Dreaming of your next getaway? Before you pack your bags, you’ll need to know how far in advance to book your flights. We’ve got the answers to help you plan your perfect trip.
How far in advance can you book a flight?
- Most US carriers allow you to book cash tickets up to 11 months in advance
- Flights can open earlier for award bookings on certain carriers
- Low-cost carriers, for whatever reason, do not have a standard advance booking time
- Booking flights far in advance won’t necessarily save you money
- Advanced booking windows for international carriers vary
When is the earliest you can book a flight on major US carriers?
| US airline | When the early booking window opens |
|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 330 days in advance |
| Allegiant Air | Typically, 6-9 months in advance |
| American Airlines | 331 days in advance |
| Delta | 331 days in advance |
| Frontier Airlines | Typically, 258 days in advance |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 330 days in advance |
| jetBlue | 331 days in advance |
| Southwest Airlines | Typically, 6-9 months in advance |
| Spirit Airlines | Typically, 10-11 months in advance |
| Sun Country Airlines | Typically, min. 2-3 months in advance |
| United Airlines | 330 days in advance |
When is the earliest I can book a flight with Alaska Airlines?
If you want to make an advance flight booking on Alaska Airlines, you can only do so 331 days before you travel, at least when paying cash—and when using the Alaska Airlines website or app. You can make award bookings for travel on certain partner airlines (if you plan to book a flight on Air France, for instance) as much as 365 days in advance, but you’ll need to call Alaska Airlines if you plan to travel more than 330 days from your booking date.
When is the earliest I can book a flight with American Airlines?
Like Alaska, American limits online bookings to 331 days in advance. Unlike Alaska, however, booking flights a year in advance on American is never possible, neither with miles nor when flying partner airlines. As of spring 2023, you can never book travel on an American Airlines ticket more than 331 days in advance.
When is the earliest I can book a Delta flight?
With Delta’s current policy for booking tickets in advance, you can start planning your trip up to 331 days (that’s 47 weeks, or 10-11 months) before your flight.
When is the earliest I can book a flight with Southwest Airlines?
How far in advance can you book a flight on Southwest Airlines? You will have to click this link to see—and that’s not a trick on our part. As is the case with all US low-cost carriers (more on this subject in a second), Southwest lacks a hard-and-fast rule when it comes to the date when advance flight bookings open.
When is the earliest I can book a flight with United Airlines?
United flight bookings open 330 days in advance, at least when booking with cash. While MileagePlus awards for itineraries operated by Star Alliance carriers (for example, if you book a flight on Lufthansa), award tickets flown by United’s own airplanes sometimes open 334-337 days before departure.
When is the earliest you can book on low-cost airlines?
Like Southwest, US low-cost carriers don’t have a set date when they allow advance flight booking, though the likes of JetBlue, Frontier and Spirit don’t provide additional information on this topic when it’s available, as Southwest does. Rather, when you try to book a flight on Frontier, for example, selecting dates at a certain point is simply impossible.
Advance flight booking for international airlines
Booking international flights can often be more complex than booking with US carriers, and their rules for advance booking can sometimes seem less straightforward.
If the website of the carrier you want to fly with doesn’t let you book past a certain date, call them or write to them on social media to see whether this reflects a set policy or is simply a temporary limitation.
Does booking flights well in advance save you money?
Airlines usually offer their best fares no more than six months in advance of a flight; some carriers (including low-cost ones) discount air travel weeks or even days before travel.
While planning in advance can help lower your overall cost of travel, there is no set correlation between how far in advance you book a plane ticket and the price you pay for it.
The bottom line
How far in advance can you book a flight? The short answer is that it’s mostly around 11 months, though a number of factors can influence that.
You should keep in mind that advance booking dates can vary depending on a number of factors, such as whether you plan to pay cash or use airmiles and points to book your ticket. Likewise, purchasing tickets far in advance doesn’t always save you money, so don’t rush into it unless you have to.
