Originally Posted by findark

They are, almost without exception, overnight though



I would recommend doing two things:

(1) Familiarize yourself with the way fare tables work (using ITA or EF if you want to try out the subscription) to learn what the non-sale P fares are for your city pairs, and what restrictions they have. This will usually be an advance purchase between 60 and 120 days, and a minimum stay between Saturday and 14 days. These fares rarely change much, and are your backstop. No need to snap one up unless you're about to go within the AP window -- they will probably be in the $3.5-5k range r/t.

(2) Camp out in the Premium Fare Deals forum and snatch the deal that comes along that you like. Be prepared to need separate positioning tickets to take advantage of these fares. If nothing shows up in the next nine months (unlikely, although you might miss them as some deals go away in a matter of hours), pack it in and book the fare in (1) before it's out of scope, assuming you are willing to pay it.