How Far In Advance Can You Book A Flight? Smarter Air Travel Tips

Excited for your next adventure but need help figuring out where to start? Booking a flight can be one of the most stressful parts of pre-trip planning. However, with proper guidelines, knowing when is the best time to book flights and having a detailed pre-flight checklist,  you can easily find the best deals and travel.

By booking in advance, you have more options to choose from, from flight time to airfares. Booking flight tickets in advance is a cost-saving way to travel internationally on commercial airlines.

How far in advance can you book a flight? It depends on different factors. For example, the airlines you plan to book with and whether you pay by cash or miles are all factors that can influence the final airfares. Here is our guide on smart air travel tips.

How Far In Advance Can You Book A Flight?

Booking flight tickets can be done quickly online. Photo by Prostock-studio on stock.adobe.com

You can book flights as early as 11 months (or 330 days) in advance. However, different factors affect the actual days you can book in advance.  Each airline has a foreign policy on how early they open their booking windows.

For example, low-cost carriers might have shorter booking windows than high-cost carriers. Methods of payment can determine the booking time available as well. For instance, award tickets and cash tickets have different booking windows.

How Far In Advance Should You Book A Flight To Get The Best Deal?

Is there a best day within a week to book flights? How far should you book flights for the best possible prices? Many travellers believe that the further they book flight tickets, the cheaper the airfare. However, this is not necessarily true.

According to data collected by Hopper - a booking travel app, the booking windows for the best prices are different between domestic and international travel.

• For domestic flights, you should start tracking airfares at least 3-4 months in advance and book within 1-2 months in advance.
• For international flights, it is best that you start monitoring airfares at least 6-7 months in advance and book within 3-5 months in advance.

CheapAir.com, a flight booking site for affordable airline tickets founded in 1989, there are six different booking zones based on their 2023 CheapAir Best Time To Buy Airline Tickets Study.

Time booked in advance	What happen
10 to 7 months	Plenty of flight options are available, but you might have to pay more than the lowest airfares available.
7 to 5.5 months	There are still many available flight options, and the average prices are slightly lower.
5.5 to 1.5 months	Best time to book since there is still a good number of flight options to choose from while the average airfares are the lowest in all booking zones.
1.5 months to 2 weeks	The best seating options on the plane are most likely taken, and the ticket prices are generally higher.
2 to 1 week	You might still find a good deal, but the flight options are much more limited.
6 to 1 days	Travellers tend to pay US $124 more on tickets compared to the best airfares.

The time frame above is based on data collected by CheapAir.com. However, as airfares constantly change due to factors such as gas prices and booking demand, there is no fixed time to book.

• CABINZERO’s Tips: The best practice is to book whenever you are comfortable with the ticket price, as airfares are challenging to predict with high accuracy.

Reasons To Book Flights In Advance

Air travel is a fast and convenient way for travellers to explore the world. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels

Domestic vacations and car travel offer more spontaneity for unplanned trips. However, when it comes to air travel, booking your tickets in advance is usually the better idea. Here are a number of reasons for you to consider booking flights in advance rather than last-minute.

1. There Are More Flight Options To Choose From

You are open to more travel options, including flight times, price ranges and airlines to choose from. Even if you fly with one of the best airlines in the world, a positive flying experience depends on more than just the airline.

Factors such as departure time, seating options and other details can affect your travel experience. It is always better to have various options to choose from rather than being stuck on a late flight and feeling tired on the first day of the trip, especially if you are prone to insomnia.

2. Ease of Mind

Plan your trip with a calm mindset rather than being in an uncomfortable, rushed mode to compete for last-minute tickets. If you have an important event to attend, book in advance and stay worry-free instead of stressing until the day of your flight.

3. Better Travel Route Plan And Explore Every Option

If you are considering different destinations for your next trip, thanks to the time in your hand, you can better prepare with more time spent in researching destinations and designing different itineraries.

How To Find The Best Airfares?

Save more on your travel expenses and enjoy your holiday better with smart flight booking tips. IG: @grecontrek

Finding the best flight deals is a rewarding experience for every traveller. Even though airfares tend to fluctuate, there are a few rules of thumb that you can follow to avoid costly tickets. Understanding what influences the airline pricing system is an important step.

For example, every seasoned traveller knows that the most influential factor when it comes to airfares is demand. Overall, factors that influence airfares are demand, flight route, flight time, special events and booking window.

CABINZERO's Tips: If you find a fair deal, consider booking to keep that ticket, as many airlines allow passengers to cancel without paying a penalty within 24 hours.

Avoid Peak Season Travel

Try to travel outside of high-demand periods. Most airlines calculate their costs and sell the same seat option at different prices, depending on different booking times.

Avoid flying during high-season periods such as summertime and holidays. Or when there is a big event such as a festival or sporting event in your chosen destinations.

By using a variable pricing strategy that is based on demand and supply, airlines can maximise their revenue. Travel during holiday time or booking a flight to popular destinations tend to have higher ticket prices. This is due to high demand, thus, a significant increase in airfares.

Opt For In-demand Flight Routes

If you can pick any destination to travel to, try to pick a flight route that is in high demand or too exclusive. When a route have many flight offerings from different airlines, the airfares tend to be lower. In contrast, destinations with fewer commercial flights or serviced by only one airline may have higher airfares due to limited competition.

Book Airfare Directly Through the Airline

Consider booking directly with the airline via their website or hotline. Sometimes, airlines offer a better price than other booking apps. It is always worth checking all the options before you finalise your ticket payment.

CABINZERO’s Tips: If you are a frequent air traveller, you can use your flyer miles and save even more when booking directly with your airline. If you are lucky, you can even upgrade to first class for free.

Tools For Flight Booking

Using different travel apps and booking tools to find good deals more conveniently. Screenshot taken on Google Flights

From great flight deals to dream holiday rentals and fun-filled activities, travel apps can make the whole trip planning experience more enjoyable and less stressful.

There are plenty of tools available for price-tracking and flight searching. One of the most popular is Google Flights. Travellers can have a detailed overview of daily airfares over the course of a month, or even year.

More than just a search engine, it is a great way to track the preferred flights and then book directly with the airlines. Expedia and Kayak are other good tools for price-tracking as well.

When you want to hunt super-saving deals, visit sites such as Skyscanner, CheapAir, Orbitz and Momondo. Explore different offers available on these websites and pay attention to their policies as well as the airlines' policies before making payment.

Are you looking for subscription services for cheap flights? Signing up for Going (formerly known as Scott's Cheap Flights) then. You will receive notifications via emails about whether there are good flight deals. All you need to do is selecting your home airport and choose multiple destinations that you are interested in visiting.

For mobile apps for flight booking, start searching and get notifications on flight routes right on your smartphone with Hopper and Kiwi.com. Skyscanner, Momondo and Kayak also have user-friendly apps. There are special rates offered for mobile-only bookings.

CABINZERO’s Tips: Set an automatic alert on your preferred flight routes on Google Flights to be notified when airfares change.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Booking Flights

It’s tempting to book at the last minutes for a better deal, but is it really the best way? Photo by angellodeco on stock.adobe.com

Choosing flights based on destinations and travel dates before checking airfares. By choosing to travel on days with low-cost tickets to low-demand destinations in low-season time, you can save more on tickets and spend more on the travel experience.

Relying on last-minute deals instead of monitoring flights early. If you have a fixed destination in mind and a few travel dates to choose from, monitor airfares early and book when the price drops. Last-minute flights can have soaring prices for various reasons. For instance, rising demand for last-minute flights for business or personal reasons and peak travel periods are reasons that can make airfares increase.

Overlooking the fine print or falling for advertisements without checking the policies applied. Many low-cost airlines offer cheaper fares in exchange for losing access to free carry-on allowances. Be extra careful and read the fine print whenever you finalise a booking. Hidden costs can also be avoided if you check all the policies carefully.

FAQ

1. Which are the best websites for flight booking?

Flight search engines such as Google Flights, Skyscanner, Momondo, Hopper, Kayak, Expedia and Orbitz are great places to compare prices from different airlines to finalise your booking. There is no ultimate place that can offer the lowest airfares on a flight every single time. Compare different flight rates and plan in advance for the best possible rates.

2. How to book flights?

Each traveller has different preferences when it comes to booking, from accommodations to flight tickets. If you have time to research and compare different travel options, such as cheap travel dates in different destinations, you can book flights via flight booking websites and travel apps. If you are more traditional or do not have much time at hand, you ask travel agencies or contact directly to your preferred airline to get flight tickets.

Practise smart travel tips and book like a pro for your next trip. IG: @sophieffee

3. Are flights cheaper close to departure dates?

There are many factors that can affect airfares. Booking closer to departure dates or replying on last-minute flights do not guarantee the lowest price tickets for travellers. Stay on top of price trends for your selected flight routes and monitor how prices fluctuate to find the best airfares for your upcoming trips. 

4. When to book flights with the best airfares?

For domestic trips, you can monitor the prices and book from one to three months in advance for a good deal. For international trips, you should book in advance three to eight months before your preferred travel dates. If you must travel in high-demand periods, start monitoring airfares early.

How Far In Advance Can You Book A Flight? Smarter Air Travel Tips

Knowing how far in advance can you book a flight and using various flight searching websites to pick the best timeframe to book is the secret to the super-save flight deals. Be well-prepared for your next trip. Remember to book in advance for more options and less hassles. Pack well and have fun at your exciting destinations.

Chau Dao