best time to purchase ticket
 

I have often heard that purchasing airline tickets with lowest prices available for overseas travel is best about 4 to 5 months ahead of time. Does this still hold true? :)

it wasn't normally true then and it isn't now. The airlines set fares based on very detailed logarithms. Best prices could be 10 months out or 5 months out or when a sale hits 3 months out . . . or who knows???

So when you find a fare you like/can live with . . . jump on it and then quite looking.

JANISJ I've always done that in the past but so often hear 4 to 5 months out I thought I'd listen to other comments

You will hear all kind of things. If you are a frequent flier, you know there is no "rule." People make money writing articles about when the best time to buy is, but it's all bs. Like Janis, I watch ticket prices and when there is a price I like, I buy it.

There was something on the news the other day that indicated best time was 47 days out. I'm not sure how or who came up with that idea. I can't even remember which TV channel had the report! Didn't take notes, but the #47 stuck in my head.

I agree with watching the price and then purchase when you are happy with the fare. The do go up and down!

For our trip to London from Australia I bought tickets 8 months ahead cause I knew that was a Good price,! Do your homework and take a chance .

>>There was something on the news the other day that indicated best time was 47 days out.<<

Which is just silly - there are sooooooo many variables.

True, janisj. Too many variables. How this news story came up with 47 days, I have no idea.

The only tickets I usually try to pick up further than 2-3 months ahead of travel are my frequenr flier tickets for Dec/Jan holiday travel as I try to get saver award seats in first class to Bangkok. I've already snagged 3 seats for this December. Gotta be quick or they're gone.

We're off to London in August and when I found tickets at a price I was willing to say "stick", I did. I first watched the different airlines I was interested in; wrote down prices and dates that price was offered, and waited. When the price dropped over $100 below what I had been seeing, I bought.

Will the price go down more? Possibly. But do I want to be stressed out risking it and then kicking myself? Nope.

But everyone is right. In 2009 I decided to join my mom last minute on a trip to France. Happened to hit a last minute steep cut in price (half empty plane, I suspect!) and snagged the deal, two weeks before departure.

I guess if I was super flexible, I wouldn't mind trying that again. But not when the plan is to be at a destination at a set date, with work to come back to!