double-blind study - an experimental procedure in which neither the subjects of the experiment nor the persons administering the experiment know the critical aspects of the experiment; a double-blind procedure is used to guard against both experimenter bias and placebo effects.
No they get more expensive, airlines will always advise you to book in advance to take advantage of their best fares. Sometimes they do a special deal but not within a week of flying. I would try another airline or make different plans.
The cheapest prices of the year are for travel in February, fare experts say, and those deals usually show up in November and early December. For peak-season travel, fares start fairly high and then come down. Airlines start more-actively managing pricing on flights about three-to-four months before departure.