when is best time to book international flights ?

[goldenbolls]

early on ? say a year in advance or just wait untill time and look for offers ? seems flight prices are going up at an alarming rate !!!

[jno]

depends where you want to go. Sign up for emails of special offers from Ryanair and Easyjet if you fancy one of their destinations then buy the cheapest tickets as soon as they're announced.

[bushbaby_de]

A lot of the operators only release their flights 10 or 11 months in advance, reducing to 4 or 6 for some of the budget airlines. Generally speaking, prices are cheaper the further in advance you book, but of course if they decide to have a sale this wouldn't hold true. It's your gamble really :)

[sitges]

I always start looking at the prices up to a year before I want to go and then check the websites every month or so for the next 6 months. At about 6 months out I check every week and then at 3 months out I can see where the prices are going and book when I think I have the best price. By doing this you will see how prices are trending and if you find the right price for you, I would purchase the ticket. I have found that if you set the price you are willing to pay, then you will be satisfied with the price you have to pay.
As an example, I know that if I fly from the US to Europe, a round trip ticket will cost somewhere around $700.00 on a major airline. I wait until I find an airline that offers that price and then purchase the ticket. I usually have no problem in finding a ticket at the price I want to pay.