Your ability to find the cheapest fares will depend greatly on your degree of flexibility in departure and return dates, and amount of time ahead of the trip that you start looking. With the number of routes being reduced by the airlines in order to fly at high as capacity as possible, it’s even more important to plan in advance these days.
Flight Search Engine Tip:
(Do your Flight searches Incognito)
Private Browsing Mode or Remove Cookies
This is a very important tip. Always search for flights in incognito or private browsing mode to see the lowest prices. Based on the cookies in your browser, flight prices do increase when a particular route is repeatedly searched, as the site wants to scare you into booking the flight quickly before prices get even higher.
Under the advanced flight options You can search by fare type. Typically the lowest price flight fares have many restrictions. These fares usually have penalties for refunds and changes. Most are non-refundable and do not allow changes after the ticket is purchased. However, with the refundable changeable only option, the system will only search for fares with no penalties. Keep in mind that you may notice higher prices with this search option selected.
Try to avoid booking on a Saturday or Sunday. Most airline sales end by Thursday or Friday only to offer them again by the middle of the following week.
Cheapest Day to Fly – Wednesday
For better savings consider departing on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. Return on a Tuesday or Wednesday. This is because Monday is a peak travel day when most people, including business travelers, need to fly. Tuesday is far less busy. Wednesdays and Saturdays are equally inexpensive; Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays are equally pricey. That's why it's advisable to schedule vacations from Tuesday to Tuesday rather than Sunday to Sunday.
For international travel the best deals can also be found by departing Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. Also, spending the weekend and following Monday at your destination will generally result in better airfares.
Avoid Afternoon Flights
Look for the earliest possible departure to avoid high fares and delays. Fares are highest on afternoon departures because that's when most people want to fly.
Search For Connecting Flights (Add A Stop to your Flight)
Although a connecting flight may add at least two more hours to your travel time you can save by choosing multiple stops over direct flights to your final destination.
Travel destinations may also have especially high volume during particular seasons. For example, popular Summer spots include Europe Hawaii and Alaska. Spring is a peak travel period for Florida, New Orleans and Southern California.
If you do have some flexibility, many sites will allow you to select a flexible date option which will enable you to scan for the best prices up to 3 days before or after a specified date.
Some airfare search engines inflate airfare tickets much higher than others ("others" listed below). It pays to familiarize yourself with sites that offer the best prices and these sites include;
Although a connecting flight may add at least two more hours to your travel time you can save by choosing multiple stops over direct flights to your final destination.
If you do have some flexibility, many sites will allow you to select a flexible date option which will enable you to scan for the best prices up to 3 days before or after a specified date.
Some airfare search engines inflate airfare tickets much higher than others ("others" listed below). It pays to familiarize yourself with sites that offer the best prices and these sites include;
Domestic & International Flights from the US:
For Domestic & International Flights departing within the United Kingdom:
Check to see if any special deals are available for a group that you can be associated with. Seniors, students, single women, etc. often have websites that offer discounted fares.
If you have maximum flexibility then simply wait for a good deal. Websites like cheapflights.com
or CheapOair.com (for travelers departing the United Kingdom Skyscanner
) will notify you when sales run on destinations you are interested in. Check a few of the websites for the airlines that you’ve found deals on up to this point to see if they offer any type of notification service on sales. Vayama.com
is a good resource to check for sales on international flights.Check to see if any special deals are available for a group that you can be associated with. Seniors, students, single women, etc. often have websites that offer discounted fares.
Comparing fares:
Low cost fares are often quoted on a one-way basis. Taxes, handling fees and other surcharges are not always included in the initial price. Click through to the final page to effectively compare cost. Airfare may be quoted in the airline or consolidator's local currency only. Converting fares to a single currency will facilitate comparison.
Consider Departing from Alternative Airport / Arriving at an Alternative Airport
If there's an alternative airport relatively close to your city you should compare flights departing that airport as well. You may be surprised at how much you can save driving 50 or so miles to another city for a cheaper airfare. The same goes with your arrival city. Look for airports 50 or so miles from your destination city and compare the airfare. Often times you can take a bus to or from one of the alternative cities and still end up saving on your airfare. Of course time and convenience should also be weighed into that decision.
Related Article: Air Travel Tips for Families
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