First of week best time to buy airline tickets

If you traveled in 2008, you probably came home with a lot less in your wallet.
But there’s a trick to beating high prices that could work more than ever in 2009.

“It’s really important when you start to shop, and the best time to shop is early in the week,“ said Rick Seaney of FareCompare.com.

Airfare expert Seaney says, circle Tuesday on your calendar.

Tuesdays have traditionally been a good day for bargain hunters, but now that’s true more than ever.

Airlines are floating more short-term sales, trying to get passengers back in the sky in a tough economy.

The deals are often posted on Monday night or Tuesday morning, but they often disappear in a day or two, and if you miss the Tuesday deals the difference in price can be dramatic.

Here are some examples.

A flight from Dallas to Newark, for 311 dollars on a recent Tuesday, the price jumps to 472 dollars by the weekend, and increase of 161 dollars.

Dallas to Boston, 407 dollars on a Tuesday, $536 by Saturday. A 129 dollar jump.

“They actually file a whole bunch of new, cheaper airfares on Monday.  Then you see a whole flurry of activity as everybody starts to match on Monday afternoon and Tuesday and then Friday they just rip em out of the system,“ said Seaney.

So if you’re heading for the ski slopes this winter, or maybe the beach this spring keep in mind that when you buy is just as important as when you go.
You can also track airfare sales by signing up for email alerts on many popular travel websites.