The best time to book a flight
Tuesday October 5, 2010 - Email this article to a friend

Here at PlanetSKI we seem to remember a few years ago the countdown to the budget airlines releasing their flight schedules and then trying to get one as quickly as possible before the prices went up.

They came out around this time of year in the late summer.

Not anymore.

Now they come out much earlier and prices fluctuate according to demand.

The budget airliens are often not budget any more and the same price as other airlines and national carriers.

So, when is the best time to buy a ticket for next winter's ski trip?

Apparently the best air fares are to be had eight weeks from when you want to go says the research.

The economists, Makoto Watanabe and Marc Moller, have produced a mathematical formula to illustrate their findings that are the results of detailed research into airline prices.

They also claim prices drop in the afternoon as they speculate airlines believe businessmen buy at work in the morning.

They are not so sensitive on price as the company is footing the bill.

The findings are published in the latest edition of the Economic Journal.

They use an equation ∏ A = gU G + min(k - g, (1 - g)(1 - r)) as part of the complex formula, where ∏ equals profit, that determines advance ticket purchases.

Does 8 weeks sound about right to you?

If you have a view do let us know here at inbox@planetski.eu

One person has already told us that easyJet promises to refund the difference if the cost of a ticket goes down in price. It's not something they shout about though.

For the spirit of the mountains

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