16 WAYS TO FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

Amy Aed — Sun, 03 Jun 2018 08:52:00 +0000

First up, people are lying to you when they suggest that you book flights in incognito mode, or search after 6pm, or log in to an airline site on a Tuesday. Those people just want to see the world burn. Alas, your favourite travel blogger is back with a comprehensive and accurate guide to saving money on flights – coming from someone who genuinely often flies cross-continent for less than £13.

BOOK AT THE RIGHT TIME

According to a study by the Airlines Reporting Corporation, the best time to book your airfare is around six weeks before departure. For international flights, consider 6 – 8 weeks, with peak flights best two months in advance.

FLY AT THE RIGHT TIME

Avoid peak times such as Christmas, Easter, and high-season in June, July, and August. Also, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are typically the cheapest days to fly out, and overnight flights offer the most affordable time of day. It’s always best to use a comparison site such as Skyscanner to have access to a monthly view of the cheapest dates for your destination.

GO CONNECT

Whilst non-stop flights may be more comfortable, you could save up to 50% by purchasing a flight that stops en-route. I booked a flight to Cyprus that would stop for an hour in Antalya, which whilst inconvenient also meant that I was offered a whole week-long holiday for less than £140.

BOOK A LAYOVER

Related to the above point, some budget airlines may be unique to a destination, meaning that if you book with a layover sliced in between you could save a considerable amount. I use AirWander to compare the best prices for this.

BOOK FOR ONE PERSON

If you are purchasing multiple flights, it is usually best to book them individually. This is because if you book for three people and the seats are each priced at £100, £200 and £300, the transaction would charge each flight at the premium price. Buying separately means that only one sucker pays the £300.

USE COMPARISON SITES

Everyone knows about Skyscanner by now, but other good sites to use are Momondo and Kiwi. You’ve got to feel sorry for the guys that only use one mass search engine.

AVOID HIDDEN COSTS

Airlines such as Ryanair often make up their money by charging you for things you didn’t think you could get charged for. For example, by not printing your boarding tickets prior to departure, Ryanair charges nearly £18 per ticket – and don’t forget those extra baggage fees.

GOOGLE AIRLINES THAT ARE SO SMALL THEY WOULDN’T BE LISTED

For example, LADE Air in Argentina is flown by military pilots, and so would offer cheap airlines whilst not being listed in general search engines. Whether or not you’d want to fly in military aircraft is another matter, but I’ll let you choose that one for yourself.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MISTAKE FARES

Sometimes you will find seriously discounted tickets published in error by the airline. Airfare Watchdog and Secret Flying are great tools to pick up on these. If it is a mistake, 60% of fares will be honoured (wait around two weeks to check), otherwise you will get a complete refund. No downside!

BOOK IN DIFFERENT CURRENCIES

For example, GPB is a strong currency at the moment (despite the betrayal that is Brexit), whereas the New Zealand currency is weak, meaning that prices will generally be available for cheaper. However, make sure you use a no-foreign-transaction-fee card to avoid extra charges.

CHANGE THE URL

Similar to booking with a different currency, changing the URL of an airline site (such as from .co.uk to .fr) may also help bring down the price, although don’t expect it to be by much.

BUY TWO SINGLES

Related to the idea of booking several tickets via different transactions, buying two singles instead of one return can also work out cheaper.

CHECK THE PRICE AFTER 24 HOURS

Airlines typically offer a 24-hour period where they will exchange your ticket if you have made a mistake or got the date wrong. However, it is also worth checking after booking if the price of the airfare has fallen, because if so then you can easily cancel and re-book without penalty, saving money.

BE FLEXIBLE

It goes without saying, but being flexible with the date, time and airport can save you a massive amount on airfares. For example, if I were to book a flight from Cardiff to Salt Lake City today for the 1st June, a return would cost nearly £1.6k. However, if I were to fly from Bristol, a similar flight would cost less than £450. Flexibility really pays.

EMAIL LISTS

If you can stand the sheer amount of emails, signing up to email lists could be beneficial. Airlines send out sales and discounts through their email lists that are available for a short time only, so if you know who you want to fly with this could be a good option for you.

USE REWARD SCHEMES AND FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAMS

Everyone knows that credit cards can offer some great Avios and travel benefits, but a lot of people aren’t willing to take that risk, and spending money to make money could actually cost you more in the long-run. However, signing up to reward schemes such as Nectar and Clubcards can convert Avios into free flights without messing with your credit score. Also, using shopping portals such as the British Airways eStore can earn you back Avois for every penny you spend on participating stores online. Similarly, signing up to frequent flyer programs, or reward schemes where airlines sponsor hotels and restaurant, can earn you back points to book flights.

If any of these points have been helpful, and now you’re going to use me to save money, let me know in the comments below!

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