This text is taken from Courrier de l’économie. Click here to subscribe.
My plane tickets to the Dominican Republic for the winter of 2024, do I buy them as soon as possible or do I wait for prices to stabilize, wonders Yves Roy?
There are several theories about the best time to buy plane tickets. There’s an explanation: people don’t always fly for the same reasons or at the same time of year. But we can still see some conclusions emerging on the major trends in the aviation sector that will help you pay less for your next plane tickets.
Basically, the ideal time to start shopping for your tickets is between three and four months before the scheduled day of departure. This is revealed by the data from the Montreal comparator Hopper. His application spends his days analyzing and comparing the prices of plane tickets to and from all major cities in the world.
In your case, to travel to the Dominican Republic, you might want to start looking at prices earlier. In the case of international flights, Hopper suggests instead that travelers open their eyes (and their Web browser too, probably…) six to seven months before the desired departure date. Despite this, the Montreal comparator notes that the lowest prices are likely to appear on your radar screen almost three months before departure.
If you feel like going further afield, say, Thailand or New Zealand, however, you are likely to find the best prices five months before the departure date.
What Hopper says: “There is a great time to find the best prices, when airlines are generally going to offer their lowest prices, and when they are more likely to post promotional offers and discount prices. And that time is roughly between 90 and 120 days before the flight. And the further you go, the sooner you have to go to pay less.
Unless you decide not to put any luggage in the hold, and you fast during the trip. But it’s not the best way to start your vacation…
When to fly?
Finding the perfect time of year to fly isn’t the only way to pay less. In his statistics, Hopper observes in particular that there are times during the week when plane tickets also cost less.
For example, in the middle of the week, when airports are quieter and private airline lounges are deserted, you could pay an average of $56 less for a ticket on a domestic flight, and up to $100 less for a travel destination, if you are traveling during peak periods (summer vacation, holiday season, school break, etc.).
Finally, a significant detail, if missing a connection worries you, know that Hopper has a tip for you on this side as well. It seems that taking the plane early in the morning, before 9 am, is the best way to avoid delays and, thus, not to miss a possible connection. Early morning flights are half as likely to be delayed. The fact that they are the first to tread the tarmac is no stranger to this phenomenon.
Missing a connection is obviously annoying, but it’s also costly, whatever the government does to force carriers to be more respectful of their customers.