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- The best time to buy a flight can vary based on when you're trying to travel.
- Travel websites like CheapAir and Skyscanner research the best times to buy flights for every type of trip.
- A good rule of thumb is 70 days before you leave, but that can change based on whether you're booking holiday travel or have flexible dates.
Snagging a great flight deal can feel like playing the lottery. But getting the best possible airfare for a flight doesn't have to be just "plane" difficult - in some ways, there is a method to the madness.
CheapAir.com recently released their 2018 Airfare Study - an annual report on the best time to buy flights. They crunched the numbers on over 900 million airfares to determine that in 2017, the best time to buy a flight within the continental U.S. was 70 days in advance.
The key when booking a flight is to know your priorities - is it important that you go to a specific place? That you get away at a specific time? Once you have your non-negotiable factors set, finding the most economical flight comes down to putting in the time to research.