Travel Prices according to Time

[phil25]

Guys I'm looking to book my August trip this week. I have always heard that the prices of the hotel plus air packages fluctuate on popular sites such as Orbitz and travelocity based on day and time of week. For instance, I saw a package for the Wynn a day ago that was in the 700's and now that same package cost a grand.

I know for sure that this situation of fluctuating prices based on web site traffic exists, but what I want to know is if anyone knows when the best time or day of the week to book? anyone have any more knowledge in this area?

[kori]

I have a really good article on this saved on my work computer that was written by a travel expert that worked for one of this online companies.. I'll have to try and remember to look at it again.. I'll try to recall: generally, the best time is Monday and Tuesday around noon.. A company will post their 'deals', and by Tuesday afternoon, all other companies will have followed. They say most deals are not posted on the weekend, cause the "deal posters" are working regular M-F hours.. Have a good price in mind, and when you see it, just jump on it. you should check the site several times a day cause the price can change. This is true. I like to torture myself after I book a flight, I'll keep checking it to see if the price goes up or down. If it goes UP, I feel good, and if it goes down, I get super pissed. haha.

Depending on destination, the price will actually increase because they rely on business travelers that have to go last minute.. I study one airline regularly, and I notice that their best deals are six weeks before departure, and they post their deals on Thursdays. but by noon the next day, the deal is gone. and two weeks in advance, the price goes up a lot.. Or it's cheap one way, but triple the price return..

personally, I find it cheaper to book hotel/airfare separately. have you looked into priceline? i've had a lot of success with that website.

[kori]

Okay, so I'm reading my document and here are some snips.
"Airlines often start fare sales on Sunday night or Monday morning, but other carriers generally match the fare sale by Monday evening or Tuesday morning.
Wednesdays are generally the cheapest day to fly. Tuesdays and Saturdays are also good days to fly because demand is low and the airlines are trying to fill seats.
It's natural for travellers to book their flight when the workday is done or the kids are asleep. But the airlines are posting fares on their own schedule. They file fares to the computer system that shares them among websites and travel agents three times each weekday - 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern time. It's 5 p.m. Eastern on Saturdays and Sundays. That means fares can change at those times, so when you do see a fare at the price you're looking for, grab it.
Fares start to rise again seven to 10 days before a flight - sometimes as long as 14 days or more, depending on the airline and sale offer. Airlines raise fares closer to the departure date because last-minute seats tend to be bought by business travellers and others who must fly at certain times. "

bottom line, it's a gamble.. so if you see a good price, just buy it. and if it's a non-refundable ticket, don't torture yourself by looking at the site again..

[PDXdev]

No matter when you buy it, I, personally, found that Orbitz had by far the best flight/hotel deals. I checked lots of other sites for over a month including Priceline and Southwest Vacations but Orbitz was always cheaper.

Just a tip, make sure you call the hotel directly and confirm your reservation when you're getting close to leaving. I'm going to Vegas next Thursday and called my hotel yesterday afternoon to find out that they thought I was checking out on Saturday rather than Sunday! Had to call Orbitz to fix this, but it really wasn't much of a problem besides a decent amount of time on hold.

[IndyColtsGal]

I tend to find better deals on Tavelocity, however found an awesome deal on Travel Zoo for my next Vegas vacation (THANKS ARIA for posting that deal). I too prefer to book flight and hotel seperate, gives me greater leway with hotel of my choice and flight w/o layovers.