Best time to book flights

Work through these in order. The first three steps decide the timing; the rest decide the price you actually pay.

1. Fix the dates and mark which are hard. A wedding date is hard. A city break in March is soft. Hard dates get booked early; soft dates get watched.

2. Check the school-holiday and festival calendar for both ends of the trip. A departure that looks midweek can still sit inside a national holiday week, which changes both price and airport crowds.

3. Set a price alert on the route for your dates, and on the days either side. Alerts do the watching so you do not check ten times a day.

4. Compare the total cost, not the fare. Add checked bags, seat selection, a meal if you want one, and the cost of getting to the airport. Low-cost fares often lose once bags are added.

5. Book direct with the airline when the price is close. If a schedule changes or a flight is cancelled, the airline can rebook you; a third-party agent adds a layer that slows everything down.

6. Pay with a card that includes travel protection, and keep the confirmation in one folder you can reach offline.

7. Book the ticket before you book the non-refundable hotel, unless the hotel is the reason for the trip. Flights can be changed more easily than a prepaid room.

8. Re-check the booking 48 hours before departure for schedule changes, and again the night before for the terminal and gate.

Fares are route-specific, so treat the numbers below as 2026 estimates for planning, not quotes. The pattern matters more than the figure: the gap between booking in the window and booking late is usually larger than any saving from a clever search.

On a typical short-haul return, booking inside the window might cost around USD 120–250 (2026 estimate), while the same route two days before departure can be USD 400 or more. On long-haul, a return booked 3 months out might sit around USD 700–1,100 (2026 estimate); inside two weeks the same route often runs USD 1,500–2,500 (2026 estimate). Peak dates can double the early figure and still sell out.

The other cost is time and risk. A cheap self-transfer itinerary with a 70-minute connection can cost you a night in an airport hotel if the first flight slips. A flexible ticket costs more up front and less when plans change. Price the risk, not just the seat.

Award tickets. Seats released for points often appear far earlier than cash fares, and the good ones go first. If you are booking with miles, the window is closer to 6–11 months for popular routes, and you should book when the seat appears rather than wait for a price drop.

Mistake fares and flash sales. These are real and short-lived. They reward flexible travellers who can move dates and who have passport and payment details ready. If your dates are fixed, ignore them.

Routes with one airline. On a monopoly or thin route, the fare curve is flatter and later. There is no competition to push prices down, so book when you see a price you can live with.

New routes. Airlines discount new routes to fill them. If a carrier has just launched your city pair, the first weeks of sales can beat anything later.

Group bookings. Six or more travellers often cannot be held on one reservation at the online price. Book earlier than the table suggests, or split into two bookings and accept the risk of separate handling.

Points plus cash, and stopovers. These add value but also complexity. Check the rules before you commit, because changes can be expensive.

Once the ticket is issued, the timing question is over and the paperwork begins. Check your passport validity against the destination's rule — many countries want six months beyond arrival, and some want a blank page. Apply for visas or electronic travel authorisations early; appointments and processing times can be the real bottleneck, not the flight.

Buy travel insurance soon after the flights, not the week before. Policies bought close to departure may exclude cancellation cover for events already known, and pre-existing medical conditions usually need to be declared at purchase. Check that the policy covers the activities you plan and the countries you will actually enter.

Sort the practical items: a card that does not charge foreign transaction fees, a small amount of local cash for arrival, and a bag that meets the carry-on size the airline actually enforces. Weigh the bag at home; airport scales are unforgiving.

Finally, save your booking references, insurance policy number and embassy contact offline. Screenshot the boarding pass. If a schedule change lands while you are in transit, you want the details without hunting for wifi.