Wondering whether you'll get a better deal by buying your plane ticket at a ticket counter rather than online? One woman decided to get to the bottom of this question and was thoroughly disappointed by the answer.
Read more: Compare the Best Rewards Credit Cards for Travel
The passenger revealed what happened in a viral video posted on her TikTok account, @jasminenicolebeauty. The clip, which shows her talking into a camera while sitting in a car in Texas, has received over 187,000 views since it was shared May 26.
The woman says: "To the girlies that told me that it was cheaper to go buy in person versus online to buy your airplane ticket, I hope every time you wake up, you wake up a minute before your alarms goes up. You think you got a little more time to sleep? Nah...wake your a** up."
Read more: Best Ways to Use Travel Points or Miles
It's not clear where she went to purchase her ticket in person. But the woman says she was told by a worker that it's "not true" that it's cheaper to buy the ticket in person. The worker later informed her that the ticket cost "$500 more" to buy in person.
"Don't believe 'em. It's not true, just buy your ticket online," the woman concludes as the video ends.
Peter Strebel, the president of the Americas region of RateGain, a global provider of travel and hospitality data, told Newsweek that "booking flights last minute can be a bit of a gamble, regardless if it's online, with a travel agent or in person at the counter."
Read more: How to Choose a Travel Credit Card
However, he said, "deals are really all about timing." If you need to "book a flight at the eleventh hour, believe it or not, buying flights last minute around the most popular holidays can really pay off."
Strebel added that the best day (year-round) to buy an airline ticket is "Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the time zone of the airline hub." And "regardless of the time of year, the cheapest days to fly are always Tuesdays and Wednesdays."
The viral post comes as air travel continues to see strong growth in the post-pandemic era.
Passenger demand in April was reported to be up 11 percent, compared with April 2023, the International Air Transport Association reported in May. In November 2023, global air traffic was reported to be at 99.1 percent of November 2019 (pre-pandemic) levels, according to an IATA report in January.
'Timing Is Everything'
Matthew Fox, the CEO of LateRooms, a hotel bookings website, agreed that timing is crucial but said booking well ahead of your desired departure date will give you the best prices.
He told Newsweek: "When it comes to booking flights, timing is everything. You will nearly always find the best deal by purchasing your tickets online, well ahead of travel."
Airlines typically release schedules around 10 to 12 months before the departure dates, Fox said. But unless you know there is an event happening, such as the Paris Olympics, "the sweet spot tends to be two to three months prior to departure."
Beware of 'Surge Pricing'
Whenever a big event is taking place around the time of your desired travel dates, "you need to be wary of surge pricing," Fox said. "This is when airlines can see the demand online for those flights and push the prices up accordingly."
If you know there will be an "unusual amount of demand" for travel on your chosen dates, "your best bet is to snap the tickets up as soon as they go on sale," as the prices are unlikely to come down, he said.
"The same applies to seasonality. Popular routes around the holiday seasons, such as Christmas or Eid [the Islamic holiday], are unlikely to come down in price due to the huge demand," Fox said. It's best to book these flights "as far in advance as possible."
Cheapest Times to Travel on Major Holidays
Here are some of the best ways to bag the cheapest deals on some popular holiday travel dates, as outlined by Strebel:
Thanksgiving
"While this might sound counterintuitive, flying on the holiday itself [Thanksgiving Day] can be much cheaper than the days leading up to it," he said.
Most people prefer to arrive at their destination before the holiday, so demand for flights on Thanksgiving Day is lower, he said.
Christmas and New Year's Eve
As with Thanksgiving, flying on Christmas Day/Christmas Eve and on New Year's Day/New Year's Eve is the most inexpensive because most people are already settled in at their holiday destination.
According to RateGain data, the cheapest flights are available on December 24 and 25, as well as on December 30 and January 1. The most expensive flights are on December 22 and 29.
"The first two weeks of December are a low travel period and have the cheapest overall flights," Strebel said.
Valentine's Day
Strebel said: "Booking close to this holiday can yield good airline ticket prices, as it isn't a major travel holiday and does not traditionally have company-sponsored days off."
Benefits of Booking Flights With Travel Agent
Mercedes Zach, a travel expert and travel agent at Asaptickets, told Newsweek that booking your flight through a travel agent can give you access to "exclusive deals that are typically not available through search engines or any AI tools, due to their wide network connections and exclusive industry partnerships."
She also said an agent is "a master at dealing with the unexpected" and can help navigate any sudden challenges that might happen, such as lost luggage, natural disasters, flight cancellations or "anything else that might cause stress and ultimately end up costing you more."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. The video has not been independently verified.
Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@newsweek.com and your story could be featured in Newsweek.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
Soo ... Read more
