It’s nearly September, which means if you haven’t started planning your holiday travel yet, now is the time to start. But the good news is that, while you may need to hurry to secure your hotel reservations, the ideal time to book your airfare has not yet passed.
According to a recent product update from Google—which detailed updates to its Google Flights resource—the best time to book flights for Christmas is in early October. For trips starting in mid-December, you’re most likely to find the best deals in October. Average prices tend to be lowest 71 days before departure—a big change from Google’s 2022 insights, which found that average prices were lowest just 22 days before departure. This appears to be following a “return to normal” in booking trends, as we emerge from the pandemic: No longer are people waiting until the last minute to make travel decisions.
Overall, the typical low price range is now 54 to 78 days before takeoff.
Similarly, if you’re booking a flight to Europe—as seemingly everyone is doing this year—the best time to purchase your ticket is 72 days or more before departure. In other words, average airfares from the U.S. to Europe only tend to increase over time, especially once you’re about 10 weeks from departure. So, if you have plans of heading across the Atlantic, you should book your flight as soon as possible.
Source: Google
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