Best Time for Flights

[ceradawn]

I'm interested in when is the best time to find the cheapest flights. I am traveling from Las Vegas to Orlando. I plan on traveling at the end of September 2014 and if I search for flights now the price of a round trip tickets is around $500 per person but if I look at flights for February 2014 its almost $200 cheaper. When is the best time to start looking out for good deals?

[Romelle]

Finding cheaper fares is a little bit science, some luck, and a lot of persistence and work.

Your time is after the school summer break and not around any major holiday, so probably need not be really high. Las Vegas rates are also driven by events though so that is another unknown.

The rates this far out are pretty much for people that have a certain date and have to go. If you have some flexibility on your dates and can be patient, that will help.

VERY generally speaking, domestic rates can dip around 5-9 weeks ahead of time. The international rate low time is more likely 2-3 months ahead of time.

Many of the web sites have fare "trackers" you can set. You enter your trip and then you get emails when the rates change. These sites have tracking functions, but there undoubtedly are others:

Kayak

FareCompare

Southwest

Yapta

TripAdvisor

Travelocity

Expedia

Orbitz

No need to set all of them as you'd be deluged with email, but maybe 3? Some are trickier than others, so if one is giving you trouble, just move on to another one.

Think ahead of time just what you believe would be a good rate. The research you mention suggests around $300. If you get a notice the rate has dropped into that range, don't waste a lot of time deciding, as sales can sometimes only last minutes. Days is more likely, but ... Do link through this site as it helps keep it in business.

You also could consider bidding via Priceline (of course linking through this site). Maybe starting around $200 and working up gradually. There is more info on airline bidding in that area on this site.

Romelle