Economy tickets purchased at least 21 days in advance for
travel within North America are 31 percent cheaper than those purchased within
three weeks of departure, and premium class tickets bought three weeks ahead of
time save 27 percent. That's according to Airlines Reporting Corp. and
Expedia’s analysis of airfare data over the first 10 months of 2015.
For travel between North America and Europe, the three-week
window brings savings of 21 percent in economy and 20 percent in premium
classes. The savings rise higher for travel within Europe, for which economy
tickets are 36 percent cheaper.
The optimal lead time, however, is farther in advance, beyond
practicality for most corporate travel programs. The data indicated that
economy tickets within North America were cheapest 57 days prior to travel, when
the average fare was about 10 percent lower than the average North American
fare over the study's 10-month period. For international flights from North
America, that window fell even farther out. Tickets to South America purchased 90
days ahead of departure were 10 percent lower than the average price of tickets
over the duration of the study. Tickets to Asia/Pacific purchased 160 days out
were 13 percent cheaper than the average. And tickets to Europe purchased 176
days in advance were 11 percent less expensive.