When to book?
 

I am sure this has been asked many times. I know there is some sort of criteria. When is the best time to book for trip to Aruba, for January 2016? They are open to book now, but they seem high. Is it 6 months out or 45 days? I have forgotten. I have booked before but if memory serves me correct I usually do it June The flight would originate from Newark. Thanks for any inputs.

Yes, this has been asked many times, and the answer is always more or less the same: you never know. The 'criteria' for determining fares are the complicated algorithems used by the airlines to ensure they get the maximum revenue from every flight. The advice is to monitor prices for several weeks or even months or sign up for price alerts and when you see a fare you like, book it and never look back.

If you would like a more detailed response, Gardyloo has often posted more detailed comments in response to similar questions in this forum.

Your best bet is to keep checking until you see a price you can live with. I usually book about 4-5 months out but I start looking as soon as my dates are published. You can also sign up to get alerts on pricing. I have alerts coming to me from skyscanner but always buy direct from the airlines.

I just signed up for skyscanner and Kayak for weekly alerts. Thanks, yes I am going to wait till summer---I think that is a safe bet. Right now they are $557.00 Thanks.

Kayak does an analysis of when to book. I read an article about it in the NYT a few months ago and they evaluate when fares reach the lowest for different destinations, I would try to find the article on the NYT website, or maybe on kayak itself.