Best time to book and with whommmm......

[Only me]

Hi,

So not really an ettiquette question as more a general I need help.

I am planning on going to New Orleans in a few weeks and need to book my flight. I have checked some prices and they are definately more than I want to spend. Although I am in Canada, its cheaper for me to fly out of the US and I'm near a couple of boarder cities, so driving is not a problem.

Any suggestions on what sites would be give reasonable fairs and be reputable. Is there a "better time" to book as in "flights are cheapest....". I am trying to keep the flight costs @ about $300 if possible.

Me me me

[lady_disdain]

I usually use Kayak or similar search engine. If you use the "flexible date" option, they show up to 3 days before and 3 days after the date you specify. With this, you can quickly check an entire month and see what is best in that particular destination.

[buvezdevin]

I usually use Kayak or similar search engine. If you use the "flexible date" option, they show up to 3 days before and 3 days after the date you specify. With this, you can quickly check an entire month and see what is best in that particular destination.

POD.

Also, it doesn't necessarily work out well to "wait" in the hopes fares may drop, it often works the other way with tickets bought well in advance getting the best price.  Best wishes!

[Outdoor Girl]

After each search, clear your cookies.  Some on this site told me that the sites track your cookies and the price of your flights can keep going up!

[Slartibartfast]

First step: look up the airport you intend to fly into - it should have a website which lists what airlines fly there.

Second step: look up fares on each airline's website.  It used to be true that you could get a cheaper deal through one of the consolidator sites, but that's not always the case anymore (and some of the cheaper airlines aren't even on those sites).

Third step: check kayak.com, orbitz.com, travelocity.com, and hotwire.com.  You'll get substantially the same results, but it's worth an extra half an hour if you can save $20, right?

[GratefulMaria]

If you're east coast, I've noticed BOS (Logan Airport in Boston, MA) has been much, much less expensive than MHT (Manchester, NH) every time we booked a trip.  There is scheduled bus service from, I think, northern NH down to BOS. 

Happy travels!

[joraemi]

I like bookingbuddy.com (searches many sites at once) and travelocity.com.

I *think* it's less expensive to fly on Tuesdays - but don't hold me to that - I think destination plays a part - maybe someone else can confirm/refute that?

[Slartibartfast]

I like bookingbuddy.com (searches many sites at once) and travelocity.com.

I *think* it's less expensive to fly on Tuesdays - but don't hold me to that - I think destination plays a part - maybe someone else can confirm/refute that?

Tuesdays doesn't matter specifically, but rates do go up dramatically if you're not staying over a Saturday night.  It's how airlines can scalp business travelers (who presumably want to be home over the weekends).

[lady_disdain]

I like bookingbuddy.com (searches many sites at once) and travelocity.com.

I *think* it's less expensive to fly on Tuesdays - but don't hold me to that - I think destination plays a part - maybe someone else can confirm/refute that?

Tuesdays doesn't matter specifically, but rates do go up dramatically if you're not staying over a Saturday night.  It's how airlines can scalp business travelers (who presumably want to be home over the weekends).

Business travelers are supposed to be less price sensitive than leisure travelers, because often aren't paying out of their own pockets (the employer or client pay travel expenses). So the airline assumes that they will accept a higher price than a leisure traveler on the day/time. Saturday is a great way to identify leisure travelers.

[cicero]

what everyone said:
*check the airlines directly then check kayak, travelocity etc. clear your cookies (i don't know if this was coincidence or not but last time i did this i actually got a *great* hotel deal after i cleared my cookies).
*check flights going to/from *other* airports, e.g., JFK vs. Newark vs. la guardia. but take into account added travel time to/from airports, cost of extra travel etc. sometimes it can make a big difference.
*I dn't live in the US and i find that using a travel agent not only gets me *exactly* what i want but also somewhat cheaper. I undestand (from this site) that this is not the same in the US/Canada but it may be worth a try.

[MamaMootz]

Hiya, someone who used to book flights for a company at the cheapest cost possible, but had to use the internet to do so here.

Kayak is the best search engine for this, and you can use flexible dates to check on the best prices. Also, if you are staying over a Saturday night that will significantly lower the fare. Booking as far in advance as possible also yields the most reasonable prices.

[Tea Drinker]

It is often least expensive to book on a Tuesday or Wednesday, and most expensive to do so over the weekend, regardless of when you will actually be flying. (I've mostly been booking directly with the airlines, but most of my flights are the same round-trip on a route where there is one good airline choice.)

[iridaceae]

Book directly with the airline. When youbook third party if you need to vhange anything you must do it through the third party. That can be long and involved and a hassle.

[Stormtreader]

Ive used skyscanner.net before, that will show you singles prices (sometimes 2 singles are cheaper than a return) and also give you an idea of which days are cheaper than others.

[Outdoor Girl]

I usually use travelocity or expedia or something just to see what flights are available with which airlines and then go directly to the airline to book the flight.

I've found that flying Tue-Wed-Thurs, staying over the weekend and flying back out Tues-Wed-Thurs cheaper than trying to fly Fri thru Mon.

But the last flight I just booked was done using Air Miles so I didn't have to worry about the dates and chose Fri out, a week Sat back to use a minimum of vacation days.  Still cost me $187 in taxes, though.