Best Time to Buy Flight tickets

Ruby, please search this website, or just scroll back a page or two. Your question, or one very similar is asked every few days. Short answer, I don't fly but read the messages every time the question is asked, is if anybody knew everybody would do it. Set alarms for fare movemement and buy when it is a price you are content with and don't look back or, like Lot's wife, you will turn to a pillar of salt.

I am not an expert, but have been buying all my own flights for a long time and I find that the flights drop after Labor Day weekend. Mid Sept to Oct. And then Mid Jan to Feb. In all the years I have been doing this the last couple years the prices have stayed very high. I prefer to just buy from the airlines, all the travel sites are like middle men and if something goes wrong you have to depend on them to fix it. With the world the way it is and the problems with airlines I think it would be harder to fix a problem with a middle man. And then you can always get the "last minute" flights, I have not been able to do that and I have read that most people don't think they really are that great a deal. Check all the prices on all the airlines, because if you find an airline that has a route in that area then usually the price will be better.

A detailed study was done last year covering millions of transactions. 60 days ahead was decided to be the best time to buy tickets. When airfares are at record levels, it's not time to rush out and buy very early. Airfares used to go up on April 1st and again very high on June 1st. This year, it appears airfares go up on March 20th. I'm now using matrixitasoftware.com/ to investigate airfares, using their calendar filtered for the coming 30 days. It has the cheapest airfare day by day. Sometimes one day will show airfares distinctly cheaper than the other days around it. Good luck!

Thank you all for your advice... I am also wondering if it is better to book with the airlines directly on their website - also, using miles now to save? So, again, sorry to be asking the same questions - Is it better to book directly with the airlines (especially since traveling with a friend) and to use whatever miles you have (especially since they expire only a year after signing up with a company)?
Thanks - and Happy Holidays!

I have to agree with the 60 days out - I have always found the best prices about then. As far as using miles I have a $$ amount - if the ticket costs less than say $350 I will pay cash if more I will try for a "saver" ticket using miles. If you are worried about your miles expiring many of the programs will extend the expiration of miles if you add more miles. Earning miles can be done in many ways - a credit card tied to the mileage program or a dining program.

My technique is to watch fares well in advance and pounce when the fare seems acceptable. Unlike some, I do watch airfares after purchase to see if the timing was good. By waiting until say 60 days out, you may find great fares. Then again, maybe rather high fares will be yours coupled with unsatisfactory connections. I agree that buying tickets directly from the airlines is the preferred option.