Travel Timeline

What's the best way to get a great deal? When should you start looking for airfares? Our Travel Timeline will help you book your next trip and ensure you get the best deal to your next destination.

What is a good deal?

Only you can be the judge of a “good deal.” Deals are subject to the purchaser, they are part expectations from previous trips; part word of mouth; part honest-to-goodness budget constraints.

When to book?

• If you have very specific dates to travel (holiday, wedding etc.) and you know that you need to be at a specific place at a specific time, so your bargaining power dwindles. In this case, it's best to book well in advance. Ideally, book flights about 4 to 6 weeks in advance. If you're traveling during high-traffic times, including Thanksgiving week or school vacations, it's wise to book 12 to 16 weeks in advance.
• Advance Purchase – 21 days is the typical advance purchase requirement for the cheapest fares; although meeting this requirement doesn’t guarantee availability.
• If you have the luxury of flexibility then you can afford to play the waiting game. Last-minute fares and weekend deals are always available from airlines so keep your options open and travel at whim.
• If you see an airfare for your trip and you think “that’s a great deal”, don't wait. Buy the ticket when you find it and be confident that you got the best deal for your travel needs. Waiting or even just reserving your seat can be a mistake – prices change frequently and reserving your ticket without purchasing does not guarantee the price.
• Peak Season: The hardest time to score an airfare bargain is June through August. Peak travel weeks and weekends that fall into either low or moderate travel seasons can be different; but only if you’re at the right place at the right time. More and more airlines are breaking up the traditional high/low/shoulder travel seasons to include high seasons for holiday travel within the low season. If you’re in the right place at the right time or if you subscribe to travel newsletters you may be able to get a low season price for peak season travel.
• Holiday Travel Tip: Plan your vacation time at the beginning of the year and save a couple vacation days for Thanksgiving and/or December holiday travel. Having a few day's flexibility during these holidays could save you a bundle.

Listen to the experts

• Sign up for newsletters or use flexible search options: these tools are the opportunists' best friends. Cheapflights' experts are looking for airfare deals every day, so take advantage of newsletter subscriptions that offer last minute deals and seat fares.
• If you have to travel last minute, check the airlines’ weekend specials. This may not be as inexpensive as advance purchase fares; although you may see a price drop within a week or so of travel dates if the airlines are trying to fill flights on certain routes.
• Check the one-way fares. In some cases, you can find a cheaper flight by booking two one-way destination tickets. This is usually the case if you aren't planning on staying more than three nights or planning a Saturday night stayover.
• Don't discount the bigger airlines. Sure, the discount airlines (Southwest, jetBlue, etc.) are sometimes cheaper, but what discount airlines really do is force legacy carriers to adjust their prices. It's possible you'll find a cheap fare on discount airlines but keep in mind that larger carriers have more routes and travel times available. If you're committed to certain travel times and dates, check the legacy carriers first to find the best route and time of travel.
• Be realistic. If you can't adjust your travel times and dates, you'll need to adjust your travel price expectations.
• Check the rules of your ticket; some tickets will allow for refunds of price difference if the cost of a seat on your exact flights decreases. If this is the case with your ticket, keep checking prices (with the airline or agency that you purchased your ticket) and request a refund if the price decreases.