When is the best day to book a flight?
A recent report looked at which day is best to get the best deals on airline flights. It’s not a new question, but this latest study by ARC (Airline Reporting Corporation) and Expedia looked deeper at historical data to find the best times to buy and fly.
The research suggests that Tuesdays are the best days to book flight tickets, but to get a good deal you have to plan ahead. The best fares available for domestic flights are between 50-100 days before departure, or 150-225 days for international flights.
Those flying out on a Thursday and returning Monday will get the best deals. Whereas a Sunday return carries the highest premium. But overall, the report acknowledges that there are ‘no magic algorithms for flight booking’.
Algorithms are something that we live and breathe at PrivateFly. Our flight search is continuously updated with live aircraft and airport information to calculate the most accurate market pricing for every flight itinerary.
For the business aviation market (and for many airline travellers), booking up to 225 days ahead is simply not feasible. But private jet pricing and availability can change with the market conditions. Here are some FAQs about how timing affects your private jet price and choice:
DOES PRICING CHANGE IF I BOOK IN ADVANCE?
Not necessarily. Private jet charter pricing is calculated on several factors including aircraft location, flight time (including positioning), hourly rates of the aircraft, landing and handling fees. But these rates don’t increase purely based on leadtimes.
The business aviation industry is set up to meet the needs of short-notice travellers, so there is no premium to book at short notice (just potentially less availability to find the best deal). Booking further in advance does mean PrivateFly can source and secure the best placed aircraft to meet your needs. On peak demand days, e.g. global sporting events, aircraft and slot availability can sometimes mean you pay higher for the same routing compared to a normal day.
DOES THE DAY AND TIME AFFECT PRIVATE JET PRICING?
Not day-to-day. Although it does have an impact depending on which airport you want to use. For example, some airports are not open or have restricted opening at weekends. So you would need to choose an alternative airport which can impact cost (up or down) and may have a longer ground transfer.
The private jet industry is 24 hours, and at PrivateFly we operate a global service, so it’s business-as-usual around the clock. But time of day can have an impact, as not all airports are open 24 hours. Some will offer extended operating hours, but charge an out of hours fee, so your flight price would carry a premium in this case.
WILL PRIVATE JET CHARTER PRICES INCREASE IN 2015?
It’s unlikely that private jet customers will see any significant increases in private jet pricing next year. Market places such as PrivateFly mean that price transparency is now something that private jet customers increasingly demand. Aircraft operators are now benchmarking their prices more closely to be more competitive. Low fuel prices will also allow operators to keep pricing down. This is all good news for the private jet customer, as the industry moves forward in recovery.
I NEED TO BOOK AN URGENT FLIGHT – WILL I PAY MORE?
The short answer is no, but availability is the deciding factor. At PrivateFly, our technology allows us to be exceptionally responsive to ‘go now’ flight requests. We can target aircraft already on the ground or transient, which means that for last minute private jets, we can go from request to airborne within 2 hours (our record is 43 minutes).
For private jet pricing or advice (no matter what time or day) contact us or call our Flight team on +44 (0) 1747 642 777.
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