Peter Greenberg: When Should I Purchase My Airfare?

By: Peter Greenberg | Source: AARP.org

Is there a "best time" to try to get airline tickets? Such as months early? two months before? two weeks before? Are there hints for trying to secure a lower airfare?
–Ricky, Lake Worth, Fla.

Generally, we recommend 45 days out for domestic tickets and about 60 days ahead for international flights, unless you're planning to fly on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving or to other known and firmly scheduled events or holidays. Prices have usually dropped to their lowest from fare wars at this point, not counting last-minute sales. As far as when to book, you'll usually find the best fares if you book midweek, especially just after midnight on Tuesday, when fares are usually at their lowest in the weekly fare fights. One great Web site that can help you with this is Farecast.com, which predicts whether specific airfares are going up or down. The site covers mostly domestic destinations at this point but is expanding into international coverage.