Flying over Greenland

When to Buy Flights in 2016
A recent report from Expedia and the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) has shed some light on the year ahead and the flight booking patterns expected. Terabytes of flight data from more than 10 billion flights were analyzed, as, according to the report, “fare changes in a previous year often are good indicators for the year to come.”

All in all, the findings suggest 2016 should be another good year for travel, especially as the US dollar holds strong against the Euro, etc. Among the takeaways, per Expedia’s Viewfinder blog:

  • “Economy air ticket prices declined roughly 8 percent between October 2014 and October 2015, and that the trend of decreasing prices should continue through the first few months of 2016”
  • “Intra-Europe routes will be among the best bargains in 2016”
  • The best time to buy airfare will be “roughly 57 days in advance” and “air ticket prices purchased around this point yield a 10 percent savings versus the average fare”
  • “The best time to buy an economy ticket for another destination within Europe is 140 days in advance”
  • Tuesday remains the optimum weekday to buy airfare, but “weekends provide an opportunity to find great deals, too”

 

You can read the full report here, and some more analysis here. Of course, I believe there’s no single best time to buy airfare, a point that I spoke about at the New York Times Travel Show this past weekend. Check out my 17 ways to find cheap airfare here.

 

____________________________________________________________

Tried this tip? Let me know in the comments!
Have your own tip? Email it to whitney@johnnyjet.com!
Want to see more tips? Click here for all 590!

Want even more travel tips? Subscribe to the Daily Travel Tip newsletter! All you have to do is sign up for the weekly newsletter by filling in your email address and checking the Daily Travel Tip box in the top-right corner of the homepage.

If you already subscribe to the newsletter, fill in your email and check the Daily Travel Tip box in the same top-right corner of the homepage and you’ll receive an email with a link to update your JohnnyJet.com preferences. On that page, just click the Daily Travel Tip box and Update Profile and you’ll have Johnny’s best tips, straight to your inbox each day. And don’t worry—it’s easier than it sounds!

4 Comments On "Travel Tip of the Day: When to Buy Flights in 2016"
  1. Ivonne Davila|

    Hi Johnny, can you offer some room accomodations on Milan, Italy? I will going there for the week of March 21-27, 2016 ( myself and twin sister for birthday) say B&B, hostels or hotels. As long as its clean and private room — we want to focus our monies more on tours-meals and cultural enlightenment. Yet, where we lay our heads does count as well. I look forward to your suggestions. Sorry I missed you at the NYT Travel Show- I am sure you gave some great tips as I see above.
    Till I hear from you.

  2. Bob White|

    Tuesdays are the best days to buy airfare? Buy it ON a Tuesday or for TRAVEL ON a Tuesday??

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Travel on a Tuesday

  3. mimi|

    Hi Johnny
    Please send me some info about international flights like going to africa and Europe
    I’m a business woman ,I need some advices to save money
    I love ur newsletters
    Thank you
    God bless

Leave a Reply

Required fields are marked *

Recent posts