U.S. domestic economy tickets purchased for business travel 22 days in advance are 61 percent cheaper on average than those booked within three days of departure, according to an Egencia and Airlines Reporting Corp. analysis of ARC data covering 2,000 U.S. and 4,000 European Union travel management companies. An economy ticket for a domestic flight purchased 22 days in advance costs an average of $454, compared to $733 for a ticket purchased within three days in departure.
Probability of Booking Within Advance
Advance-purchase corporate travel policies reduce the probability of a traveler purchasing a ticket within seven days of departure by 17 percent for U.S. domestic flights and 18.7 percent for international flights from the U.S., according to bookings made through Egencia's North American website between January 2017 and June 2018.
For first class and business class, the domestic tickets cost $1,260 and $1,703, a 37 percent difference. For first and business class from the U.S. to Asia, a corporate ticket purchased 22 days in advance was 15 percent cheaper than a ticket purchased within three days of departure, $6,494 versus $7,450.
Of all domestic advance ticket purchases for corporate travel, 29 percent were purchased 22 days in advance. For U.S. to Asia, 48 percent were purchased 22 days in advance. From the U.S. to Europe, 52 percent were purchased 22 days in advance.