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A guy in a Chiang Mai hostel bar told me to book flights 6 weeks out, and he was dead wrong for my route
Back in March I was sitting at a hostel bar in Chiang Mai and this guy who had been traveling for 4 years swore up and down that 6 weeks was the sweet spot for cheap flights. I listened to him for two months and watched a Bangkok to Hanoi ticket I wanted jump from $88 to $210 while I waited for that magic window. Then I tried booking just 9 days out on a Tuesday and paid $61 for the same route. Since then I have tracked 14 one way flights around Southeast Asia and the 6 week rule has only been right twice. I think it only works for long haul routes to Europe, not short hops where budget carriers dump seats late. Anyone else found a booking window that actually holds up, or is it all just luck?
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bell.jessica2d ago
The "6 week rule" person is only right for long flights to Europe. Short hops in Asia are a whole different game. I've seen AirAsia drop a Kuala Lumpur to Bali seat to like $30 three days before takeoff because the plane wasn't full. Meanwhile my friend waited six weeks for a cheap Bangkok to Tokyo flight and it just kept going up. Budget carriers dump seats late, that's their whole thing. Six weeks is dead for short routes, book when you see a price you like or roll the dice last minute.
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