Best time to purchase plane tickets

[AR1965]

Hi everyone,

I am planning the Camino Frances for mid-June through the end of July 2024. I just started looking at plane fares last night. Chicago to Biarritz, and then SDC to Chicago for the return trip. It was about $2500 total. Since I'm still 8+ months out, is it likely that those prices will go down? Or will they go up? What is the best time to purchase?

 

[trecile]

I would keep an eye on prices and probably book about 5 months out.
Consider too that flying into Biarritz and home from Santiago might be more expensive than flying to and from major airports. Check the price for a round trip to Madrid.

Also, are you looking at two one way fares? That will usually be more expensive than a round trip or "multi-city" ticket.

 

[AR1965]

I will check the Chicago to Madrid prices, too. And, this was for a "multi city" fare.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I usually book mine after Thanksgiving for the best price

 

[Marbe2]

Hi everyone,

I am planning the Camino Frances for mid-June through the end of July 2024. I just started looking at plane fares last night. Chicago to Biarritz, and then SDC to Chicago for the return trip. It was about $2500 total. Since I'm still 8+ months out, is it likely that those prices will go down? Or will they go up? What is the best time to purchase?

You may find it substantially less expensive to book In and out of madrid. Then take the train to Pamplona overnight there and take the bus the next day to SJPdP. You will want at least one to two nights rest after such a flight, anyway. Take The train back to Madrid from Sarria. Figure 100-150 Euros for both trains, the earlier you book the cheaper the ticket..tickets usuallyopen up circa 3 months prior to travel.

My advice is to wait until after Thanksgiving. In my opinion, 2500 bucks is too much from ORD! However you are flying at peaktimes.

Also look at alternative airlines. We have used Aer Lingus ,overnighting in Dublin. They service ORD,Madrid, SdC and Barcelona.

Use Skyscanner and/ or Kayak.com. Use the watchthe faresetting to keepyou informed of the price changes. Right now I have seen fares on different dates in June/july 2024 in/out of Madrid for circa 1300 dollars from Ord-MAD.

Personally, I don’t like to fly via France. I have already gotten caught in two transportation strikes in the past.

 

[Tincatinker]

@AR1965 , one of the things I love about this forum is that many will strive to answer unanswerable questions. The variables in air travel costs over anything longer than a month are incalculable. Why do you think so many airlines go bust or lobby for government subsidies, or try to sell you flight cancellation insurance with your ticket?

Here are my suggestions:
What is the best, never mind cost think comfort and convenience for you? It might be round trip to Dublin; Dublin Biarritz, Santiago Dublin - home. I’m not suggesting that is your best option (and I wouldn’t take a recommendation from a Tinker unless I knew his mother ) but there are so many possible routes by which you might get yourself from your lovely comfy home to the hell on earth that is Camino (), (big wink there for anyone using a Bakelite phone) that a little non-linear thinking might help you, and maybe anyone else who has read this far.

So, search for the most frequent and therefore likely cheapest flights from where you are to where you can get that is within some reasonable travel web of St J or Pamplona and back again from Santiago. Avoid London/ UK airports. Ireland, France and Germany will all provide possibles.

There: I’ve set your screen-time for a while.
Happy planning

 

[TravellingMan22]

As folks have stated it’s an unanswerable question as to the best time to book. Airlines spend billions on managing fares and inventory and flights are micromanaged in real time as to the fare to the consumer and there are a significant amount of variables. You will be taking a minimum 4 sector journey, so those prices are even more variable. It’s good advice to look at going into big cities such as Madrid or Parls.

If you go into skyscanner and search on Chicago to ‘Everywhere’ for your dates, you can see the cheapest European gateways. You should see fares for approx $1000 to $1500 per person.yih can trade off schedule, direct or indirect, and all the usual stuff.

I just picked random dates in July/Aug dates and was getting around $1100-1200 ORD to CDG round trip direct. I haven’t ‘drilled down’ so they are most likely fares without checked baggage so that is another major consideration.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Exactly what others have said! Spend some time playing round. My top hint is to do your searching in and incognito window so that your computer continues to spit up best prices instead of increasing the prices as you keep searching the same thing (that truly does happen).
I have just booked my flights for next year and chose a simple Auckland to Madrid return flight (NZ$2490). I paid €142 total (including checked baggage allowance because I carry poles) for my Madrid to Almeria and Santiago to Madrid flights - but if they had been tacked onto my main ticket it was going to be over $4,000. I'll save you doing the conversions and just tell you - I saved over a thousand dollars!
Incidentally, I could have saved another $300 by flying LATAM Airlines, but they are financially unstable and don't have the flashest safety record, so I opted for Turkish Airlines instead.
https://www.airlineratings.com/ is worth taking a look at.

 

[Marbe2]

@AR1965 , one of the things I love about this forum is that many will strive to answer unanswerable questions. The variables in air travel costs over anything longer than a month are incalculable. Why do you think so many airlines go bust or lobby for government subsidies, or try to sell you flight cancellation insurance with your ticket?

With regard to the fare from CHICAGO (ORD) to MADRID, while no one can positively predict what will happen,based upon my my experience of flying to europe at least 100 timesif you are flexible with dates and destinations such as ,Paris or Madrid, you can likely cut your fare by a substantial amount. Decide what you are willing to pay, explore your options , and when you see a fare that you can afford book it.

My advice,is not to book just a base fare, but an economy fare,which will allow you tomake changes to your flight should something happen. . Base fares generally are no change Tickets ,so if you can’t make that flight you will be out the whole fare. Needless to say do not use a consolidator. If you need to make changes it is best to deal directly with the airline. Both Kayak, and Skyscanner list the prices for consolidators and the airlines. In addition some airlines have better customer service than others. I wouldn’t recommend Air Portugal nor Iberia! Air portugal IMO cancels too many flights. If you donot speak fluent Spanish, getting customer service fromIberia on the phone, or even at the airport, if there is a problem, can be laborious and at times impossible. So when booking, price is just one consideration. If you are not fluent in Spanish, consider, American, or United, or Aer Lingus (stop in Dublin).

 

[JustJack]

It's your flight home from Santiago that is pushing up the price, probably significantly.

After endless hours of research this past spring, I found that the absolute cheapest routing from Vancouver (so west coast, might be different from Chicago) was to fly to Paris, then fly to Biarritz. To come back, I flew from Porto Portugal. Flying home from Porto was the cheapest option no matter what the date, so I encourage you to check that out. Getting to Porto is quicker than getting to Madrid I think (around 3 hours by bus).

And for what it's worth, I just booked my flights to Spain for next spring, and the price was about 40% cheaper than it was this past spring. Flying from Chicago you should be able to find a route for under $1,000. Expedia is your friend when searching (not booking). Search on Expedia to see which airlines, and then book direct with the airline.

 

[C clearly]

My top hint is to do your searching in and incognito window so that your computer continues to spit up best prices instead of increasing the prices as you keep searching the same thing (that truly does happen).

We have this debate quite frequently!

I doubt that it is true, based on my personal experience and casual google research. Of course, my personal anecdotal evidence may be countered by another's opposite anecdotal evidence, so I am always looking out for an independent credible source that supports the theory that searching incognito and deleting cookies is effective in keeping airfares down. Can anyone provide such an independent credible source?

Here is a Washington Post article that debunks the myth. Here are three old threads: here, here, and here, that include some other links.

 

[Vacajoe]

Random search ORD-MAD show multiple roundtrip flights in the $900s. (USD). Train/bus travel to SJPdP and from Santiago will add some, but you’ll still easily be under $1500.

 

[Kiwi-family]

We have this debate quite frequently!

I doubt that it is true, based on my personal experience and casual google research. Of course, my personal anecdotal evidence may be countered by another's opposite anecdotal evidence, so I am always looking out for an independent credible source that supports the theory that searching incognito and deleting cookies is effective in keeping airfares down. Can anyone provide such an independent credible source?

Here is a Washington Post article that debunks the myth. Here are three old threads: here, here, and here, that include some other links.

Can only quote my anecdotal evidence from this particular trip. In the midst of my searching I was given a new(-to-me) notebook and decided to do searches on our computer without using incognito windows and incognito searches on my new device every other day or so. The new device continued to throw up cheap options that the computer did not after a couple of weeks. Over this time I tried searches for Auckland - Madrid, Auckland - Barcelona, and Auckland - Kuala Lumpur. Incidentally, I was using Kayak, which is not quoted in the Washington Post article so it is feasible they may function differently to Skyscanner.

 

[JCarpenter]

Hi everyone,

I am planning the Camino Frances for mid-June through the end of July 2024. I just started looking at plane fares last night. Chicago to Biarritz, and then SDC to Chicago for the return trip. It was about $2500 total. Since I'm still 8+ months out, is it likely that those prices will go down? Or will they go up? What is the best time to purchase?

Find an app that tracks purchasing trends. In previous years those apps told me to buy in Jan, then Dec and this year, now. I used Hopper. It has been reliable before. I am skeptical but it is saying now is cheapest option.

 

[C clearly]

I was using Kayak, which is not quoted in the Washington Post article so it is feasible they may function differently to Skyscanner

I am just conjecturing here, but these aggregators may find and present their options differently from the airlines themselves. The aggregators search many airlines and many connections, and then show you a selection. I almost only use the direct airline sites and occasionally Expedia. I often pick a good flight in, say, November, print out the fare information, and then recheck the fare frequently for months. The prices do change - gradually going up except when there is an advertised sale.

The new device continued to throw up cheap options

An aggregator might throw up many cheap options as it finds combinations and permutations from from many airlines and with various conditions. The cheap options are probably more volatile, and harder to compare head-to-head on two different devices over time. There may be a special cheap fare intended to fill a less popular flight where the sales are slow, and that special fare last only long enough to get that plane to the target level of sales.

If you compare the actual airline fares (same class and fare type) for a specific flight or combination, does one device give you a different price than the other? It does not for me, but then I tend to choose major airlines on standard routes where the prices seem quite stable.

 

[JCarpenter]

I should add that once I find the cheaper flight, if it is agreeable, I do find it on the airline site. The prices are the same, but the trend info is the useful part

 

[Kiwi-family]

I am just conjecturing here, but these aggregators may find and present their options differently from the airlines themselves. The aggregators search many airlines and many connections, and then show you a selection. I almost only use the direct airline sites and occasionally Expedia. I often pick a good flight in, say, November, print out the fare information, and then recheck the fare frequently for months. The prices do change - gradually going up except when there is an advertised sale.

An aggregator might throw up many cheap options as it finds combinations and permutations from from many airlines and with various conditions. The cheap options are probably more volatile, and harder to compare head-to-head on two different devices over time. There may be a special cheap fare intended to fill a less popular flight where the sales are slow, and that special fare last only long enough to get that plane to the target level of sales.

If you compare the actual airline fares (same class and fare type) for a specific flight or combination, does one device give you a different price than the other? It does not for me, but then I tend to choose major airlines on standard routes where the prices seem quite stable.

I was specifically following particular fares at a certain time on the same dates on Etihad, Lufthansa and China Southern. I also took note of other options that appeared - and in the case of Turkish Airlines, a good enough price came up and I took it. I had been leaning towards flying Etihad, but heard of a very poor experience someone on the forum had had with them, and when I quizzed family members who had used Turkish Airlines many times when they were based in Istanbul for seven years, they could only speak highly of them.
Incidentally, I did book through a third party (BYOjet) - it was the only third party provider that scored highly on trustpilot out of the options for this ticket (I would not touch AuntBetty which it's 1.8 star rating and 79% of reviews being only 1 or 2 star!!)
I guess at the end of the day, there's no harm in searching incognito!

 

[TravellingMan22]

I was specifically following particular fares at a certain time on the same dates on Etihad, Lufthansa and China Southern. I also took note of other options that appeared - and in the case of Turkish Airlines, a good enough price came up and I took it. I had been leaning towards flying Etihad, but heard of a very poor experience someone on the forum had had with them, and when I quizzed family members who had used Turkish Airlines many times when they were based in Istanbul for seven years, they could only speak highly of them.
Incidentally, I did book through a third party (BYOjet) - it was the only third party provider that scored highly on trustpilot out of the options for this ticket (I would not touch AuntBetty which it's 1.8 star rating and 79% of reviews being only 1 or 2 star!!)
I guess at the end of the day, there's no harm in searching incognito!

Can I ask why you booked via a third party and not the airline itself?

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I have flown Turkish airlines to Istanbul twice in the past and was quite impressed with their service and food. My only complaint has been on their overnight flights they raise the temperature in the cabin too high...I was miserable and never have experienced this on any other airline. I assume it is done to help lull people to sleep, but far too hot and doesn't work for me and my family.

I usually use Kayak, but after cancelling many flights during 2020 with problems getting refunds (not vouchers) from third party sellers, I now only book through the airlines themselves.

 

[Eric G]

I travel from Utah. I'm leaving again Monday. I paid $625.00 RT for my tickets. It's much cheaper going thru Madrid rather than Paris. Chicago to Madrid, Madrid to Pamplona and then bus from Pamplona to SJPDP.. I never pay more then 800.00 per ticket. I bought my tickets in August for my trip next week.
Hope this helps
Buen Camino

 

[naplesdon]

My only comments are:
Don't listen to the folks who say booking on a certain day or in a certain month is going to give you an advantage.
Micromanage your trip, don't do a quantum booking ORD to where ever or SdC back to ORD. There are airports like Bilbao that are serviced by TAP that offer really great fares from, say MIA. Break your planning down into bite size pieces and then pay attention to the connection times and whether you need to book a hotel room for a night or a train to get from Point A to Point B.

 

[Gerard Griffin]

There's nothing more pleasant and worthwhile than finding ways to prevent fleecing by greedy airlines.

Step 1: Chicago-London 327 euro
(via Lisbon, Skyscanner)

Step 2: London-Biarritz 42 euro

Under 400 euro the lot.

 

[JustJack]

As someone that has worked in the travel industry for 3 decades I can conclusively say that the notion of using an incognito browser to get better/different fares is 100% an urban myth. And like all urban myths it's difficult to stop people from believing it.

As for best days to book or best times of the day? Forget about it, there's no such thing. You might notice booking/pricing trends on domestic commuter routes (ie between two big cities that business people frequently fly between), but not on international flights. There are about a million factors that go into international airline pricing, and not one of those factors is which browser you are searching with.

 

[C clearly]

There's nothing more pleasant and worthwhile than finding ways to prevent fleecing by greedy airlines.

I can think of quite a few more pleasant ways to pass time!

Micromanage your trip, don't do a quantum booking ORD to where ever or SdC back to ORD.

But understand the additional risk (loss of ticket if you miss the connections) you introduce if you book on separate tickets.

 

[baldwinsanders0]

Hi everyone,

I am planning the Camino Frances for mid-June through the end of July 2024. I just started looking at plane fares last night. Chicago to Biarritz, and then SDC to Chicago for the return trip. It was about $2500 total. Since I'm still 8+ months out, is it likely that those prices will go down? Or will they go up? What is the best time to purchase?

Avoid using third party. I did not get a refund from a guaranteed refund, and the trouble I had with two third party vendors was not worth the price - in fact, it was very costly.

 

[Angela Blaschke]

What are incognito searches that so many mention?

 

[JustJack]

What are incognito searches that so many mention?

You can launch any web browser in incognito mode. It removes the tracking of your web surfing behaviour that advertisers and website owners rely on.

 

[Marbe2]

July 26-August 11th the Olympic games wil be happening in Paris! I would avoid Paris in July and August unless you are actually involved in some way. Expect higher airfares to France summer 2024.

 

[KiwiRon]

Hi everyone,

I am planning the Camino Frances for mid-June through the end of July 2024. I just started looking at plane fares last night. Chicago to Biarritz, and then SDC to Chicago for the return trip. It was about $2500 total. Since I'm still 8+ months out, is it likely that those prices will go down? Or will they go up? What is the best time to purchase?

A cynic would reply "How long is a piece of string." But this serious question needs a serious reply. From New Zealand , I book through a site called CheapOAir. I load my details, but not book. Over the next week or two, as I check, flight offers change dramatically. I settled on a flight Auckland to Paris for about $US900 (one way), which is cheaper than pre-covid! It was an excellent flight, and now I am three weeks into the Camino Frances.

 

[CWBuff]

I have flown Turkish airlines to Istanbul twice in the past and was quite impressed with their service and food. My only complaint has been on their overnight flights they raise the temperature in the cabin too high...I was miserable and never have experienced this on any other airline. I assume it is done to help lull people to sleep, but far too hot and doesn't work for me and my family.

I usually use Kayak, but after cancelling many flights during 2020 with problems getting refunds (not vouchers) from third party sellers, I now only book through the airlines themselves.

I heard a lot of good things about Turkish Airlines. My partial problem is that they fly from JFK and I try to avoid that Airport like a locusts plague! The drive drives me nuts!
90% I fly United out of EWR - i can get there easy (and i just tried the NJTransit\AirTran combo out of Trenton and loved it!) , get many N\S flights if need be and I've been with them long enough to score some benefits. I may do snooping around on various 3rd party sites but at the end I book with the airline direct. One case to point to in 2021 right when stuff started to open I booked tickets with United and within a months saw them substantially cheaper. One call and I was refunded $350.00\per ticket with no questions asked! So yes, IMHO book with airline direct

 

[CWBuff]

It just happend that i got this in one of my travel-related emails: Best time to buy airline tickets
One thing that I love about these 'advisors' is that they come up with these things like "be flexible" pick a destination and then the cheapest time, fly on Wednesday not Friday...
Most of us 'plain folks' sometime dont have that luxury so its all still up in the air.
But I figured you may benefit from the read and at worst - just chuckle at it
Good luck

 

[Kiwi-family]

Can I ask why you booked via a third party and not the airline itself?

Absolutely! Saved a couple of hundred dollars which amounts to a quite few nights' accommodation.

 

[trecile]

I like Tripadvisor's Air Travel forum for good information on who, what, when, and where to book airline tickets.

Air Travel Forum - Tripadvisor

Travel forums for World. Discuss World travel with Tripadvisor travelers.

www.tripadvisor.com

 

[naplesdon]

I can think of quite a few more pleasant ways to pass time!


But understand the additional risk (loss of ticket if you miss the connections) you introduce if you book on separate tickets.

Okay, I think you misunderstood my post. All I was trying to say is don't go for the quantum booking. Sites like Rome2Rio don't deal with nuances of travel destinations. So carefully pick one city to one city, then look at the connections, you can still book with one source but review the timing (i.e. a 12 hour layover?) and other means of transportation, i.e. a train or a bus.

 

[witsendwv]

(), (big wink there for anyone using a Bakelite phone)

Not Bakelite, but we do still have one of those, this works and is used on our landline. Just so I don't take this off track: from the US I look for tickets at the end of Jan. for Apr-May and a few months later for fall travel.

 

[Gary94123]

Hi everyone,

I am planning the Camino Frances for mid-June through the end of July 2024. I just started looking at plane fares last night. Chicago to Biarritz, and then SDC to Chicago for the return trip. It was about $2500 total. Since I'm still 8+ months out, is it likely that those prices will go down? Or will they go up? What is the best time to purchase?

How about using air miles? AA and United Airlines have great flights using miles.

 

[KWay]

Hi everyone,

I am planning the Camino Frances for mid-June through the end of July 2024. I just started looking at plane fares last night. Chicago to Biarritz, and then SDC to Chicago for the return trip. It was about $2500 total. Since I'm still 8+ months out, is it likely that those prices will go down? Or will they go up? What is the best time to purchase?

It’s too early. If you notice, all tickets around that time are the same - I think they just post some standard rate. I have found 2-3 months to be best. Sometimes I even get them 2-3 weeks ahead and usually get the best deal, but that can be a risk.

 

[KWay]

Hi everyone,

I am planning the Camino Frances for mid-June through the end of July 2024. I just started looking at plane fares last night. Chicago to Biarritz, and then SDC to Chicago for the return trip. It was about $2500 total. Since I'm still 8+ months out, is it likely that those prices will go down? Or will they go up? What is the best time to purchase?

One other thing. You may want to check on Google flights. Put Chicago for departure city and Europe (no specific city) for destination. You can put dates in and use the map view to see the cheapest place to fly. We do this often, then normally fly a cheap European airline (like Ryan Air) to our final destination.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Sometimes I even get them 2-3 weeks ahead and usually get the best deal, but that can be a risk.

Maybe a risk, but I booked Madrid from Chicago on a whim on Sept.15th for an Oct. 5th departure and it was the lowest I have ever paid...why a risk?

 

[C clearly]

why a risk?

Well, because if you wait until 3 weeks before your planned flight, there is no guarantee that you will get a good price. You might be out of luck and have to pay a high price (assuming you want to go on that particular date)!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Well, because if you wait until 3 weeks before your planned flight, there is no guarantee that you will get a good price. You might be out of luck and have to pay a high price (assuming you want to go on that particular date)!

I was flexible, so it seems to have worked for me this time.

 

[TravellingMan22]

I think the internet has hugely lessened the risk of booking late, or even booking one ways as long as you are flexible and know your way around the travel sites. There will always be a cheap fare to somewhere in Europe even late in the day and there will always be a cheapish way to get to France or Spain. Even if you end up in northern Europe there will be a cheap way to get south. It’s a long way removed from the pre internet day when you pretty much had to speak to an agent about specific destinations and dates.

 

[Lydia Gillen]

I have so much admiration for all of you west of the Atlantic and the amount of money you are prepared to spend in order to do the Camino de Santiago. Buen Camino to you all. Lydia

 

[witsendwv]

I have so much admiration for all of you west of the Atlantic and the amount of money you are prepared to spend in order to do the Camino de Santiago. Buen Camino to you all. Lydia

Lydia- I have purchased tickets to Spain for less money than my sister has to spend to fly from Michigan to Colorado to visit her daughter. There are often better prices on international travel than on domestic which is why we head to the east side of the Atlantic, and hopefully Ireland this summer. (Suggestions for Irish Camino walking are welcome here!)