With air travel, you can travel thousands of miles in a matter of hours. Business people often travel around the world several times over within a year meeting with international clients. Family members living on separate continents no longer have to live their lives estranged from each other. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, fliers want the best deal possible when booking flights. Here are some easy tips to follow on how to save money on flights.
Use Frequent Flier Programs Wisely
Since the 1980′s, fliers have been taking advantage of the deals offered through frequent flier programs. Airlines are also notorious for changing the rules for their frequent flier programs. Members may think they have enough points to redeem their miles, then they suddenly find out the rules of the program have changed. To make the most of these miles, fliers should use their points as soon as possible after accumulating them. Traveling during weekdays is a way to accumulate more miles. These programs sometimes pay more frequent flier miles to members who book weekday flights as opposed to weekend flights. There are also many other ways to use frequent flier miles than just on airfare tickets. Gift cards, magazine subscriptions, and discounts off other services, such as car rentals, can be purchased with frequent flier miles. Check with the airline to see if they offer other ways of using frequent flier miles.
People often unaware that they could be earning miles from the shopping they do and the hotels and car rentals they use just by giving their frequent flier number. Check the airline websites for partners that give miles. For those who can use them responsibly, the miles from frequent flier credit cards can add up to free tickets.
Time is of the Essence
To get the best deals on airline flights, travelers have to be “book savvy” or know when the best time is to book a flight to get the biggest discounts on ticket prices. Fliers need to book well in advance of the trip (20 to 45 days will get the biggest discount) or book flights only a few days before the trip to take advantage of the big discounts offered by airline companies on unsold seats. The disadvantage of waiting until the last minute is that the flight may be sold out with no seats available. Weekday flights, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, will also be less pricey than trips planned for the weekend. Plan on taking a vacation during the off-season and avoid the hefty price of holiday or summer vacation flight tickets. Being flexible on layover plans can also save fliers big bucks on tickets. Flights with more layovers are much less expensive than booking a non-stop flight.
Sometimes, rather than buying one ticked with a connecting flight at one airport, the cheapest way is to buy two separate tickets. Buy one ticket from the starting point to the connecting city and the second ticket from the connecting city to the final destination.
Tips for Booking International Flights
When planning an international trip or vacation, travelers who stay flexible with their flight dates will be the most successful in receiving the biggest discounts on tickets. Being flexible allows the flier to find the best deals during “flight wars” which occur frequently with airline companies. The participating companies will continually offer bigger discounts on a flight than the previous airline. Someone who is planning a trip during one of these flight wars can receive amazing discounts on airfare tickets. Flexibility in flight plans will also allow international travelers to find the best deals on canceled airline tickets and undersold flights. Furthermore, do not be afraid to approach a travel agent when planning an international flight. He may be able to get the best deal for an all-inclusive trip that will not only save on the cost of airfare tickets, but will also save on the price of hotels, transportation, entertainment, and meals.
Sign up for Online Alerts
Both domestic and international travelers who fly regularly can save big on airline tickets by signing up for online alerts. Airlines frequently offer deeply discounted tickets as a promotion for the company and to generate more revenue through ticket sales. Check out airline websites and sign up to receive these free alerts by email. Social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter also often advertise these last minute flight deals. When finding a cheap ticket through an alert, fliers must act fast as these tickets sell very quickly.
Another trick is to give the airline an old fashioned telephone call between midnight and 1 a.m. Since airline agents generally load new fares and make other revisions at this time, it offers a window of opportunity grab special deals before someone else does.
Finally, check directly with discount airline websites since sometimes their fares do not show up on the major travel sites.
Be Aware of Hidden Fees
Become aware of hidden fees airlines charge in ticket prices and learn how to save money on flights by avoiding these fees. Taxes most often are unavoidable in the price of a ticket, but other fees, such as the baggage fee, can be waived by flying with only a “carry-on” bag. Some airlines charge as much as $50 for just one extra bag on a flight. When researching the prices of flights, be sure the quoted prices includes fees and taxes and is not only the base airfare charge. Additional taxes and fees can make up 30 percent of the cost of an airfare ticket.
