As the travel season approaches, we’re bombarded with people on social media sharing photos of their trips from various places, one more expensive than the other. But how do our online friends afford to travel to these places or this often, considering the recent financial turmoil in the world?
The answer is flight tickets. Although we know that prices rose considerably after the pandemic to help companies recover from consistent losses, you can still get a pretty good deal on flight tickets if you take the time to research options.
According to the International Air Transport Association, air traffic is almost back to pre-pandemic demand, meaning people are travelling more for business, time off, and education. So, if you want to be one of them, here are some essential tips on how to lower your ticket budget.
Image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/black-and-yellow-bus-seats-Nc34cnxcfH0
Don’t believe everything they say
When asked how they find such affordable flights at all times, people might respond with questionable advice. For example, many believe that choosing flights on Tuesdays with SkyClub is cheaper than any other day of the week. Others will say that going incognito while searching for tickets automatically lowers fares.
However, these tips cannot be proven, and they might’ve worked for some people out of pure luck. Airlines consider a plethora of aspects when pricing flights, including passenger demand, major events in that area, and fuel prices, so you may want to consider them as well instead of relying on myths.
Do try to be flexible
If you want to travel for leisure in a certain place but cannot find reasonable ticket prices, it might be better to simply relocate and look for a less famous place that can offer special ticket costs. Paris or Dubai are popular choices among most people, but you’ll find the Philippines, Czechia, or Egypt offer as much greatness as other frequented places.
You could also be flexible with dates and times. When booking a flight ticket, you could choose a time of the year when the weather is colder, for example, when almost no tourists are in sight, so demand is little. On the other hand, the time at which you arrive at the airport also matters. Flights early in the morning or late at night tend to be less expensive due to less demand.
Be wired with aeroplane companies through emails
Most companies like to reward their customers by offering discounts and special prices if they sign up for newsletters. It’s a great idea to subscribe to a few newsletters from airline companies or booking ones because they regularly send you cheap travel opportunities. At the same time, they keep you updated on their business improvements and new services so you can decide if it’s worth being their client.
Although we know this tip is one of the most useful, dealing with too many emails from companies can be challenging, especially during long-term periods when you don’t need them. That’s why you may want to create a task-specific email address only for travel you access occasionally.
Consider extending your flight
Of course, anyone wants to travel fast and cheaply, but this is impossible whenever you want to fly to your destination. At the same time, companies cannot provide such services continuously, so they don’t fly directly to specific destinations.
Connecting flights through layovers will allow you to access cheaper flights, but you’ll need to consider the time spent in airports or various cities. You could plan layovers in accordance with your ability to lay down for a few hours and then fast-forward to a new city for a day, for instance. Although it may seem uncomfortable, this strategy will help you save money, see more locations, and explore cultures on one trip.
Use different search engines
If you have the patience and the time, it would be best to expand your flight search to more engines because they tend to offer competitive prices to win over new clients. You can search online for a comparison of engines available in your area and get a glimpse of the offers.
Spend some time on these websites to assess their safety and efficiency. In most cases, websites that load fast and seem to be packed with features to allow you to get the best search experience are the best and can be trusted. Considering how many scams happen in the air travel sector, you must learn how to avoid possible fraud. Here are some essential tips:
- Try not to access online ads from these websites, as they can send you to risky places;
- Search for the website’s reviews on social media and other online communities;
- If you’re urged to buy the ticket, know this is a sign of a scam;
- Consider using a VPN to protect your network before and during your travel;
Be wary of different taxes
Although getting your ticket from a budget airline seems pretty apparent for someone who wants to travel on a budget, know that few of these companies add many other hidden taxes to the final price, so you may end up paying much more than expected.
Know that seemingly low prices might be a trap because as you add the ticket to the cart, you’ll see how air taxes or baggage fees will be added automatically to the final cost, so you’ll find yourself paying for more than necessary. Know that each country has different laws about these taxes. For example, in the UK, the air tax is higher if you fly for more than 5,500 miles from London.
Have you booked your next flight yet?
Flying is exciting as it allows us to see the world at a reasonable price. However, considering how much the pandemic affected the aviation industry, its prices rose considerably, so travellers must be practical in finding the best ticket prices. For example, they can be flexible in their travel, search for less popular routes, use various search engines, and learn to avoid taxes to lower expenses.