It doesn’t seem to matter where you fly to, the cost of the flight generally takes up a healthy slice of your budget. So, in this post I’ll give you my top 10 tips to help you find cheap flights.
If like me, you’re the kind of person who doesn’t mind talking money. The striking up a conversation on a long flight can be an eye-opening experience.
The chances are the prices paid by the people around you for the same flight vary wildly. You paid $1000 for your flight and were happy with the deal.
But the guy to your left paid $700, the one on your right paid $1200, and the one behind you only paid $200. Surprisingly, that’s normal. You will find similar situations to that on planes all over the world.
So, how do you get to be the one in the cheap seat? That’s what everyone wants to know. Let’s run through the basic rules.
Be Flexible With Your Dates
If you’re willing to fly at a less popular time, you’re more likely to find cheaper flights.
During the off-peak season your options will be greater, and you’ll have more chances of finding a bargain. Plus, airlines know that they are busier on some days and not on others. Rather than letting the plane fly half full, they would rather drop the prices a bit to get more backsides on seats.
Flying to a popular weekend resort on a Friday or Saturday will cost you a premium fare, whereas traveling on a Tuesday may be cheaper.
The opposite will apply if you are traveling somewhere that is a commuter route, full of passengers working Monday to Friday. Then the weekend may be the cheapest option.
Be Flexible With Your Locations
By this I am primarily looking at which location you fly in and out of. Airports charges can vary quite a bit from one location to another, and taxes can also vary between countries.
As an example of this. If I am in Perth, Western Australia, and I want to fly to Europe for a holiday. The most obvious route is to go into London. However, we can save a couple of hundred dollars by flying instead to Frankfurt in Germany.
On top of this, if the holiday was going to be based on mainland Europe anyway, then we just saved ourselves the costs of commuting to and from Europe from London.
This is also important if you use airline loyalty points, as a slight change in location can put you into a different bracket and you’ll save a lot of points. But we’ll touch further on points later.
It’s also worth considering stop overs and layovers. A stop over is a short stop at an airport, usually to change or refuels planes. A layover is similar but longer, so that you need accommodation.
It is generally more expensive to get a non-stop flight, this is especially so on long haul flights. If you’re willing to add some stops in, then the price should come down. If you have the flexibility, then you can call these stops part of your holiday and soak up some local culture at the same time.
Know The Rules
It might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to know the rules of your airline before you book. Some airlines allow you to make one free flight change within 24 hours of booking; others don’t allow any changes at all.
If there is a charge for changing your flight, make sure you plan ahead and know how much you’ll be paying. This way, if the price drops and you want to change your reservation, you won’t be surprised with an unexpected fee.
Also, some airlines will let you cancel your flights. With these policies, it’s important to check the cancellation fees that apply before cancelling your flight or else you could end up owing more than what your original ticket cost.
What about baggage? Make sure you know how much luggage you can check in, and what are the carry-on limits. Are they generous enough?
Sometimes when Jacqui and I are travelling, it’s for a scuba diving holiday. Our gear weighs about 17kg(36lb) each, and that’s before we put clothes in. If you have to pay for extra luggage, then it can start to get pricey.
If you’ve got no option but to get extra luggage allowance, then do it early. It gets much more expensive if you have to organize it at the check in counter.
Use the Right Websites
For me, I use Skyscanner 90% of the time. Although I have used Webjet and Kayak in the past. I guess that I am just more familiar with Skyscanner.
There are two important things to remember about searching for flights on the internet.
Firstly, always use a comparison website like the ones mentioned above. Even if you end up going directly with the airline, at least you know where their price fits against the opposition. This is handy if you want to try and get some extras thrown in. Like baggage for example.
Secondly, always clear the cookies on your computer before you start a search. The cookies remember that you have been to the website and what you’ve searched for. So, when you go back a second and third time, the price goes up a bit each time.
This creates the impression that you need to hurry and secure the price before it goes up any further.
Jacqui and I have been sat next to each other on the couch and conducted the exact same search. She got a cheaper price, because I had done the same search earlier that day.
Read The Fine Print
You may be tempted to skip over the fine print on a flight, but it’s worth it to read through. Airlines often include bonus features, like free checked baggage and advance seat selection, in the price of your ticket, so be sure to take advantage of these benefits if you’re eligible.
Covid-19 taught us all to be very sure, that when you book a flight, that you can cancel it again if you need to.
Fly with a Low-Cost Airline
There are broadly 2 types of airlines. Full-service airlines, where you get a generous luggage allowance, free food and drink, plus some entertainment to pass the time.
And there’s low-cost airlines, where you have to purchase all or most of these things as an added extra.
I have to admit, I’m not a fan of low-cost airlines.
The prices at first glance look to be unbeatable, then you have to pay to take a bag. And you’d like to watch a movie so that’s extra. And a sandwich? What about fuel and a qualified pilot? Alright, the last 2 are included in the original price.
In the end the price is cheaper, but not by much, and frankly, I object to the way they got there.
Whilst I haven’t tried all of the low-cost airlines, I have tried a few, and found that the leg room wasn’t great for me. I’m reasonably tall so I don’t want to spend the duration of the flight semi standing in a magazine rack.
Check Out Last Minute Deals
Don’t forget to check out the last minute deals! These are often very cheap fares that were not sold as a result of a flight cancellation.
If you’re flexible with your travel time, these fares could be a great option for you.
They used to be called standby flights, because you were literally standing by to see if someone cancelled.
Plan Your Trip Around Holidays
I like to book my flights well in advance, especially if I have a large family group with me. International flights are open for sale 300 days prior to the flight.
The closer you get to the departure date, the more the price rises. From about 6-8 weeks out the prices start to rise quite quickly.
The holiday periods are generally the most popular and book up quickly. For this reason, they also tend to be more expensive. If you can travel outside the peak holiday periods then you can save considerable money.
Maximize Savings With Travel Agents
If you’re not feeling up to the task of looking for flights on your own, there are plenty of travel agents that can find you a flight that matches your needs.
Check the comparison sites first though and know what prices you expect to pay. There are a lot of large travel agent chains that offer to match the cheapest quote.
If you get them to match your cheapest quote, at least if something goes wrong, you know you can walk back into their store and sort it out. That’s a lot easier than trying to deal with the matter by email.
Travel agents can also add in extra bonuses for you, like cheap accommodation or car hire.
Use Your Frequent Flyer Miles.
I have dedicated a whole post to using frequent flyer points, so I’ll post a link to that below.
The summary though is that this the cheapest way to travel. If you have enough points, you don’t have to pay for the flight. It’s as simple as that.
Quite often you only have to pay the taxes. Qantas now has a system called points plus pay. You decide how much you want to pay, and the system tells you how many points you need. Push the slider one way or the other to adjust the point/dollars balance.
Final Thoughts
Use points when you can, be flexible with dates and locations, and compare the prices. That’s about it really.
The first time you book without an agent seems quite daunting and a bit scary. But, once you’ve done it the first time, there will be no looking back.
Go on, give it a go.
Here’s some more posts that could help you on your way.
24 Tips to survive a long haul flight.
13 Tips to handle a short layover.
How to earn and use frequent flyer points.
Cheers and happy travels