2022 Update regarding when to buy airline tickets: There continue to be articles written about the best time to purchase airline tickets. While it’s not wrong to follow the 2019 guidelines below (as a rule of thumb, buying tickets earlier is almost always better than buying tickets closer to your travel dates), here are some updated guidelines (taken from Conde Nast Traveler, March 2022 – Tips for buying airline tickets 2022):
Best Time to buy tickets for domestic (USA) flights: 28-35 days before travel
Best Time to buy tickets for international flights (from the USA): 3-4 months before travel
- Europe: 91 (best) to 120 days before travel;
- Asia: 77 or 119 days before travel; 2.5-6.5 months before travel; cheapest flights are for February travel;
- Africa: 7-10 months before spring and winter; 2.5 months before summer; overall, 96 days out is best; the cheapest flights are for November travel
Best Day of the week to travel: Tuesdays through Fridays
Best Time to buy tickets for holidays (within the USA):
- Memorial Day – at least 5 weeks out
- Independence Day – at least 5 weeks out
- Thanksgiving – 89 days out and/or late September (definitely before Halloween)
- Winter holidays – 68 days out and/or late September (definitely before Halloween)
Three Key Tips:
- Book at least 21 days out from travel to get the best deals;
- Consider booking on “Travel Deal Tuesday” (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving);
- Consider traveling from Saturday to Tuesday instead of Friday to Sunday for domestic (USA) travel
Take care, be well, and travel safely!!
Suggestions regarding Airline Tickets (2019)
“When should I buy airline tickets?” is a common question that I’ve seen asked on various traveler forums. The most consistent information I’ve seen (as gathered from multiple articles and sources) is as follows:
Best day of the week to buy tickets: Sunday
Best time to buy Tickets (from the USA) to…:
Europe: 99 days in advance of your trip
Asia: 129 days in advance
Caribbean/Central America: 101 days in advance
Latin America: 80 days in advance
Mexico: 89 days in advance
Within the USA, Domestic flights are best bought 29-104 days in advance, with 54 days being ideal. However, the following guidelines have been listed as the best time to buy tickets for the following time periods:
Spring: 75 days in advance
Summer: 76 days in advance
Fall: 47 days in advance
Winter: 54 days in advance
Holidays: 4 weeks in advance
Best Airports to fly from/to to avoid long customs lines (FYI: customs lines are generally best for flights that arrive around 8-9pm arrivals, and worst for those arriving around 3-4am, according to a travel industry expert I talked to in 2016):
From Europe to USA: Atlanta (ATL) or Dulles (IAD) [instead of New York’s JFK or LGA]
From Asia: Seattle (SEA) [instead of California]
From Latin America: ATL or Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) [instead of Miami (MIA)]
From Mexico and Caribbean: Phoenix (PHX), Charlotte (CLT), or Chicago Midway (MDW)