When Are Flights Cheap? Close to the Departure Date or Not?

Last updated on Sep 5th, 2023 by Heena Ganotra

Everyone thinks that international travel is frightfully expensive, but it is possible to get a flight at cheaper rates. Instead of booking arbitrarily when you make your travel plans, you can wait for days when tickets are available at a lower price. It is possible to predict ticket prices fluctuations by observing the pricing patterns and travel trends. It is as simply as typing ‘when are flights cheap’ and mentioning a specific destination. 

For example, you can google when flights from Sydney to New Delhi are cheap and then book tickets accordingly. Of course, there are ways to get even better deals and we explain them here.

When do Prices Drop for Flights?

Flights tickets tend to be most inexpensive from four months before your trip to three weeks before the departure date. After that, usually, the fare goes up. Booking tickets in advance can help you save hundreds of dollars on your trip. If you book too close to the date of departure, you may end up paying twice the amount you need to! 

Business professionals book tickets just before their departure date at expensive rates. This can help drive up the ticket cost significantly.

When do the Flight Prices Drop in The Week? 

According to the analysis of airline pricing trends, it is Tuesday. As many airlines launch their discount rates on Mondays, which means booking a ticket on Tuesday morning can help you find the best deal. You may save somewhere between 15% and 25% on your ticket price. 

You can find cheap air fare for Economy Class during the middle of the week. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are the best options. That means if you your departure date falls in the middle of the week, the ticket will be cheaper. However, Business Class tickets follow a different pattern. They are more affordable during the weekends because most business professionals won’t travel on their days off. 

How Many Days Before a Flight Is the Best Price?

Different airlines have different methods for setting prices for flights. Sometimes the rates fluctuate based on demand. However, most tickets are fairly inexpensive around 70 days before the departure date. 

Booking your flight tickets six to eleven months in advance can prove to be pretty expensive. This means that you may have to pay more if you book your tickets too early. 

About six to four months before the departure date, the airlines decrease their prices and offer discounts to lure more passengers. However, the discounts depend on the demand for seats. If the demand is less, prices are likely to drop more. If demand is high, travellers may not receive desirable discounts. 

Booking tends to slow down a couple of months to a couple of weeks before the departure date. If an airline still has many empty seats, they give big discounts to passengers. About three weeks before the departure date, the airline increases its prices because these travellers are usually in a hurry and will buy an expensive ticket if necessary. This trend is particularly prevalent in International Travel. 

The worst time to book a flight ticket is six days before the departure date. The passengers have to pay an average of $208 more than the usual prices. Be mindful of the date because after this point, tickets tend to be very expensive. 

Are Airfares Going Up or Down If You Keep Searching?

It seems like cheating but yes, you’re not imagining things. Airfares do get a little more expensive if you keep searching. Web browser cookies allow flight booking websites to increase their rates based on the user’s search. The airlines also use several computer software to manage the price rates depending on the search results. 

As the demand for seats increases, the price also goes up, and instantly it is reflected on the booking websites.

However, other factors affect the price rates such as scheduling, competitor prices, the departure date, the time of the day or week, etc. If there’s a big scarcity in demand, frequent searches may not have an impact on ticket prices at all. However, don’t keep asking yourself, ‘will flight tickets get cheaper’ when you spot a deal that fits your budget. This is a bit of a gamble and delaying too much may make you miss out on a good deal. 

When Do Flights Get Cheaper if You Want to Book Months in Advance?

The least expensive months to make international trips are January and February. Most people have time to travel and go on vacations during December and summer months. Immediately after the winter break, everyone is busy with work and the travel industry generally experiences a slump. 

The prices of flights in March are relatively high compared to January and February, as travellers prepare for spring break or summer break. Usually, everyone plans their long and short trips around this time of the year. 

However, there is a chance of flight prices going up in mid-February because of Valentine’s Day. The prices go down in September too because most schools start in this month, which means families can’t plan their holiday trips.

What Are the Most Expensive Months to Fly?

December and summer months are the most expensive months to book flight tickets. Airlines increase their rates in December because of Christmas. People travel to see their family or loved ones during this time. Many people take advantage of the holiday season to indulge in some travel adventures. 

Summer months such as June, July, and August are busiest as families plan their trips around this time. Of course, you need to bear in mind that Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere so the winter month happen to fall between June and August. Winter months are a good time to travel to the country, which means the flight tickets are expensive. 

When Are Flights Cheap? How to Find Out?

Travellers often jump through hoops to find the best deals. There are tricks you can use to find exciting discounts and they include:

• Book Early – Book your tickets early, specifically between the period we have mentioned above. While it is possible to get some last-minute discounts, they’re not always guaranteed. 
• Use Incognito Mode – As we mentioned before, browser cookies can alert websites that you are looking into a flight and the booking platform can adjust the ticket prices accordingly. Using incognito mode is a way around this problem. 
• Book Immediately – If you find a good deal, book immediately. Don’t keep wondering will flight tickets get cheaper as that will make you miss out on a good ticket price. 
• Set Alerts – Many booking websites and airline websites allow users to get ticket price alerts. If you subscribe to alerts, it will be easier to keep track of prices. 
• Compare Deals – You can compare ticket prices from different airlines to see which one offers the best deal. 

You can do all this or you can contact us at MyTicketsToIndia and let us do the hardwork for you. 

FAQs

Q. How to know if flights will go down?

Ans: The best way to know whether flight tickets prices will soar or drop is to set fare alerts. These alerts will inform you when affordable deals drop. 

Q. Do plane tickets go down closer to departure?

Ans: Tickets are very expensive more than half a year before the departure date. After that, the prices drop significantly until 3 or 4 weeks before the departure. Once you reach that point, the prices soar once again. 

Q. Do airlines have sales?

Ans: Yes! Many airlines account sales and discounts occasionally to boost their traffic. If you subscribe to an airline’s newsletter or are a member of the airline’s frequent flyer program, you will be alerted in advance. 

Do you find all of this tedious? You’re not alone!

Most people are too busy to for cheaper flights and are often overwhelmed when they search for ‘flight cheaper’ online. That’s where MyTicketsToIndia comes in! We have a team of expert travel agents with years of experience under their belt. They know how to find the best cheap international flights to India deals and back and can get you impressive discounts! All you need to do is call us at 1800 860 816 or join the live chat.

   

About Heena View All Posts

A writer by both passion and profession, Heena Ganotra is "half agony, half hope" but all heart. And oh, she has been a book lover from the start! Her love for books is what convinced her to make a career in the wonderful world of words. She loves what she does and is out-and-out a satisfied soul with a wish to spread happiness and kindness in abundance. Insight- Some say she is living the best life anyone could because she reads, writes, travels, and makes merry. They’re right because what else does one really need! :)