When to buy plane tickets for best price?

[RoughCollie]

On August 8, a friend of DD's will be flying back home to Boston as an unaccompanied minor. She will need a one-way, nonstop, ticket.

 

When is the best time to purchase this so that her parents get the best price? Are there reputable websites at which to purchase tickets? We want to be able to choose the flight and time and not buy a ticket sight unseen, so to speak. Been there, done that, never again.

 

Thanks for your help,

RC

[Mrs Mungo]

 

Kayak is really good for searching multiple carriers at once. You can also choose to search with flexible dates and it shows a calendar to the right that gives prices for various dates.

[Giraffe]

I find the best prices are about 90 days out. There appears to be another "sweet spot" about 2 weeks before flying, but that's always a risk.

 

I check Expedia, Travelocity, the airlines individual websites, and sometimes I'll call the airlines as well. No, not all the airlines, but the ones that are the biggest flyers on the route I'm flying. Sometimes the fare on the phone is less than the fare online, but generally I do better on the individual airline websites.

 

Good luck!!

[SonshineLearner]

Check to see if round or one way is better priced. Check with the airlines to see if you can purchase the unaccompanied minor part at the counter when you get there. We've always had to purchase them from the agent...

 

:)

[Brigitte]

I always start with Kayak, because the search all the other travel sites and the airline sites. Once I find the best fare, I check the same flights on the airline's website. It is usually a bit cheaper on the airline's website.

 

I also agree with checking round trip vs. one-way prices. Often the round trip is cheaper - go figure!

[bookfiend]

One strategy that has worked for me is to check the actual airports involved and find out what regional carriers service them. There are quite a few airlines that don't show up on Orbitz, Travelocity. Southwest is the best known, but there is also AirTran, Spirit, Frontier... Look at their specific websites. I agree 90 days out, purchased over the internet, obtains the best fares.

[Renee in NC]

One strategy that has worked for me is to check the actual airports involved and find out what regional carriers service them. There are quite a few airlines that don't show up on Orbitz, Travelocity. Southwest is the best known, but there is also AirTran, Spirit, Frontier... Look at their specific websites. I agree 90 days out, purchased over the internet, obtains the best fares.

 

:iagree:

 

We use Allegiant quite a bit and they don't show up on those sites.

[RoughCollie]

Thank you all very much for your help.

 

So far, a friend of mine has found Jet Blue tickets for $120. I will be researching this tomorrow.