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Booking Last Minute Flights or Planning in Advance

Everyone talks about getting last minute deals when planning their flights, but is that the best way to make savings? It is surprising how much of a difference the time you buy your tickets can make. If you time it right, you can find massive savings of up to 50% off the normal ticket price. So, when should you be buying your tickets – in advance or last minute?

Buying tickets in advance can have its advantages. Airlines want to be able to forecast sales and get a good idea of what they are going to sell so will make sure tickets are a bit cheaper for peace of mind that the plane won’t be empty.

Airlines will also reduce ticket prices closer to the time for last minute deals because at the end of the day, if they don’t sell them the tickets become worthless as soon as the flight leaves.

There does tend to be a pattern in the way the ticket prices fluctuate. The prices will tend to be at their lowest when the flight is three to four weeks away and as the date gets nearer, the prices will hitch up a little again as the airline becomes more confident of the flight being full. There is another pattern though and that is that the tickets may stay at the same price and fall slightly as the flight date comes to into view.

Last minute tickets are usually a good deal, but there is no guarantee that you will be able to get them and if the flight is quite full, they may even be more expensive.

You can try keeping an eye out every couple of days and wait for a price that suits you. This means that you can potentially get a really good deal, and if you don’t, there is still the option of those at minute tickets as well. This can be a scary way of booking your flights though because you won’t know if you are even going anywhere until your pretty much going!

You can get great deals from package holiday providers and benefit from not having to do any of the planning as well! Whatever your trip is intended for, the World Wide Web will have something to offer you, just make sure you go with a reputable company if you choose this road. You can get stag and hen weekends from Eclipse for example for a great price and they are a really trusted company so you would be able to sit back and relax until you go.

If you prefer to plan ahead then you can find the cheaper deals when you by two to three months ahead. You can guarantee that seat, but you will need to be sure of when you are going to be travelling.

If this suits you and you know you want to go to that place on that date then you can get cheaper tickets by planning ahead and benefit from the peace of mind that your holiday is booked, paid for, and ready to go. You should be able to get a deal that will be as cheap as last minute deals if you look into purchasing your tickets between two and three months before your flight.

If you are happy to wait and see and aren’t particularly bothered about where you are going, then you can benefit from waiting until the last minute and seeing where the world can take you. There are loads of sites that will compare the available deals for you so as long as you don’t have your heart set on one destination; then you can find a brilliant deal as well.

So, the answer is both! You can benefit from booking early, or you can benefit from leaving it until the last minute. It is ultimately down to your preference and where you want to go. Whichever way you choose; make sure you time it right and get the best deal!

There are many people who believe planning ahead brings cheaper prices and there are many people who believe last minute deals are the best. Make your own mind up depending on your own preference.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Roxanne .