8 Things To Know Before You Book A Flight

By Mark Johanson | March 21 2013 6:07 AM

Photo: creative commons/jpellgen

When is the best time to book?

When is the best time to book? The cheapest domestic airfares last year were found 21-35 days prior to departure.

Photo: Alberto Riva

When can you find the cheapest domestic airfare?

When can you find the cheapest domestic airfare? With average return fares at a low of $269.97, September was, by far, the cheapest month for domestic travel in 2012. January and October had the next lowest average airfares, though rates both months were above $300.

Photo: creative commons

When can you find the cheapest domestic airfare for summertime?

When can you find the cheapest domestic airfare for summertime? Summer is never cheap, but a trip in August cost a bit less than one in June or July last year.

Photo: creative commons/martin kalfatovic

When are the cheapest international flights?

When are the cheapest international flights? With average return fares slightly less than $950.00, February and March were the cheapest months for international travel.

Photo: creative commons/SuperJet International

When is the least busy time to fly?

When is the least busy time to fly? January was the least busy month in the air last year, comprising just 5 percent of all travel queries.

Photo: REUTERS/Mark Blinch

Which airfares are decreasing?

Which airfares are decreasing? Just one popular destination had cheaper flights in 2012 than the year before: Toronto, Canada.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

What are the cheapest Destinations?

What are the cheapest Destinations? Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale and Denver were the most popular destinations offering cheap rates in 2012.But there is legalized gambling, including on sports, legalized prostitution in the state, casinos and all the general zaniness that makes it such a fun place to visit. But, in a league that as paranoid about its image as the NFL is, the chances of them putting their players in proximity to that kind of temptation is low.

Photo: Reuters

What destinations are getting more expensive?

What destinations are getting more expensive? Anchorage, New Orleans, London and Beijing all rose in both popularity and airfare in 2012. Airfare to Lima also spiked rather dramatically (33 percent), despite the fact that its popularity declined.

When’s the best time to book a cheap flight? Which destinations offer the best price? How can you tell if airfare will rise? Popular travel booking site Kayak thinks it has some answers to travelers’ biggest questions.

“We just finished a monster pull of more than a billion search queries throughout 2012 to find the cheapest flights, the busiest airports, the most popular destinations and which destinations offered great value,” Kayak spokesperson Maria Katime explained in an email.

While Kayak’s findings are specific to 2012, they provide a good barometer of what travelers can expect in 2013.

Click through the slideshow above for the answers to eight common questions, each of which will help you plan and save this year.

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