July 16, 2015: According to the American Association of Retired People (AARP) the best time to book a domestic flight is 47 days before take off… this is based on information from CheapAir.com which analyzed 5 million potential fares. And the best day to book is Tuesday before 3 pm Eastern Standard Time.
For the best deal to Europe they say book 276 days before planned departure – really? The Travel Curmudgeon disagrees – experience says that the more in advance one books the higher the fare – makes sense, planning that far in advance airlines can charge what ever they can get!
The TC’s advice – be vigilant and check fares often – a typical airfare changes more than 70 times – have a price in mind (based on your own research) and book when that price gets close. AARP needs to be more vigilant in their own research!!!
