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Flights: Everything You Need to Know About Online Booking
The cost of flights is one of the most significant items of travel expenses (if not the most significant). Sometimes it happens that the direction of travel depends on the cost of the flight.
For example, taking advantage of promotional destinations, you can save a lot. And sometimes it even happens that people refuse to travel because of the high cost of the flight.
In order not to have such cases in your life, read the tips we collected below - there are the advice on how you can save on flights and where to look for cheap flights. Moreover, below you will find tips on what you need to know and what to pay attention on when buying airline tickets.
We are sure that after reading our advice you will not be the passenger on board who paid the highest price for the flight.
1. Use Several Websites
To search for flights use special websites (skyscanner, momondo, kayak, aviasales and etc.). Before buying, check all the search websites you know, because prices may differ.
In addition, different lists of airlines can be represented on different sites.
2. Check the Official Sites of Carriers
After you find the minimum cost for the flight you are interested in, for comparison, go to the airline's website and specify the price on the official website.
In addition to the fact that on the official website the flight may be cheaper when you buy there you can be offered various bonuses.
3. Travel During the Least Demand for Flights
It's no secret that in high vacation season, holidays and school holidays, airfare prices are higher. At this time there is a great demand for air travel, and accordingly there is no sense for airlines to reduce prices - people will buy tickets in any case.
That's why it's cheaper to travel in low season. Traveling in low season is budget traveling. There are still moments that affect the cost of the flights both in low and high seasons.
Flights on weekdays are usually cheaper than flights on weekends. As well as night flights and flights in the early morning are usually cheaper than day flights.
4. Be Flexible With Flight Dates, if You Can
If you have the exact direction of the flight, but you are not limited in flight dates - set flexible dates in the search parameters.
Set the interval for example in a month and you will be shown prices for the specified direction of the flight within a month (this is called flexible search), after which you can choose the dates with the cheapest flights.
5. Choose the Direction of Travel Depending on the Cost of the Flight
In case you are not limited to a certain direction of the flight - you have the opportunity to choose the direction with the cheapest flight.
To do this, for example on Skyscanner in the "From" field, you need to enter the airport of your departure, and in the "where" field to enter the word "everywhere".
You will be offered a list of travel destinations, with prices starting from the lowest. Before purchasing flights do not forget to find out the prices for accommodation, food and entertainment in your chosen destination.
Cheap flights do not mean the total low cost of the travel. For example, Norway - the price of a flight especially by a budget carrier from Europe can reach 10-30 euros, but the cost of traveling around the country will be high.
6. Compare the Cost of a Direct Flight and Flight With a Stop
Take your time, do not hurry to pay a direct flight to the destination. First find out the price of a direct flight, then compare it with the prices for a flight to nearby airports. If you have a long flight, consider the flight with a stop.
Often this option is cheaper than a direct flight. For example, Google flights can help you organize flight with a stop or several stops.
To do this, enter the destination airport and, in the search parameters, specify flights to this airport within the continent. Pay attention to the cities, from which are the cheapest flights for the date you need and find out the price for the flight from your airport of departure to these cities.
The amount for 2 flights is often much cheaper than a direct flight.
7. Find Flights to Several Airports
Before buying airline tickets for your travel, always find out how to get from the airport to your destination. If there are several airports near the destination, some tourists sometimes choose a cheaper flight to a distant airport, but do not take into account the fact that often spending money and energy on the road, eventually give the same as if they paid for a flight to a nearby airport.
But sometimes it happens vice versa. Therefore, always compare the cost of tickets and the cost of the transfer from nearby airports to the destination.
8. Check the Destination Airport Website
After you come up with the direction of the flight, go to the destination airport’s website. On the airport's website, specify the list of airlines whose flights are serviced there.
This information is important to know when searching for prices for flights using search websites such as Skyscanner, etc. The fact is that sometimes the search websites do not show airfare deals from all airlines, and if necessary, you can search for information about their flights on other sites.
9. Use Bonus Programs From Airlines
Accumulate miles, get bonuses and even free flights for them. It really works. Miles can be accumulated not only for flights, but also from partners of the bonus program, for example, when booking hotels during the travel or when shopping in partner stores.
You can also spend miles on whatever you want: for flights, hotel bookings, etc. With the bonus program you can carry more luggage, if possible, you can upgrade the class on board the aircraft, as well as get other privileges, which is always nice.
10. Keep an Eye on Promotional Airfare Deals
The best way to buy cheap flights is to take advantage of the promotional destinations.
Watching for promotions and discounts from airlines is a good chance to buy flights several times cheaper than other passengers on board who did not take advantage of it.
Especially attractive are the sales from the budget carriers, because the offers for tickets from them sometimes range from $ 1 to $ 10.
11. Use Websites With Promotions on Travel
Do not forget about the sites where the information on the ways and directions to travel cheap is published daily, including information about airfare deals.
If the conditions of the promotion suits you (dates and directions of the travel), then this is a great way to save a significant sum of money (which will be pleasant to spend during the travel).
12. Search for Flights for 1 Person First if You Travel With a Company
If you travel with a company and want to buy flights for everybody at a time - first set the cost of the flight for 1 person in the search parameters. Remember this cost. And then change the number of people you need.
Compare whether the total cost corresponds to the sum of the costs for 1 person. If the total cost is higher (and most often it is) - buy tickets for each person separately. The fact is that this is a common trick.
For example, you need to buy 4 airline tickets. There are: 1 ticket for $ 100, 2 tickets for $ 200 and other tickets for $ 400. With a high probability you will be offered an amount of $ 1600 for a company of 4 people - by the maximum cost of tickets for each person.
13. Delete Cookies and Search History
Do this way in case you don’t want to buy airline tickets immediately, but prefer to surf the websites for a few days and return to the websites.
You can use a different browser and do not log in to your personal account when you search. Otherwise, when searching for the same direction, the price may increase for you, taking into account your interest.
14. Take Advantage of Budget Carriers
Every year budget carriers become more and more popular. And if before the budget carriers made flights within the same continent, today with the help of them it is already possible to travel around the world.
Yes, budget airlines are not always comfortable to travel, and there is a large list of restrictions and penalties (for example, for not printed check-in for a flight).
But the cost of the flight is often several times cheaper than from other airlines.
This is a good opportunity to save money on one of the most significant travel expenses.
The most popular budget airlines are: Ryanair, Wizzair, Norwegian, FlyDubai, AirAsia.
15. Do Not Wait Long to Book Flights
Airlines make tickets available usually 11 months before the flight date. It's clear that if you buy a flight at the last minute - the price for it will usually be unreasonably high. But also booking flights does not make much sense more than 5 months before the date of departure.
According to the research, the optimal time for buying airline tickets is 3 months for international flights and 1 month for domestic flights.
Of course, there are cases of promotions at low prices shortly before departure, but if you are interested in a particular flight - it is better not to wait for the last moment and buy flights in advance.
16. Read the Rules of Baggage Policy in Advance
Carefully read the rules of carrying baggage of the airline tickets which you intend to buy. This will help you avoid possible penalties for overweight or else.
In case you know that the norms of baggage allowance are not enough for you - it is better to pay extra baggage when buying a flight, because at the airport the cost of extra baggage might often be higher.