When you’re booking flights, whether you’re travelling for business or pleasure purposes, you’ll want to know you’re getting the best deal for the best prices. Lord knows flight operators and service providers are trying to make as much money as possible, and while they may not be directly scamming you, they’ll definitely trying and get as much as they can.
In today’s guide, we’re going to go through some of the most important mistakes you’ll want to avoid while booking flights, ensuring you’re getting the best prices and not leaving money on the table.
- Flying at the Weekends
Everyone flies at the weekends because it’s when people tend to be off work and are more likely to fly. However, this means the flight times tend to be the most expensive. On the other hand, if you fly on a less popular day, such as a Wednesday, you may find it a much more affordable price.
- Always Booking the Cheapest Price
Just because you’re searching for flights and you’re filtering the results for the best and cheapest prices, that doesn’t mean you’re going to end up paying the best price. You need to think about things like how much baggage and luggage you’re taking, and whether you want a carry-on bag.
Some providers will charge you more for these extras, and it may be more affordable to pay a more expensive fare that includes these extras as standards. It all depends on how you’re travelling.
- Avoiding Known Best Flight Days
Surveys show that the best days to fly money-wise are Thursdays and Fridays, averaging around 10% savings compared with other days. In comparison, Sundays tend to be the most expensive, so bear this in mind when looking for flights, but remember this is a general rule and they’ll also be exceptions.
- Don’t Avoid Early Morning Flights
Sure, getting up at 2 am, travelling to the airport, and trying to make a 5 am flight is not the greatest feeling, but if you’re up for it, then you could find yourself an amazing deal. Skyscanner found the sweet spot flying time to be around 5 am, so look for flights around this time to see the difference.
- Booking too Early
While many flights will give you a great deal the earlier, you book your flight, sometimes a year or so in advance, but that doesn’t mean this is always the case. Most airlines will make their best prices available around six months before the flight, so this is when you want to be looking, although there will be exceptional deals at any time.
- Booking Too Late
Hand in hand with the point above, while there are plenty examples of last-minute deals with airlines cheaply selling seats to fill the planes, sometimes booking too late means airlines will bump up the prices because they know you’ll have to pay the fare because there’s no other choice. This will happen on popular flights.
- Fly with Budget Airlines
This may seem like a no-brainer, but many people forget that budget airlines exist and can provide you with a great deal. Sure, you may always fly with the same airline, but it pays to shop around, so don’t be afraid to do so. Not all airlines will show up on Google searches either, so keep your eyes open.
- Don’t Avoid Flight Hacking
Flight hacking is the process of finding an affordable flight anywhere you can. This may be using a website like Skyscanner and then contacting the flight provider directly to see if they can offer you a better deal. What’s more, buying two one-way tickets could be better than buying a return. It’s all about searching in the right places. Check out sanetraveller for more advice on this!
Summary
As you can see, there are lots of processes and techniques you can use when it comes to finding the best deal for your upcoming flights, so don’t’ be afraid to get out there and look, and don’t, whatever you do, settle for the first price you come across.