RustyC

I'm a real mix as well, with the biggest stuff (longer distance, more days) being done in advance, but also a lot of fare-driven 2- or 3-dayers. This year I'll probably have a new record in number of trips though not number of days away.

On something like the $179 MIA-UIO-MIA this year or the big Etihad Christmas day sale the year before (biggest trip from that was to the Seychelles), the lead time is important for research and planning and clearing the days.

OTOH, for bottom fishing someone like Frontier, usually the 2-4 week window is where it's at. Two nights ago I booked a Las Vegas midweek at $70 RT with only 24 hours on the ground for early December at $70 RT for the flight and about $27 a-i each for the car & hotel (making sure to get a place without a resort fee). The carrot was 2X and 3x mileage deals that'll earn 8,500 RDMs, or about 40-45% of a free ticket.

It's also sometimes possible to book the rock-bottomest F9 fares for 2-3 months out on some sales, but I don't tend to do that because some other, bigger deal has a way of coming up later. For the real cheapies it's better to have the near-term schedule clarity.