Why Are Flights So Expensive? When Are Flights Cheapest? – A Detailed Guide

Last updated on Sep 26th, 2024 by Heena Ganotra

Everyone thinks that international travel is frightfully expensive which raises a common question Why are flights so expensive?. But, it is possible to get a flight at cheaper rates. Instead of booking arbitrarily when you make your travel plans, you can wait for days when tickets are available at a lower price. Predicting ticket price fluctuations is possible by observing the pricing patterns and travel trends. It is as simple as typing ‘when are flights cheapest’ and mentioning a specific destination. 

For example, you can google when flights from Sydney to New Delhi are cheap and then book tickets accordingly. Of course, there are ways to get even better deals and we explain them here.

Why Are Flights So Expensive? | Common Reasons

The main reason prices are going up is that fuel costs more, according to Pierre Benckendorff, an expert in tourism and airlines from the University of Queensland. As per the Australia Broadcasting Corporation, he explains that the price of crude oil has been high since around late 2022, and when fuel prices rise, companies often make customers pay more too.

Other than this, there are several more reasons explaining ‘Why are flights so expensive right now?’. A few of them are explained below – 

Travel Demand: During peak travel periods such as Spring Break, Easter, and Christmas, there is a higher demand for flights as more people have time off work for holidays. This increased demand often leads airlines to raise prices due to the higher number of travelers looking to book flights. Special events like sports tournaments, festivals, etc attract large amounts of people which makes demand skyrocket.

Seasonal Travel: Most people are aware that traveling during Christmas, Easter, and vacations can be expensive. For multiple savings try to travel during the off-season. For beach destinations, late spring is ideal, while major cities are great to visit in September or October.

• Operating Costs: Airlines have significant operating expenses, including fuel, aircraft maintenance, crew salaries, and insurance. Fluctuations in fuel prices can have a particularly large impact on ticket prices.
• Taxes and Fees: Governments impose taxes and fees on airline tickets, which can vary depending on the country and the specific route.

Airport Charges: Airports charge airlines for the use of facilities and services, such as landing fees, gate rentals, and passenger facilities charges (PFCs). These costs are often passed on to passengers.

When Will Flight Prices Drop? | When Are Flights Cheapest?

Flights tickets tend to be most inexpensive from four months before your trip to three weeks before the departure date. After that, usually, the fare goes up. Booking tickets in advance can help you save hundreds of dollars on your trip. If you book too close to the date of departure, you may end up paying twice the amount you need to! 

Business professionals book tickets just before their departure date at expensive rates. This can help drive up the ticket cost significantly.

Tip – Don’t know how and when to book cheap Australia To India flights? Consider booking your flight from Australia to India at least 1-3 months in advance to secure the best deals.

When Do The Flight Prices Drop In The Week? 

According to the analysis of airline pricing trends, it is Tuesday, the cheapest day to book airfare. As many airlines launch their discount rates on Mondays, which means booking a ticket on Tuesday morning can help you find the best deal. You may save somewhere between 15% and 25% on your ticket price.

You can find cheap air fare for Economy Class during the middle of the week. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. These are considered the best days to book flights. That means if your departure date falls in the middle of the week, the ticket will be cheaper. However, Business Class tickets follow a different pattern. They are more affordable during the weekends because most business professionals won’t travel on their days off. 

How Many Days Before A Flight Is the Best Price? | Cheap Flight Days

Flights are considered cheaper when you book your air tickets between 5.5 and 1.5 months (164 and 46 days) in advance of your flight departure date. You can also use Google Flights to be updated on flight fares and pricing trends can help you stay on top of fare pricing trends so you get an idea about the best time to book international flights from Australia. 

• Different airlines have different methods for setting prices for flights. Sometimes the rates fluctuate based on demand. However, most tickets are fairly inexpensive around 70 days before the departure date. 
• Booking your flight tickets six to eleven months in advance can prove to be pretty expensive. This means that you may have to pay more if you book your tickets too early. 
• About 5.5 to 1.5 months before the departure date, the airlines decrease their prices and offer discounts to lure more passengers. So, remember this, when you search for ‘How far in advance to book international flights?’. However, the discounts depend on the demand for seats. If the demand is less, prices are likely to drop more. If demand is high, travellers may not receive desirable discounts. 
• Booking tends to slow down a couple of months to a couple of weeks before the departure date. If an airline still has many empty seats, they give big discounts to passengers. About three weeks before the departure date, the airline increases its prices because these travellers are usually in a hurry and will buy an expensive ticket if necessary. This trend is particularly prevalent in International Travel. 
• The worst time to book a flight ticket is six days before the departure date. The passengers have to pay more than the usual prices. Be mindful of the date because, after this point, tickets tend to be very expensive. 

When Do Flights Go On Sale?

As per the plane ticket price history, Tuesday is considered the least expensive day to book a flight. It appears that many airlines initiate their discounts on Monday evenings, thereby offering the best deals on Tuesday mornings. 

Also, flights typically go on sale at various times throughout the year, depending on the airline and destination. However, there are some general trends you can consider:

Sales Seasons: Airlines often have sales around major holidays such as Black Friday deals, Cyber Monday deals, Christmas deals, and New Year deals.

Advance Purchase: Booking in advance can sometimes result in lower prices, especially for popular routes and travel times.

Last-Minute Deals: Are last minute flights cheaper? While less common, airlines may offer last-minute deals to fill up empty seats on flights.

Midweek Bookings: Booking flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays can sometimes lead to lower prices, as airlines may announce sales on these days.

Will Flight Prices Go Down Or Up If You Keep Searching?

Yes, airfares do get a little more expensive if you keep searching. Web browser cookies allow flight booking websites to increase their rates based on the user’s search. The airlines also use several computer software to manage the price rates depending on the search results. As the demand for seats increases, the price also goes up, and instantly it is reflected on the booking websites.

However, other factors affect the price rates such as scheduling, competitor prices, the departure date, the time of the day or week, etc. If there’s a big scarcity in demand, frequent searches may not have an impact on ticket prices at all. However, don’t keep asking yourself, ‘Are flights going to get cheaper in the future’. Just grab it, when you spot a deal that fits your budget. This is a bit of a gamble and delaying too much may make you miss out on a good deal.

When Will Flights Get Cheaper If You Want To Book Months In Advance?

The flights will be the least expensive if you book your flight between 5.5 months to 1.5 months ahead of your departure date. Here is the month-wise analysis – 

• The cheapest months to grab cheap international flight prices are January and February. Enjoy amazing sale on flights to Australia during these months. 
• Most people have time to travel and go on vacations during December and summer months which makes it difficult to find cheap flights in December. Immediately after the winter break, everyone is busy with work and the travel industry generally experiences a slump. 
• The prices of flights in March are relatively high compared to January and February, as travellers prepare for spring break or summer break. Usually, everyone plans their long and short trips around this time of the year. 
• However, there is a chance of flight prices going up in mid-February because of Valentine’s Day. The flight fare drop in September too because most schools start in this month, which means families can’t plan their holiday trips.

What Are The Most Expensive Months To Fly?

December and summer months are the most expensive months to book flight tickets. Airlines increase the rates of December flight deals because of Christmas. People travel to see their family or loved ones during this time. Many people take advantage of the holiday season to indulge in some travel adventures. 

Summer months such as June, July, and August are busiest as families plan their trips around this time. Of course, you need to bear in mind that Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere so the winter months happen to fall between June and August. Winter months are a good time to travel to the country, which means the flight tickets are expensive. You won’t be able to find good deals on flights to Australia during this month. 

When Are Flights Cheapest To Book? How to Find Out?

Compare Deals – You can compare flight fares from different airlines to see which one offers the best deal. 

Travellers often jump through hoops to find the best deals on flights to Australia. There are tricks you can use to find exciting discounts and they include:

• Book Early – Book your tickets early, specifically between the period we have mentioned above. While it is possible to get some last-minute discounts, they’re not always guaranteed. 
• Use Incognito Mode – As we mentioned before, browser cookies can alert websites that you are looking into a flight and the booking platform can adjust the ticket prices accordingly. Using incognito mode is a way around this problem. 
• Book Immediately – If you find a good deal, book immediately. Don’t keep wondering ‘Do flights get cheaper closer to the date’ as that will make you miss out on a good ticket price. 
• Set Alerts – Many booking websites and airline websites allow users to get air ticket price alerts. If you subscribe to alerts, it will be easier to keep track of prices. 
• Compare Deals – You can compare ticket prices from different airlines to see which one offers the best flight deals to Perth Australia.  

You can do all this or you can contact us at MyTicketsToIndia and let us do the hard work for you. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How to know when will airfares go down?

A: The best way to know whether flight tickets prices will soar or drop is to set a Google air ticket price alert. These alerts will inform you when affordable deals or travel prices drop.

Q. Do flights get cheaper closer to date of departure?

A: Flight ticket prices are very expensive more than half a year before the departure date. After that, the prices drop significantly until 3 or 4 weeks before the departure. Once you reach that point, the prices soar once again.

Q. Do airlines have Melbourne flights sale?

A: Yes! Many airlines account for Melbourne flight sales and discounts occasionally to boost their traffic. If you subscribe to an airline’s newsletter or are a member of the airline’s frequent flyer program, you will be alerted for flight sales Australia in advance.

Q: Does Virgin have afterpay option?

A: Virgin Australia has not implemented Afterpay option for flight bookings as of now. The airline offers a PayPal payment option. The only Australian airline that lets you use Afterpay is Jetstar.

Q: How far in advance can you book flights?

A: You should consider booking flights between 5.5 months and 1.5 months in advance of your departure date. Airlines generally open their flight schedules for booking around 11 months in advance. However, the exact timing can vary by airline.

Q: When do airlines have sales?

A: Airlines often have sales throughout the year, typically during off-peak travel seasons or to promote new routes. Additionally, sales may coincide with major shopping events like Black Friday or holidays such as New Year’s or Independence Day.

Q: What is the cheapest day of the week to fly international?

A: Airlines often adjust their prices based on demand, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are usually the least busy days for international travel. Specifically, Tuesday is considered the best day to book flights Australia.

Do you find all of this tedious? You’re not alone!

Most people are too busy to for cheaper flights and are often overwhelmed when they search for ‘flight cheaper’ online. That’s where MyTicketsToIndia comes in! We have a team of expert travel agents with years of experience under their belt. They know how to find the best cheap international flights to India deals and back and can get you impressive discounts! All you need to do is call us at 1800 860 816 or join the live chat.

About Heena | View Posts

A writer by both passion and profession, Heena Ganotra is "half agony, half hope" but all heart. And oh, she has been a book lover from the start! Her love for books is what convinced her to make a career in the wonderful world of words. She loves what she does and is out-and-out a satisfied soul with a wish to spread happiness and kindness in abundance. Insight- Some say she is living the best life anyone could because she reads, writes, travels, and makes merry. They’re right because what else does one really need! :)

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