355 days
Feb 19, 2021, 6:13 am
#16
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, VS Gold
Posts: 398
I will do my usual thing of pointing out that buying at the first opportunity is usually a bad idea. With very few exceptions, the lowest fares are available at about 6 weeks to departure, and it's unlikely that low fares on longhaul will be inexpensive until about 310 days to departure - BA has a near monopoly on fares at that point. For shorthaul you need to look at what FR and U2 are doing, they often operate on a 200 day system or thereabouts, but BA are competing against their fares when they start to settile down. RHO is firmly in this category so I wouldn't even start to look booking until the Low Cost Carriers have entered in the market and done a few Sale periods.. It's always important to know when there is a sellers' market and when there is a buyers' market.
Feb 19, 2021, 11:39 am
#17
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,804
You would be surprised. I occasionally see SYD on redemptions available at 6 weeks, which the the point at which airlines start to panic about load factors, sales and so on. SA is definitely a good one for 6 week purchases. I don't monitor Maldives / Seychelles as closely so I'm not competent to comment on those sectors. Now of course we are moving into a different landscape going forward and old certainties will start to break down. The shape of business travel - rarely done 6 weeks ahead - is one of the unknowns for example. But you have to consider BA filling aircraft, and that's from the back forward, whereas the people on this forum tend to be thinking from the other end of the vessel.