How to Find Cheaper Flights
Cheaper airline flights, they are on every body's wish list but how do we find them? In this article, I will share ideas that you can use.
As a veteran, of many years in the tour industry I had travelled with individuals who choose to arrange their own flights when booking a tour, and others who would rather have the flight included as part of the tour package.
There are two schools of thought of which is better, and I have found it boils down to a personal choice and your personal situation.
The advantage to having your flight included in the tour package is that it is one-stop shopping. For one fee, everything is taken care of for you, including in many packages, airport transportation to and from your hotels. In most cases, this can work quite well, but at times there can be a downside. There are situations in which you do not have a choice of your flight itinerary, causing your routing to be skewed with crazy departure and arrival hours. These situations are quite often next to impossible to change.
The alternative is to book your flight, you do have to spend time doing your own research or visit a travel agent, but this in most cases ensures you receive the routing you want, set to your own schedule and at times a more favourable price. You may also have the opportunity to use points from airline reward programs.
With inconsistency of airline schedules the last year couple of years the second option seems to becoming more popular.
How do you find the deals when booking flights?
I'm going to share with you some techniques I've used over the years to obtain more desirable flights and prices.
Over the last year or two, I've done my fair share of flying and have refined my methods of making sure that I always get the best flight for my needs available. I wish I could tell you "there was only one service you need use," but in reality it does not work that way. Since there are so many variables at play, for best results you have to examine a number of sites. So how do you get the best airfare?
Travel Agent
If you have the trusted travel agency it might be worth it to check with them first. Travel agents make their living by finding terrific deals for customers, and while there is extensive information available on the Internet, the agents have not all gone out of business and can still offer value.
Internet
If you want to find your own flight you have to be willing to put in little time; research is the key and to be comfortable with the Internet will be most beneficial. A great way to increase your general knowledge of travel research would be to start by signing up for one or more of the available online newsletters, provided by travel agencies and airlines. As well as increasing your general travel knowledge it could make you aware of significant deals before such information is on general release.
Know What You Want. When you want to arrive at your destination, and when you would like to depart. If possible, arrange to be flexible and do not limit your options.
For example
If you are planning a long haul, or international travel, it could be a good idea to consider splitting the journey into separate flights. You will have to factor in longer travel time and will possibly fly further, but it could make significant savings. Ensure your stopover does not require an overnight stay as any savings from your flight might be eaten up from staying in a hotel.
Before you start your research, it is best to search the Internet and familiarize with the different types of booking sites and companies that fall under each category.
Aggregators:
These are historically the best bets. They check airfares for many different airlines and do not charge a fee.
Examples include: Kayak
Skyscanner
Yahoo Travel
Bing Travel Booking Engines: They check several websites and take a small fee in addition to the price of the flight. Examples include: Travelocity
Orbitz
Expedia
Cheaptickets
Hotwire
Priceline
Mobissimo
Most airlines own websites with their own reservation options. Examples include:
Airtran
Alaska
AmericaWest
American Airlines
Air Canada
Continental Frontier
Jet Blue Northwest
Sun Country
Southwest
Spirit
U.S.Airways
United Airlines
Westjet
Most Other Airlines International Travel: Vayama
SkyScanner
Momondo
Other Options
Budget airlines
Budget airlines such as Irelands Ryanair, often have "Promotional Flight Sales" or free 'flights sales' (technically $1 or $2 or£1) to build up a client base. Of course, taxes and other charges are extra but the deals can still be sweet.
Charter flights
It is worth checking charter airlines and travel agents, and just asking them for best last-minute charter deals.
Charter flights are pre booked flights provided by package holiday companies to transport their passengers. If you are headed to a traditional package holiday destination, you may be able to find one super-cheap. As the operator books the whole plane, there's sometimes spare capacity, which they can offer extremely cheap to flight-only customers (it'll only go to waste if unsold).
Do remember that the absolute cheapest flight may well be like the Holy Grail, and not available. Once you have found a flight, which is acceptable in terms of the cost, you could be well advised to book it, because the volatile nature of flight costing could mean that if you delay too long, you lose the deal. I hope this has given you ideas on how to begin research and that you will enjoy the satisfaction of finding your own flight treasures.
If you have any stories or questions about finding cheaper flights and would like to share or for that matter any travel related themes you would like discuss or share; send them off to us. We will read the all and post our favorites.
Well this is all we have for today's article, let us know what you think and visit us at rhapsodytours.net.
Until next time Safe Travel and Have Fun! Gerry
