Airlines aim sales at impulsive, Twitter types

Overall, ticket prices are about average with fares before the recession. Still, some consumers may have sticker shock because they grew accustomed to cheap tickets and extended fare sales when travel demand was sluggish.

Sales in general are becoming more scarce. For example, discount carrier Southwest hasn’t had an across-the-board fare sale since November of last year, Seaney said. At the height of the recession, it had nearly one sale per week.

The bottom line
It’s going to take longer to spot deals this summer. And fares will likely be higher this fall, too, so you’ll have to know how and when to find bargains.

The keys: Start looking at prices online three months before you want to travel. That’s when airlines start to manage their seats. More than three months out, airlines haven’t figured out which tickets are selling and which aren’t, so they generally won’t cut fares. Within that three month timeframe, waiting too long might put you out of the running for the cheapest seats.

That doesn’t mean you should buy right at the three month mark, but starting to research at that point will give you a good idea of what the ticket will cost you. That way, if a last-minute sale pops up for the destination you’re looking for, you can jump on it.

Seaney says consumers should be prepared for sales that last no more than 5 or 10 days during the summer months.

And remember the cardinal rules of fare shopping: The best time to shop is Monday or Tuesday, not on the weekends. Wednesdays, generally, are the cheapest days to fly.