There are many times when you want to book a flight early to make sure that you have a spot on the exact plane or schedule that you want. Maybe you find an incredible fare deal that requires you booking months in advance. Maybe you want to fly a specific route in business class using award points and have to book a certain day.
That’s great! You should absolutely book this. But be warned: airlines are very apt to make all kinds of switches that you need to be aware of.
The Situation
I’m currently on my “big trip” for the year. As part of that, we scheduled service on Boeing 777-300s on Etihad. We specifically selected this flight because we would have lie-flat seats and would get better rest on the 4 hour, 20 minute flight to Abu Dhabi.
I just logged in to check my reservation, and the plane has been switched an A321. It’s a great plane, but we now have recliner seats for this flight. Not what I wanted, but it is what it is.
Another time, I found a $400 flight to London about 8 months in the future. I was to fly from Memphis to London (with a layover somewhere, of course). My layover city to London flight was cancelled around 2 months out, and I was neither notified nor rebooked!
Why was the flight cancelled? Most airlines firm up their schedules about 2-3 months in advance based upon their predicted schedule. The schedule you see as soon as schedules open is rarely what they actually will fly, as they make adjustments. If every flight between two cities is basically empty 2 months in advance, they cancel a few flights and consolidate, deploying that aircraft somewhere else where they know they can make money.
I was able to call in and rebook the flight to London, but if I had not been checking my flight schedule, I might have shown up and had no flight!
Conclusion
Moral of the story: If you book a flight more than 3 months in advance, make sure to check in on it every few weeks to make sure it’s still there and what you want. Otherwise, you might be left away from home struggling to find a new flight.