Book your tickets six weeks ahead to save most ... Park Hyatt Wine/Food night

A very solid report from the Los Angeles Times today gives some very good advice on when we should be buying our airline tickets.

Passengers can get the lowest airfares if they buy six weeks before their flight, according to a study by Airlines Reporting Corp., an Arlington, Va., company that handles ticketing transactions between the nation's airlines and travel agents.

The study looked at millions of transactions for airline tickets over the last four years and found that passengers pay the lowest price, nearly 6 percent below the overall average fare, if they buy six weeks before their flight. That might not sound like a lot, but it would be $60 on a $1,000 flight. Multiply that by two people and it's a savings of $120.

The study also showed that ticket prices begin to soar dramatically about a week before the day of travel, and can rise nearly 40 percent above the average price if passengers buy the ticket on the day of the flight.

"We're not advising people to purchase tickets only at this time during the cycle as there is no guarantee they will receive the lowest price of the year," said Chuck Thackston, managing director of data and analytics for the firm. "It is just that the data indicates we have seen this pattern over the last four years."

PARK HYATT MASTERS OF FOOD AND WINE

Ever learned how to debone a Cornish hen? Spin sugar for a fancy dessert? Properly shuck an oyster or prepare rack of lamb? The Park Hyatt here in Toronto has something for you; a Masters of Food and Wine program that's a ton of fun - and educational, too.

For $125 per person, you get hands-on time in the Park Hyatt Hotel's kitchen up at Avenue Road and Bloor St. You'll learn all sorts of tricks from some of the city's top chefs; everything from stripping the "silverskin" off a rack of lamb (see photo; it's pretty tricky until you get used to it) to stuffing a cornish hen, depending on the menu. This comes while you nibble on yummy appetizers - and sip terrific sparkling wine provided by Chateau des Charmes.

Then comes a three-course dinner, complete with perfectly-matched wines, also from Chateau des Charmes. Folks last week were served smoked salmon, oysters Rockefeller (and regular style), crab cakes, stuffed Cornish hen and perfectly pink lamb, as well as other items and a trio of small desserts that inlcuded a thick, rich, molten chocolate cake. They served a brand-new Sauvignon Blanc, a 2007 Merlot and then a late harvest dessert wine.

"Park Hyatt’s Masters of Food and Wine is a series of sophisticated culinary and beverage experiences hosted at Park Hyatt locations around the world," said hotel GM Paul Verciglio. "Executive Chef Joan Monfaredi and her team here at the Park Hyatt Toronto enjoy providing this unique experience for our guests whereby they prepare intimate dinners and also become ‘masters’ of regional cuisine through engaging and interactive programming."

For more information, go to www.parkhyatttoronto.com.