a row of blue and white seats in an airplane

Would airlines really make it that easy?

You can set your alarm for when tickets go on sale – but unfortunately, a magic day to get best prices for your booking just doesn’t exist, no matter how many people keep trying to tell you it does. Airlines love the element of surprise, and would never ever let it be that easy. I mean, do you really think they would? If you want to get the best deals on airfare, there are a few surefire steps and though there’s no perfect “day” having a goal in mind won’t hurt…

a red building with a tall tower with Sensō-ji in the backgroundThe Perfect Day To Book

There’s no perfect day in advance to book, but CheapAir.com has released an extensive study highlighting when they found the best prices for each destination, based on thousands of fares. Their study found that the best time to book international tickets is anywhere from 110-207 days in advance. For domestic or short haul flights, the study purports that sometime around 70 days before travel is best. The real takeaway? There’s no specific day, but planning to search around a given range can be beneficial. The catch? Flash sales.

a passport and boarding passFlash Sales And Exceptions

The key to great airfare deals is to generally avoid booking last minute tickets. For short haul flights, try to book more than 21 days in advance. For long haul, generally try to book more than 30 days in advance. FLASH SALES are the new favorite tool of airlines around the world. These sales can come up 355 days in advance of your travel, and may offer the best deal you’ll see all year by far. You’ll just have to plug into (sites like ours) to hear about them in time, after all they only last a few hours. Not days! The more you know how much the flight you want generally will cost, the more you’ll know when a flash sale is really “amazing”. We only post deals we think are incredibly low, so if you see one on our deals page – it probably means you should book.

a bed in a plane355 Days Of Tracking

Ever wonder how we find and share the best deals, often before anyone else? The answer is simple. Like – really simple. Set price trackers for free, set them early, set them for multiple dates and watch. If you know a flight is generally $500, and all of a sudden you receive a price alert that it’s dropped to $300, book it! The more you study, the better you’ll comprehend just how great of a deal you’re actually getting. Tools such as Google Flights allow you to set alerts for up to five destinations, and you can set them from up to five departure airports. And don’t be afraid to set price alerts for business or first class either, we kid you not – sometimes it’s cheaper than economy! This is free, this is easy and it will save you money. Check out this cool example.

What’s the best airfare deal you’ve bagged?

Gilbert Ott

Gilbert Ott is an ever curious traveler and one of the world's leading travel experts. His adventures take him all over the globe, often spanning over 200,000 miles a year and his travel exploits are regularly...

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