dublin to Liverpool.

Posted by
703 posts

Yes I just saw that. One of the carriers only flies to Liverpool on Friday & Saturday. We need a Thursday flight. I just did a search on Trip Advisor and RyanAir has a flight we can book right now. Basic flight, no extras 26 pounds each. For priority with 1 checked bag its 52 pounds each. I didn't jump on it yet but will keep watch over the prices as well as other airline availability. Thanks all.

Posted by
11294 posts

For a flight like this (within Europe), the price only goes up, so book as soon as you are comfortable with your itinerary.

The main players on this route are Aer Lingus and Ryanair. I just flew this on Aer Lingus (as part of a transatlantic ticket) and it was fine. It's technically their short-range affiliate Stobart Air, and it uses a propeller plane rather than a jet (not a problem for such a short flight).

A good way to find all available flights on a route within Europe is Skyscanner: https://www.skyscanner.com/. Of course, as you seem to be aware, you have to do a dummy booking to learn the true price once you add in all the fees, and also to know all the rules so you don't pay any more than you have to for not adhering to them.

A good way to learn who flies to where from an airport is to look at the airport's Wikipedia page. Here's Liverpool's: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_John_Lennon_Airport#Airlines_and_destinations

Posted by
703 posts

Just booked Ryanair $106.06 euros for the two of us. I did the math and booked the one that included checked bags, priority boarding & seat selection. One more thing checked off the list.