The Benefits of Booking Flights in Advance

There are undoubted benefits in booking flights in advance, not least the fact that you get it a lot cheaper than you possibly expected.

A study has shown that booking flights well in advance will get you the best deal. And the reason, basically it comes down to commerciality. If you are prepared to pay in advance and effectively handover cash to the company providing the flight, that benefits them with a healthy bank balance and the reward, a cheaper ticket. It also means that they can plan their flights better over a long period.

The airline business is so competitive and cut-throat, that they will incentivise those passengers with better deals, that are prepared to part with their cash way before departing.

But bear in mind that although generally it is true that booking flights in advance does mean cheaper flights, it’s not always the case and sudden special promotions, usually when an airline needs to cover a slack period, or generate some cash, can mean better bargains. But as a counter to that, that’s only really for those people who don’t mind making last minute arrangements. For most people, planning ahead, to take into account their and the kids holidays, is a necessity.

Now, you can book 12 months in advance and although some might think that excessive, the early birds will get the worms so to speak.

Many of the airlines operate a policy called calendar lead selling, which means that each flight will have a long lead in time from when the flight is technically ready for booking (can be 12 months), to the day when it departs. The seats are then divided up into price brackets: so many at £100, so many at £150, so many at £200, and so on. The cheapest seats go first until all that’s left at the very end of the period are the dearest seats. Most airlines tend not to allocate more cheaper seats, or drop prices before the flight goes, unless they have a problem.

So, book early to get those bargains, especially if you intend to travel during peak periods, such as the Christmas and Easter periods, and school holidays. Leaving it late, then trying to book cheap tickets during these periods will often be impossible.

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