Everyone wants to grab the best in less. Airfare covers a vast majority of travel expenses.
Hence, to book cheap flights means sparing of a considerable amount of money. This money can be utilized towards other necessary travel-related expenditures, like car rentals from your destination, lodging options, and travel insurance.
While frequent fliers might suggest you to book well in advance, there are other invaluable pieces of advice that can earn you a great value deal.
If you are looking for the cheapest deals, then following the below-listed tips can help you:
1. Determine the Cheapest Days to Travel
Familiarize with the airfare structure and factors affecting them. Turns out that making observations is going to land you a flight ticket for cheap.
Frequent flyers choose to travel on weekdays because they are aware that flying on the weekends is heavier on the pocket.
Fluctuation in the airfares is vastly affected by time. Major festivals and holidays affect the price range.
It is advisable not to travel on such occasions. Similarly, if you book flights during the off-season you have a higher probability of scoring a cheap flight ticket.
2. Choose Budget Airlines
Long-haul flights are no longer limited to expensive airlines. Due to high demand, budget airlines have started operating on international routes.
If you come across an airline you have never heard of, you might as well check their fares. You never know which way rewards may come from.
3. Break up the Journey into Multiple Flights
At times, it is cheaper to fly from point A to point B, then point B to point C, instead of flying directly to point C from point A.
Always check for connecting flights before booking a direct flight. This not just increases your chance of scoring a sweet travel deal, but also gives you the opportunity to catch a breather.
You can plan your travel by breaking it into multiple destinations.
Make sure to leave a 3-hour window if the connecting flights belong to different airlines. This is especially beneficial, in case of a delay in the first flight.
The other airline would not cooperate as they aren’t responsible for the inconvenience caused by the former.
4. Different Portals offer Different Fares
Different online booking portals and flight search engines publish different rates for the same flight routes.
The difference is usually the commission charged from airlines. Moreover, many of the online booking platforms do not list budget
best airlines.
There is no ultimate web search engine to provide you with the lowest-priced travel deals all the time.
Also, not all portals view all the airlines and flights operating on a particular route. Therefore, you might have to use multiple search engines for the best possible results.
5. Learn to Identify Fifth Freedom Flights
Flights, generally, operate between their home country and other countries. However, at times, airlines may cater to the clientele from two or more foreign countries on account of layovers. Such flights are known as fifth freedom flights.
The aircraft that fly fifth freedom routes are newer and better equipped. Keep an eye out for flights serving these routes as they may offer cheaper fares to boost business.
6. Subscribe to Loyalty Programs
Frequent flier programs are loyalty schemes for passengers that bring repeat business to the airlines.
It is a score-based system, wherein airlines award points in correspondence with the number of miles traveled by the customer.
It is very rewarding to enroll yourself under such schemes with reputed airlines, especially if you are a frequent air passenger.
You can avail of free services, upgrades and even free airline tickets, as a part of the program.
There are other sources to add points under your belt. Bonuses and other promotional deals offered by credit card companies, etc.
7. Special Deals for Cheap Flights
Cut-throat competition has forced airlines to offer promotional travel deals from time to time.
The best way to keep a track of cheap flight fares is by signing up with airlines for mailing lists. They keep you updated about the latest and the best deals.
You could also organize your travel updates by setting price alerts with travel search engines.
So, in a nutshell, the internet is your go-to place when it comes to booking travel deals. Do not rely upon a single search portal.
Also, do not be rigid with your travel dates and layovers, whenever possible. Similarly, be on the lookout for fifth freedom flights, and special deals. It also pays to get yourself a loyalty program if you are a frequent flier.
Follow one of the above-mentioned tricks, or a combination of them to
book cheap flights from all across the globe.
You can also check for the airfare in other currencies. If you are lucky enough you might find a cheaper deal on airlines from countries with a weaker economy. A little more effort can ad a whole lot of sum to your savings.
