TIL I was booking flights completely backwards for 5 years

I always thought booking way ahead, like 6 months out, was the smart way to save money. Then last month I was looking at flights to Denver and noticed the prices were way lower just 3 weeks before the trip. I checked a few other routes and same thing happened - short notice was actually cheaper. Now I'm wondering if the whole 'book early for deals' thing is a myth or if I just got lucky. Has anyone else seen this pattern with specific airlines or destinations?

3 comments

3 Comments

vera_lewis1mo ago

Better check those budget airlines too I noticed Southwest and Frontier will sometimes drop prices like crazy two or three weeks out if they still have seats to fill.

christopher7131mo ago

Frontier dropped a flight from Denver to Orlando to 29 bucks once... twenty nine dollars. I checked three different times because I couldn't believe my eyes. Southwest had a similar deal a few weeks later, 49 bucks to Nashville with a free checked bag thrown in. It's almost like they're playing games with us, waiting to see who blinks first on price.

luna_clark381mo ago

not that frontier or spirit though cause they'll nickel and dime you on bags and seat selection and it ends up being the same as a normal airline lol. but yeah i read something online about airlines using algorithms to fill seats and they drop the price based on how many are left and how close the date is. i guess the whole book early thing was from back when computers didn't do that kind of stuff. it's like they're trying to trick people who don't check often into paying more.