If I were you, I would buy the tickets before Christmas. You don't need to finalize your plans yet, not urgent, you have lots of options, you only risk paying extra 10-30 euros by delaying your decision, however from the 24th you cannot predict the demand and how ticket sales go...
this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2023
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It's tricky to predict exact booking windows since prices depend on demand, season, and other factors. But generally speaking in Europe, low-cost carriers like RyanAir often have pretty stable prices, even close to the departure date. However, flights around holidays like Christmas can get pricier as you get closer to the date due to increased demand. My advice would be not leaving it until too late, especially since you have quite a strict schedule if you're catching a flight to Nepal from Madrid. If you see a good deal, and it works with your plans, I'd say snag it. Safe travels!
Crazy what happens when actual competition is allowed, isn't it? And not an oligopoly
Looking at flights from Marrakech to Madrid and the price trends for that route, I think even last minute it won't be more than $150. The only real drawback besides price is there will probably only be middle seats left
Competition is allowed in the US...
Hell, it was barely 30 years ago that the (at the time) largest airline to ever exist shut down in the US due to the competition.
It's allowed in the US from US companies. In the EU any EU carrier can carry anyone anywhere.
So then....that's the same, no?
In the US any US carrier can carry anyone anywhere.
In the EU any EU carrier can carry anyone anywhere.
Depends how last minute but for most people seats are allocated at check in on Ryanair as most people don't pay for seating.
Not only that but on a 2h $20 flight doesn't really matter where you sit.
I don't know the exact cut off but I'd imagine a few hours before the flight at least? Prices may go up and seating options would be more limited though.
I'd just monitor current flights (like if you were leaving today/tomorrow...) and just see how the prices go for those to get a slight idea.
For what it's worth, my experience with Ryanair is that as long as you're outside of the season you can generally get good deals for flights a short time before. The trick is knowing what the season is. A flight from northern europe to southern europe in the middle of spring/fall might actually be sort of the in season for those flights.
But I've booked €10-€30 flights less than a week before they left.
If you want to be sure you could book 2 of those €20 flights and just cancel the one that you end up liking less. A €40 flight is still super cheap.
The price will go up as well. It might be even cheaper to buy 3 different tickets for 20€ now instead of waiting until you figure out the date. Christmas time is usually not a good time for flying.
Those 20€ Ryanair flights are usually never available last minute or a few days prior to departure.
Probably up to the time the plane leaves the gate.
Booking flights in the EU, especially with budget airlines like RyanAir, can sometimes be left quite late without a significant price increase. However, during peak travel times like Christmas and New Year's, prices can start to rise as the dates get closer. It's often a game of risk – prices could stay low or jump up as the flight fills. From personal experience, I've had luck booking last-minute flights at reasonable prices, but it's always a bit of a gamble. And a small travel tip: check out Rebookify for hotel deals; they've saved me a bit on accommodations during my travels