Best time to buy airline tickets?

[wrtiii]

I don't think there are any rules about "book on Tuesday", "book 40 days out", etc. that are reliable.

The first question is, do you care about exactly when you go, what route you take, and what seats you get, or do you care only about price? I want to be in JA as early as possible on our travel day, and leave as late as possible on my return day without taking an overnight flight, so my flight choices are very limited. I also like some choice of seating. That means I book early - 4 months out, usually - and pay somewhat more than if I shopped hard for the cheapest option. I know how much I've paid in previous years, and the day I see something that is the same as or less than I paid last year, I book it.

The advice on not shopping until you're ready to buy is spot on. They know you're looking - they track the searches - and their pricing algorithms will use that information against you.

Last year, a friend's scheduled flight was cancelled, so he had to rebook 3 weeks out, and he got tickets on my same flight for 40% less than I had paid. That price lasted literally for an hour, then returned to 10% more than I had paid. So if you ever see what appears to be a really good deal, be ready to jump on it!

And my time is worth something to me, so the "it pays" is subjective. How many hours are you willing to spend to save $50.?