When is the best time to book flight form Canada?

[kelly bh]

My husband and I are planning on walking from Leon to Santiago in Sept 2014. I have been looking for flights online and notice that the prices fluctuate almost daily, as well as the schedules. Is it better to book early (now) or wait a little. I have heard that there is an optimum time to book, but I don't know when that is. Any advise would be great. Thanks

 

[BeWillDeR]

It's best if you book multiple flights for instance book your flight to your hub. Then book your return flight from santiago de compostela back to your hub

 

[jirit]

There are at least two streams of thoughts about this.

One is that prices tend to rise throughout the year, as people make travel plans and book flights, hence the availability of seats falls and the price goes up. It is only after sometime in late October that prices fall again before jumping again for the Christmas. I have seen seat prices jump $100-200 during the early part of the year and steadily climb after that.

The other approach is that the best time to book a flight is approx 7-8 weeks prior to your departure. I have seen articles that suggest the best time is 54 days prior to the flight. It is at this point most airline computer systems adjust the pricing model down to reflect the number of expected bookings vs the number of actual booking. Prior to this point prices tend to higher and after this point prices rise as you get closer the actual departure date.

Personally my experience in the past with September based departures from Canada is to book them early at least before May or June to the get the best price especially if you plan to be away for more than a few weeks like walking the camino. I have passed up the occasional deal but most require you leave on specific date and return within a few weeks, which rarely works for my plans.

 

[lynnejohn]

Huffington Post - March 1, 2014
Finally, there’s a scientific answer to that magic number of days before a flight when tickets are at their cheapest.

The answer? Are you ready? Are you reeeally ready?

Fifty-four daysbefore takeoff is, on average, when domestic airline tickets are at their absolute lowest price. And if you don’t hit 54 days on the head, you should usually book between 104 to 29 days before your trip -- within the “prime booking window” -- for the lowest possible prices. In this window, ticket pricestypically hover within $10 of the lowest price they’ll ever reach.

At least that’s what the data from 2013 tells us.

The folks atCheapAirspent the last year analyzingover four million airline trips. They tracked ticket prices from 320 days before takeoff all the way up until the day before, calculating precisely which day each one hit its lowest point.

Air travelers tend to believe they’ll find the lowest of low prices when they book “at the last minute.” This, according to all present data, is one hundred percent false.

The researchers found that, on average,a ticket was at its highest priceon the day before the flight. The second-highest price was two days before the flight, the third-highest was three days before… and so on, all the way to 13 days before the flight.

This pretty much solidifies the rule that you should NEVER book your ticket within two weeks of a flight… a mistake that36 percent of CheapAir usersmade when planning their trips.

While the researchers found that 54 days was indeed the magic number for booking on average, they’re quick to point out thatthis isn’t a hard-and-fast rule: your flight’s “best price” window depends a lot on the specific trip you’re taking.

If you’re going somewhere incredibly popular at an incredibly popular time -- like spring break in Florida, for example -- you should book well before the “prime booking window” begins. When there’s constant, strong demand for a flight,the researchers explain, airlines have no incentive to lower ticket prices as time goes on. The same principle holds true for flights to hard-to-reach airports in small cities: there’s little airline competition here, so ticket prices don’t drop nearly as much over their lifespan.

Foreign countries are incredibly popular destinations with hard-to-reach airports, so the researchers suggest booking much earlier than the 54 days recommended for domestic flights.

Here are the “magic numbers” for some common international destinations:

Europe: 151 days before your flight
Asia: 129 days before your flight
The Caribbean: 101 days before your flight
Mexico: 89 days before your flight
Latin America: 80 days before your flight

Happy booking, travelers!

 

[jirit]

Hi lynnejohn

Thank for the article - this is more detailed than some others I have seen.

I should have pointed out that the 54 day figure was for domestic flights and I suspect more applicable for US domestic flights. The 151 days is just slightly less than 5 months suggesting that for a early September departure then ideal point for booking the flight would be early April.

Which is now!

I would add if you plan to fly into Paris for example then from my experience Air Transit and KLM tend to offer the best deals. The only challenge with the former is the limited departure dates and the fact they stop flying back from Paris early/mid October. The latter gives you the flexibility of flying into Paris and out of Madrid for example.

 

[Maggie97520]

Now!

 

[NicoZ]

If the airline lets you check how many seats are left on a flight then this can be a guide. The fuller the flight the more likely the prices are going up. You could need to start the ticket process up to the seat selection step to see this.

Then you have seasonal issues. Before labour day it's still summer holiday time. There will be more flights but prices can be higher. October you'll have thanksgiving and that can mean flights will be more expensive.

If price matters more then time/convenience then consider multiple hops. Fly into London or Paris. Or fly out of a different airport. NYC for example. Sign up for the various airline websites. With in Europe Vueling has been offering specials at €35. Norwegian air £29. Norwegian also runs a cheap NYC/London flight.

If you are using the EU budget airlines for connections the prices climb steadily when the plane starts filling up. I've been on flights that the last ticket sold for 10X what I paid booking in advance.

 

[Jannie Farrgirl]

We are from Calgary and we booked on Air Transat and got great prices booking about 6 weeks ago for end of April. We are direct from Calgary to London (so taking a commuter flight as well) and direct home from Paris. The two direct portions together were under $1000 CDN all taxes in which we thought was quite reasonable.

 

[dqduncan]

There are at least two streams of thoughts about this.

…..

Personally my experience in the past with September based departures from Canada is to book them early at least before May or June to the get the best price especially if you plan to be away for more than a few weeks like walking the camino. I have passed up the occasional deal but most require you leave on specific date and return within a few weeks, which rarely works for my plans.

Hi, just got on the forum and was searching for tips on best routes in September from Toronto (although Buffalo is close also) to Camino (SJPDP-Santiago). In and out of Madrid seems simple, but so many options. Assuming airlines price for complexity so coming in one way (e.g. London-(somewhere maybe)-Biarritz) and going out another (Santiago-Madrid??) likely not price attractive. Any 'best' route suggestions for early Sept depart (around Labour Day and return in 28 days-ish).

Thank you for any guidance.

 

[C clearly]

Hi, just got on the forum and was searching for tips on best routes in September from Toronto (although Buffalo is close also) to Camino (SJPDP-Santiago). In and out of Madrid seems simple, but so many options. Assuming airlines price for complexity so coming in one way (e.g. London-(somewhere maybe)-Biarritz) and going out another (Santiago-Madrid??) likely not price attractive. Any 'best' route suggestions for early Sept depart (around Labour Day and return in 28 days-ish).

Thank you for any guidance.

Check out Air France. I am flying Toronto-Paris-Biarritz in October. I picked a Paris-Biarritz connection that is a bit later than the first available one, so I don't need to worry about making the connection. (It involves taking a shuttle bus from Charles de Gaulle airport to Orly.) The timing is good - leave Toronto at about 6:30 pm and arrive in Biarritz the next afternoon. I will fly home from Madrid.

 

[dqduncan]

Check out Air France. I am flying Toronto-Paris-Biarritz in October. I picked a Paris-Biarritz connection that is a bit later than the first available one, so I don't need to worry about making the connection. (It involves taking a shuttle bus from Charles de Gaulle airport to Orly.) The timing is good - leave Toronto at about 6:30 pm and arrive in Biarritz the next afternoon. I will fly home from Madrid.

Thank you very much, C clearly. I'll check out that option..essentially two 1-way flights. Have a wonderful trip.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Where are you flying out of? From Montreal I get direct flights to Madrid and Barcelona for 750 to 850$. This is with Air Transat, so dates are not flecible, but these are direct flights.

 

[C clearly]

...essentially two 1-way flights. Have a wonderful trip.

No, these are not "one-way" flights, which would be very expensive. It is an "open jaw" ticket where I fly Toronto to Biarritz, and back from Madrid to Toronto. You book it online by choosing "multi city", then enter the 2 segments. It is often not any more expensive than a regular return trip.

 

[whariwharangi]

When is the best time to book flight form Canada?

I find the best time to make decisions and act on them is right after breakfast.