How to Find a Cheap Flight
Airline tickets have steadily risen in the last few years. Rising oil costs, increased personal costs, and material costs have all raised ticket fares. The era of dirt cheap travel is over and when flying can represent the biggest cost for a trip, finding that hidden cheap flight is as important as finding the right location, the right tour, the right backpack, or the right hotel. However, not all is lost and there are still plenty of ways to find a cheap ticket. Here are a few tips that can help you find a cheap flight:
1. Be Flexible with Your Travel Dates.
If you’re rigid with your dates you won’t be able to capture any of the pricing variations airlines use. Tickets prices always fluctuate depending on day and time of the week. Its always cheaper to fly mid week than on a weekend. Its cheaper to fly out after major holidays than before. That week after Christmas? No one ever flies and prices drop. For some odd reason, flight prices drop a bit on Tuesday nights. Early morning or late night flights are also cheaper. When searching for flights, be flexible- you will catch better deals. I often fly out early in the morning- not because I like waking up early but because it can save me a few hundred dollars. Moreover, give yourself some wiggle room on the dates- the difference of a day can be the difference of a few hundred dollars.
2. Fly to Secondary Airports with Low Cost Carriers.
Most major cities have a smaller, secondary airport. This is the airport most low-cost carriers (LCC) fly into because its cheaper and helps keep cost down. Airports charge landing fees and smaller airports charge smaller fees. All of which helps keep prices down for you. Check out what airlines fly into these smaller airport. For example, you can take Jetblue to Long beach, an airport close to LA, instead of flying into LAX and save some money. In America, there are over 20 different LCCs. In Europe, there are even more and competition has kept prices there very low. Many times these airlines offer no fare tickets- just the taxes. Flying the LCCs is a good alternative to flying the “majors” whenever possible. You get may less perks but you can save a bundle in ticket costs. Be sure to check out how far the airports are from the city center- sometimes transportation from the airport to the city can actually make a LCC more expensive. However, in general, they are a good deal.
3. Try Alternative Routes.
Not only does it help to be flexible with dates but try being flexible with the route you take. Sometimes its cheaper to fly to London and take a LCC to Amsterdam than flying direct to Amsterdam. There are so many low cost carriers around the world that taking advantage of a good deal to another city than hoping on a LCC is sometimes the best way to go. Moreover, direct flights are always more expensive than connecting ones. Just by picking a connecting flight route will save you money. Buy working various airlines and special offers, you can help save yourself a lot of money. This method is not for everyone. It is more work as you have to figure out lots of different routes and check different airlines but it can give you more to spend at your destination.
4. Know What You Want to Pay for a Flight.
People always try to get the lowest price online, wait too long, and then pay too much. We all know airline prices always bounce up and down yet in our quest to hold out just a little longer, most of miss the lowest price. Therefore it’s important to know what you want to pay not what you hope to pay. What’s the lowest price for YOU? Is $200 from NY to Miami what you want? Don’t want to pay more than $900 to go from LA to Tokyo? Then don’t. Don’t wait for the perfect price- wait for your price. Wait until prices get close to, at, or lower than your desired price and buy. Then you will never have buyer’s remorse. Prices always fluctuate so you’ll never know if you did good or bad. Sites like Farecast can help you predict when to buy but as a rule, the best time to buy is 6-8 weeks prior to your departure.
5. Remember not All Search Engines are Equal.
Whenever most Americans do a web search for airline tickets, they search Expedia or Orbitz. It’s a big mistake. These sites either work with or are owned by the airline companies and don’t offer unbiased fares. Moreover, sites like these don’t contain LCC carriers because those airlines don’t want to pay a booking commission. The best search engines are ones that have no affiliation with any airline and make their money via advertising not bookings. Skyscanner is great for low cost carriers and they now search a few of the majors. Kayak is great for those flying out of the United States.
6. Search an Airline’s International Websites.
Don’t forget to search the international websites of all major airlines. You might think that prices will be same across the board but remember all sites and prices are not the same. I have found New Zealand Air tickets from Tokyo to LA hundreds of dollars cheaper when searching the NZ version of the website instead of the US. I found tickets to and from Europe cheaper by searching the Canadian version of the British Airways website. Many times these tickets are also priced in foreign denominations which can also make the prices slightly cheaper depending on your currency. You are allowed to book your flight from a website located in a different country. You will charged in the local currency. (Note: The recent fall of the US dollar has made this hard to work for Americans but easier for people on the Euro, Pound, or Yen!)
7. Take Advantage of Student Discounts.
If you are a student, there are many, many discounts available to you. Check out STA Travel and their search engine. You can find flexible student tickets on their website and agency stores. I used them for a $400 ticket from Athens to Bangkok. You can’t get much cheaper than that! Moreover, they offer a variety of non-flight related travel products.
8. Sign Up for a Rewards Program.
Rewards programs are a great way to get points towards cheap flights, discount fares, free upgrades, and free companion tickets. Join one!! Even if you do not fly a lot, they usually take a few years to expire and with sign up bonuses, in that time, you can probably earn at least one free upgrade or domestic ticket. You can click here to find out about choosing a rewards credit card or joining a frequent flier program.
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