The Ticket Masters: When To Buy Airline Tickets Infographic

Airlines make money by anticipating our buying habits. It's a complicated process, but you can save money when buying airline tickets. Travel agencies can also help you save money when flying by knowing insider secrets you can use to your advantage.

The Ticket Masters When to buy airline tickets  Simple fact: Airlines make money from anticipating our buying habits.  Shop early, but don’t always buy early. Airlines start offering cheaper seats about 4 months before departure (5 months for international).  Economist Makoto Watanabe says 8 weeks is best time to buy ∏A = gUG + min(k-g, (1-g)(1-r))  But another study from Airlines Reporting Corp says 6 weeks out is when to buy  Prices change up to 3x per day Sign up for email alerts for prices Sunday is usually the most expensive day to fly  Holiday travel is an exception. Buy those tickets as soon as possible.  Things to consider: Prices rise quickly the week of the flight, and you’ll pay on average 40% more for a ticket the day of  Most discount ticket sales are offered early in the week  In general, BUY Tues. & Wed., FLY Tues., Wed., Sat.  Don’t make it your goal to get the least expensive seat in the plane -- aim for below-the-average price, and you’ll usually win

Sources

Lifehacker
ABC NewsFare Compare
New York Times
Wall Street Journal
LA Times


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