In the past, if you wanted to travel by airplane for cheap, you would contact a travel agent who would give you the “best” deal. With everyone owning a smartphone or a computer, you are able to find the best deal and book airplane tickets right at home or on the go. Knowing when to book your tickets is vital to getting the best price.
One of the most popular local flights on Travelstart is from Cape Town to Johannesburg which I have taken many times. Here are some tips to help you decide when the best time is to book your airplane tickets:
The day matters
The cheapest day to book a domestic flight is usually a Tuesday or a Wednesday in the afternoon. Why in the afternoon? Business travelers usually book their flights in the morning, on their company accounts, so the prices are increased in this period. If you wait until the afternoon, you should get a better deal.
The month matters
Avoid booking tickets in months when there are either festive seasons such as in December or school holidays such as January or July. These months will be busy, expensive and also very noisy! High demand causes the price of tickets to increase!
Avoid these days
You know the best day, but which days should you avoid? The most expensive days to book tickets are Fridays and Sundays. You should also avoid booking tickets right before public holidays and school holidays.
Book in advance, but not too far
You want to plan ahead and book your tickets in advance so you know your vacation is happening. I totally get that but don’t book too far in advance. To get the best price, you should book in the 6 week period before you plan to depart. This is the time when airlines may have last minute specials. Those that book 3 to 6 months in advance can save around 14% but these early birds miss out on flash sales.
Watch the oil price
Just like the price of petrol can make your car trip more expensive, the same is true with the price of oil and your flight. Keep an eye on the oil to the Rand exchange rate. If the Rand has gone weaker, your flight is going to cost you more. So to get a cheaper ticket, buy when the Rand to oil price has improved.
My favorite way to get cheap flights is to keep an eye on the specials from TravelStart in the TravelStart newsletter, which you should definitely sign up for.
Now that you know when the best time to buy an airline ticket is, you can join me in getting cheap flights from Cape Town to Johannesburg or wherever else you are going to fly to!
Here is a handy infographic with more stats on when to buy airline tickets in South Africa:
This article has been written in collaboration with Travelstart
