Air travel has become more a necessity than a luxury. With the availability of low-cost carriers, air travel has become affordable too. According to BTS, System-wide 2021 enplanements comprised 612 million passengers on domestic flights and 62 million passengers on international flights last year.
The blog is a guide to airline ticket prices- When and how to get the cheapest flight tickets, why the flight prices change, and the best day to fly.
When is the best time to buy airline tickets?
According to our analysis, the best time to buy airline tickets is usually 3 months in advance for international flights and 2 months in advance for domestic flights. Flight ticket prices are higher on weekends and around public holidays for tourist destinations.
What is the cheapest day of the week to fly?
Midweek flights are the cheapest to fly. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are the best days to fly for budget travelers.
Moreover, mid-week red-eye flights are the best to fly as they are typically cheaper and the airports are less crowded.
Why does the flight price change while booking the ticket?
There are times when the flight fare changes between searches. And if you have also experienced the same, it’s a coincidence. In this scenario, the typical reason behind the change in the flight ticket price is that the seats in this price bracket were sold out before you could purchase them. Some travelers have the impression that travel websites keep a track of their searches and change the flight prices accordingly. Honestly speaking, it has nothing with the person searching for the flight. Let’s understand with an example.
Airline ticket prices for economy class seats are defined by an algorithm, let’s say:
So, when you were checking for flight prices initially the cost of the ticket was $150. But before you could buy your ticket, the first 40 seats got sold out, And now, the same economy class ticket is available for $185.
Though there are other factors too such as “advance purchase”. Just for instance, if you have been regularly following the fares of an airline for a particular travel date and destination and one day you find the flight ticket price has increased, the reason may be as stated above or the bracket for the number of days before the departure has changed. The fares that were allotted for 3 months advance purchase won't be valid if you purchase the tickets 1 month in advance.
How to get the cheapest flight tickets?
Search and Compare before you Buy!
Several travel websites offer discount airfare deals. The best way to find the cheapest flight ticket for your next air travel is: Search and Compare the airline ticket prices offered by various OTAs and buy from the travel website offering the best airfare according to your travel preferences. Visit FareLeaders.com- a flight fare comparison website to check online airline ticket deals. Buy the selected airfare deal from the travel website offering that deal.