Martin Lewis crunched the numbers, and the results are hilarious and tragic. He found that for some European short-haul flights, booking three to six weeks before departure is the sweet spot. That’s right—the procrastinator is now the hero.
I tried this once. I booked a flight to Berlin two weeks before a conference. My colleague—who booked six months prior—paid double. I sat next to him, sipping a free drink, while he silently seethed. It was a beautiful, petty victory.
Martin Lewis explains why savers should lock in fixed rates 'now' ahead
But here’s the twist: this doesn’t apply to everything. If you’re planning a trip during Christmas or school holidays, book early or get rekt. Demand is so insane that algorithms turn into greedy monsters. The rules of supply and demand become law again.
The Algorithm is a Fickle Beast
Why does this happen? Blame the "bucket system" of fare classes. Airlines allocate a few cheap seats, then hoard them, then release them later if nobody bites. It’s basically a yard sale, but the seller is a sociopath with a PhD in mathematics.
Martin also revealed that Tuesday afternoons are still statistically cheaper to book—but only by a few pounds. It’s not the life-changing savings of yore. The real hack? Set a price alert on Kayak or Skyscanner, then wait until you get an email that says "price dropped 40%." Then book immediately, before the pricing gremlins wake up.
