Fares are not a price list, they are inventory. The same cabin holds a dozen fare classes and they empty in order, cheapest first.
When to book
For the Gulf, four to eight weeks out is usually the sweet spot. For Europe and North America, three to five months. For Eid, summer holidays and the last ten nights of Ramadan, as early as you can bear, because those seats never get cheaper.
Where the savings actually are
Most of what we find for clients comes from four places rather than from a magic website.
- Shifting departure by a day or two around a weekend peak
- A one stop routing on a carrier with a weaker local market
- Splitting a return into two one way fares when the carrier prices them oddly
- Group and family fares once you are at four passengers or more
- Booking baggage as part of the fare rather than at the airport
The cheap fare that is not cheap
A fare with no checked bag, no date change and a nine hour overnight layover in a terminal without a lounge is not a saving for a family with children. We quote the landed cost, bag and change rules included, so you compare like with like.