Cheap Flight Tips to Reduce Your Airfare Today
Here are 15 quick tips to help you find that cheap flight and lower the cost of your next airline ticket.
Flexibility is the key
Be flexible with your potential flight dates and always plan ahead of time. Air ticket prices are highly dynamic and depend on demand, supply and competition.
Know your market!
For the route you want to fly monitor the airfares for a while and try to find out the lowest published fare. Don't accept the very first fare you find.
Fly off-season
Fly during 'off-peak' or 'shoulder' seasons. Do not fly during the peak time of year. (If you do make sure you book well in advance!)
Fly midweek
Flights that depart during the midweek (Tuesday to Thursday) tend to be cheaper from less demand. Avoid Friday and Sunday evenings and Monday morning.
Hit the red-eye
Very early morning or late evening flights are less busy - and can sometimes be cheaper than flights in the middle of the day. Peak hours when flights are at their fullest are 8 to 11am and 4 to 7pm. Good deals can be found on 'red-eye' overnight flights which people like to avoid.
Holiday periods
Fly on a major holiday when demand plummets - there can be some incredible deals available. Avoid flying just before and after the holidays when people are travelling back home.
Check ticket restrictions
Beware the infamous Saturday night stay restriction - some airlines still have this. Check your carrier's terms and conditions.
Stay less than a month
Many fare tariffs have a 30 day maximum stay restriction. In other words if you stay longer than 30 days the ticket will be more costly.
Circumnavigate
Flying long-haul in business class or first class? Always get a quote on a round the world ticket and compare prices. Round-the-world business class and first class airfares are often cheaper than a full fare return trip - and you will get many more exciting stopovers for free.
Take a detour
Flights with a change of plane at a connecting airport are usually cheaper than non-stop flights. You pay less for the inconvenience.
Hub it!
If flying long-haul into Europe it may be cheaper to fly into a budget hub like London for 2 reasons. The first is that flights to London are often cheaper than flights travelling to other destinations on the continent. Secondly, London is a hub for a myriad of budget airlines (low-cost discount carriers) which have extensive networks all over Europe. The main two are Ryanair and Easyjet and using them can save you hundreds of dollars while allowing a high degree of flexibility in terms of one-way flights.
Check the code
If your flight is 'code shared' then check the price of the same flight with different alliance partners. There can often be considerable price differences between airlines. Taking the One World alliance as an example, you should check the price of the same flight with both American Airlines and British Airways.
Get on the list
Sign up to the newsletters of your favourite airlines and travel sites. You will be the first to see any special offers and deals.
Go Budget Long-Haul
Price up your flight with one of the new generation of budget long-haul carriers. Oasis Hong Kong Airlines flies from Hong Kong to both London and Vancouver. Air Asia X flies from Kuala Lumpur to Gold Coast in Australia with big plans to widen its route network worldwide.
Invest in yourself
If you are a serious international traveller looking for superb insider strategies to reduce your flying costs then you really should invest in the Ultimate Airfares & Upgrades guide. It contains powerful information on lowering your airfares and also flying first class and business class on a budget.
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