This is one question that everyone wants an answer for, How do I save on my ticket costs? To find an answer to this question we have dug deep and found out that there is no single or definite way to save on your flight costs. In reality, saving happens when we take certain measures to get cheap tickets. Below are some points that we have listed out that may help you to save on your flight tickets.
Steps to save on flight costs.
- Purchase in Advance: – Like all products and services flight ticket prices also depend on a number of factors however one of the biggest factors which can allow you to get a ticket at cheap prices is by purchasing in advance. All major airline inventory system follow an ascending order for fare pricing the earlier you buy the cheaper the ticket prices will be, there are various advance purchase fares which offer varying discount. A ticket which is purchased 120 days in advance is a lot cheaper compared with a ticket which was purchased just two days before travel. Nearly all airlines publish advance purchase and promotional fares which are very cheap however one also needs to make sure their travel plans are confirmed as most of these fares are very restrictive or non-refundable.
- Use low-cost carriers: – Low-cost carriers are airlines which have adopted a cost-centric method of operation. Such airlines do not offer facilities of a full-service airline, however, are extremely effective if you are trying to save money. Low-cost carriers primarily operate small fuel-efficient aircraft and provide you options to select services which you want to be included, Most low-cost carriers do not allow free seating, food and charge a fee for every service offered. You can choose to pre-book a seat or you can let the airline allow you to assign a seat upon check-in. Many low-cost carriers even charge fees for checking in at the airport however web check-in is free. Using a low-cost carrier compared to a full-service airline can prove to be cost-effective.
Some of the major low-cost carriers.
Southwest Airlines- Within the United States
Jet Blue-Within United States
Westjet-Within US and Canada
Easy jet-Within Europe
Flydubai-Middle East
Air Arabia-Middle East
Ryan Air-UK and Europe
Air Asia-South Asia and South East Asia
Indigo-India and Southeast asia.
Tiger Air-South East Asia
Azul Brazilian Airlines-Brazil
- Deal fares: – Deal fares are discounted fares offered by travel agencies to its customers. Nowadays many online travel agents offer deal fares which are relatively cheaper compared to fare offered by airlines it. Deal fares are mostly procured by the travel agency from the airlines on the basis of high sales volume, the agencies receive a discount from the airline on the promise of selling more tickets of a particular airline and out of this discount the agent offers a part discount to the end customer making the fare slightly cheaper than the market fare. However, most of the deal fares come with stringent terms and conditions and have a high penalty in case of changes or cancellations.
- Redeye flights/Odd timings: – Another method to save some money on flight tickets is by opting flights on odd times or red-eye flights; however this concept applies only to places which are well connected and have multiple flights throughout the day. You may have noticed that flights departing in the morning or in the evening are highly priced compared to flights which are at odd hours like a red-eye flight(midnight) or flights which leave in the afternoon. The costs of these flights are always comparatively cheaper compared to flights operating during peak hours.
- Weekend flights/weekday flights: – Many of us may not know this but flight tickets on weekends would always cost you more compared to weekdays. All airlines have weekend fares which are always slightly bumped up as all airlines expect high sales volumes during weekends. In case you are planning a weekend trip you need to ensure its planned well in advance to get best fares, the ideal time would be at least 21days before the scheduled date of travel.
- Minimum/Maximum stay :- These is one of the factors that people from non-travel background are completely unaware of. Minimum and maximum stay requirements are fare rules which are levied on most cheap fares. You may notice that fare for a short trip is always a lot expensive than fare for a trip of more than a week. Most of the airlines are aware that most people on business do not stay for long in a particular city and hence need a day or two and hence to benefit from this situation the airlines keep a clause of minimum stay on all cheap fares. If you are planning a trip say for three days try and extend the same by a day earlier or later and see if the fare comes out to be cheaper. You will notice that you will save almost 1/3rd to 1/4th of the cost by just leaving the night earlier or taking a next day flight.
- Avoid buying a last minute ticket at the airport: – This is one of the biggest misconceptions that most people have. Most of the airlines throughout the globe follow a first come first serve concept which means earlier book its more than likely you will get a cheaper fare, It was possible earlier to a very small extent that you may end up getting a cheaper flight ticket at the airport due to no-show passengers and some cancellations but this is no longer much of a possibility as most of the airline reservation systems are advanced and determine the fare which would be most profitable for the airlines. For eg :- If Sam purchased a ticket 3 months back for $ 300 however due to some problems he had to cancel his reservations 4hrs before the flight. To fill up the vacant seat the airline will sell this ticket over the counter at the airport but not at the same price as 3months back the system will calculate the highest fare applicable at that time which may be say $ 1500.There are also high chances that a person may not calculate much and would actually purchase the ticket as he is already packed for travel and actually end up paying more.
- Confirm your plans: – Always ensure that you have correct dates and confirm tickets in advance only and only if you have confirmed plans. Most of the tickets on all major airlines are competitively priced however changing a reservation or cancelling a ticket can prove to be a costly affair. For eg :- You have purchased a ticket 100 days before your scheduled plan and suddenly you notice just 10days ahead of your travel the date you booked is incorrect. In such a scenario you will have to amend the ticket for same a penalty would be levied plus there would be an applicable fare difference since the price you paid for 90days before was much lower than the current price as most of the seats would be sold out and the currently applicable fare would apply. Hence if you are trying to take advantage of advance purchase always have confirmed plans.
We hope you will like this article and try and implement above measures and save a considerable amount on your flights. We are always looking forward to hearing from you,in case if you have any suggestions you may write to us at admin@talearnings.com, Until then goodbye and happy travels.