When to buy flights?

slm6002

Sorry if this has already been discussed but i had a look and cant find it anywhere.

Me, my husband and my 2 children are off to USA in march 2010. I have had a look at the flights and prices. Is it better to book early (now) or nearer the time? Are they likely to go up or down in price if left?

Thank you in advance

sturll

slm6002 wrote: »

Sorry if this has already been discussed but i had a look and cant find it anywhere.

Me, my husband and my 2 children are off to USA in march 2010. I have had a look at the flights and prices. Is it better to book early (now) or nearer the time? Are they likely to go up or down in price if left?

Thank you in advance

It is almost always cheaper to book your flights in advance. Best days to fly tend to be Tuesdays/Wednesdays so if possible look at these days.

RaiderHammer

I have used Dial A Flight a few times and they seem to be pretty good and are always helpful.

http://www.dialaflight.com/

anguilla

For scheduled flights its invariably better to book early as there are often cheap fares (non-refundable etc) that are in short supply - for me I saved something like 40% by booking as soon as the fares came out rather than waiting a few weeks on a multi-city option to USA/Caribbean but then again this was probably extreme as it was over Christmas. If you miss those opportunities then the exchange rate can make a big difference as the US airlines charge in US Dollars rather than sterling - they just do the conversion on their site when you get the quote.

For charter flights - if you can take the risk, a last minute booking is normally best as they may want to get rid of the seat at any price.

richardw

If you are likely to be travelling at a popular time, school holidays and weekends, the demand for flights is likely to be good, so it is unlikley that the airlines will put the flights in a sale.

slm6002

thank you to you all for the great advise

KMcD

I'm off to Vegas with my 2 kids to visit relatives at the end of July and booked the flights way back at the start of January. As we fly to London with Flybe then connect with Virgin I booked through Dialaflight thinking it might be easier dealing with someone who knows what they're doing as against me muddling through on my own. No problems at all (so far anyway!) with Dialaflight and my mother-in-law used them last year too without bother. Since then I have checked the separate flights on the airline websites and my total fares have increased by almost £750.:eek: So glad I paid in full back then as Raymond at Dialaflight (very helpful guy especially when I've not been abroad in nearly 20 years and was clueless!) explained that I could pay it all there and then at the quoted price or pay a deposit and risk the airlines increasing their price before we went. I'd recommend Dialaflight and booking early but hope this helps you decide what'll work for you. Happy holiday!
Karen.