Airfare Shopping Tip

Filed in archive Flying high on September 11, 2005

Timing is not everything but...

If you can shop online between 00:01 and 06:00, you can be first in line and have a better chance to buy airline tickets at newly posted discount prices. If you can travel before 08:00 or after 19:00, you can enjoy the lowest prices of the day. If you can travel on Tuesday or Wednesday, you can enjoy the lowest prices of the week. If you can travel on Thursday or Saturday, you can enjoy the second lowest prices of the week. If you can travel January 15 through March 15, you can pay the lowest prices of the year. If you can travel March 15 through May 15, you can purchase the second lowest prices of the year. If you can travel May 15 through June 15 or September 15 through December 12, you can enjoy paying the third lowest prices of the year.

If you can shop at least five full calendar days before departure, you improve your chance to pay a lower fare. If you can shop at least twenty one days before departing, you improve your chance even more. Most pricing contracts held by Airline consolidators and air ticket brokers require five days between sale and departure. Many airlines offer their own discount fares at seven, fourteen, and twenty one days advance purchase with twenty one days being lowest in price.

Exceptions are the three days before and after a major holiday, special event mass travel periods, December 13 through January 7 of each year, when all lower price seats are sold and nothing remains but published airfare.

There are exceptions, even to the exceptions, but the information provided above applies to every airfare shopper on earth and offers consistent and reliable guidance for them all.


via Creative Reporter, article contributed by Air Travel Center
over the wires at: http://airtravelcenter.com/
over the air at: http://airtravelcenter.ch/
over the road at: 1 E Manor Ave R