Article Summary: If you want to find cheap flights then read this article carefully. It will help you find the best flights on the web.
Finding cheap flights in times of economic crisis
As we all know the world is in an economic crisis while tourism is a bit down. Fees and costs are slashed by airlines, trying to fill empty seats. But flights on the major airlines are still expensive. Costs for oil, personell and other material costs have added to rising fares.
Travelling dirt-cheap is over, and, as the flight can represent a very big part of your trip expenses, finding a hidden deal can be very important. There are still a lot of ways to find a cheap ticket as you can read below. A few tips for finding the best flight deals:
Be flexible
If you're flexible with your dates, you will be able to capture pricing variations. Ticket prices always fluctuate. For example, it's nearly always cheaper to fly mid-week than on a weekend. It's better to fly out after major holidays than before. The week after Christmas? Beautiful! No one ever flies because they are with their families, so prices are low. Early morning or late-night flights are also cheaper most of the times, as fewer people choose those. So, in short, the difference of just one day of hour can be the difference of a couple of hundred dollars.
Fly to less well known airports
Most major cities have a secondary airport. This is the airport most low-cost carriers (LCC) fly into for it is cheaper for them normally regarding landing fees. This ofcourse helps keeping prices down for you. Check out these airlines. For example take JetBlue to Long Beach, close to LA, instead of flying into LA International Airport. In America, there are more than twenty different lowcost carriers. In Europe even more. Competition keeps prices low. In Asia you can take Air Asia which is a great budget airline and has tickets from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur for only $40 USD. Often you can get tickets without the fare, you just pay taxes. Flying budget airlines is an alternative whenever possible. Making reservations through a website in another country, for example on goedkope vluchten, can also help. You get less "extras," but you can save money, sometimes a lott, in ticket costs.
Try alternative routes
If you are flexible with the route then it is, for example, sometimes cheaper to fly to London and take a lowcost flight to Amsterdam rather than taking a direct flight. There are low-cost carriers enough to take advantage of a good deal to another city and then choose a LCC for getting to your final destination. Nearly allways direct flights are more expensive than connecting flights. Also, make sure you have a Saturday night in your stay and, again, save money. Every bit of money you save is giving you more money to spend at your final destination.
What is your budget?
We always try to get the lowest price, then wait, and often pay too much. We all know airline prices go up and down, but we always miss out on the lowest fare. Be sure that you know what you want to pay. What is your lowest price? Is $190 from NY to Miami what you want? Or $850 to go from LA to Tokyo? Then buy it and do not wait for the perfect fare because you won't get it. Prices are always up and down, but if you are happy with the fare at the time of your purchase, then stay happy! A website like Farecast can help predict when to buy your tickets.
Not all search engines are alike
Do not only search Expedia or Orbitz, because these sites work with or are owned by the airline companies themselves. So they don't offer unbiased prices and they also don't list lowcostcarriers. The best search engines have no affiliation with airlines, make only money through advertising, not reservations. A fine example is Skyscanner, great for lcc's and they search a few of the majors also. Kayak is great for all travellers flying to other places than the USA. Momondo is also a good search engine.
Search on the airline's international site
You might think that prices will be the same across the world, but that's far from the truth. I have found tickets from Tokyo to Los Angeles hundreds of dollars cheaper when searching the New Zealand website of Air New Zealand instead of the US one. I found tickets to and from Europe by searching the Canadian version of the BA website. You can book your tickets on a website in a different country. You will normally just be charged in the local currency. Ofcourse you can also try foreign travel agents like www.goedkopevliegtuigtickets.be
Sign Up for a Frequent Flier Program
A great way to get cheap flights, discounts, upgrades or even free companion tickets. Join now! Even if you do not fly a lot you can probably earn asimple free upgrade. I used to always just go for the lowest fares but if I had stuck to one airline network, I would probably have been a high-tier member, flying first class.
Book Early
With oil prices steadily going up, airlines are raising fees. The last couple of years the best booking window seemed to be 6 to 8 weeks before the flight. Currently the best advise is to book as soon as you know when you want to fly. This can save you tons of money.
As we all know the world is in an economic crisis while tourism is a bit down. Fees and costs are slashed by airlines, trying to fill empty seats. But flights on the major airlines are still expensive. Costs for oil, personell and other material costs have added to rising fares.
Travelling dirt-cheap is over, and, as the flight can represent a very big part of your trip expenses, finding a hidden deal can be very important. There are still a lot of ways to find a cheap ticket as you can read below. A few tips for finding the best flight deals:
Be flexible
If you're flexible with your dates, you will be able to capture pricing variations. Ticket prices always fluctuate. For example, it's nearly always cheaper to fly mid-week than on a weekend. It's better to fly out after major holidays than before. The week after Christmas? Beautiful! No one ever flies because they are with their families, so prices are low. Early morning or late-night flights are also cheaper most of the times, as fewer people choose those. So, in short, the difference of just one day of hour can be the difference of a couple of hundred dollars.
Fly to less well known airports
Most major cities have a secondary airport. This is the airport most low-cost carriers (LCC) fly into for it is cheaper for them normally regarding landing fees. This ofcourse helps keeping prices down for you. Check out these airlines. For example take JetBlue to Long Beach, close to LA, instead of flying into LA International Airport. In America, there are more than twenty different lowcost carriers. In Europe even more. Competition keeps prices low. In Asia you can take Air Asia which is a great budget airline and has tickets from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur for only $40 USD. Often you can get tickets without the fare, you just pay taxes. Flying budget airlines is an alternative whenever possible. Making reservations through a website in another country, for example on goedkope vluchten, can also help. You get less "extras," but you can save money, sometimes a lott, in ticket costs.
Try alternative routes
If you are flexible with the route then it is, for example, sometimes cheaper to fly to London and take a lowcost flight to Amsterdam rather than taking a direct flight. There are low-cost carriers enough to take advantage of a good deal to another city and then choose a LCC for getting to your final destination. Nearly allways direct flights are more expensive than connecting flights. Also, make sure you have a Saturday night in your stay and, again, save money. Every bit of money you save is giving you more money to spend at your final destination.
What is your budget?
We always try to get the lowest price, then wait, and often pay too much. We all know airline prices go up and down, but we always miss out on the lowest fare. Be sure that you know what you want to pay. What is your lowest price? Is $190 from NY to Miami what you want? Or $850 to go from LA to Tokyo? Then buy it and do not wait for the perfect fare because you won't get it. Prices are always up and down, but if you are happy with the fare at the time of your purchase, then stay happy! A website like Farecast can help predict when to buy your tickets.
Not all search engines are alike
Do not only search Expedia or Orbitz, because these sites work with or are owned by the airline companies themselves. So they don't offer unbiased prices and they also don't list lowcostcarriers. The best search engines have no affiliation with airlines, make only money through advertising, not reservations. A fine example is Skyscanner, great for lcc's and they search a few of the majors also. Kayak is great for all travellers flying to other places than the USA. Momondo is also a good search engine.
Search on the airline's international site
You might think that prices will be the same across the world, but that's far from the truth. I have found tickets from Tokyo to Los Angeles hundreds of dollars cheaper when searching the New Zealand website of Air New Zealand instead of the US one. I found tickets to and from Europe by searching the Canadian version of the BA website. You can book your tickets on a website in a different country. You will normally just be charged in the local currency. Ofcourse you can also try foreign travel agents like www.goedkopevliegtuigtickets.be
Sign Up for a Frequent Flier Program
A great way to get cheap flights, discounts, upgrades or even free companion tickets. Join now! Even if you do not fly a lot you can probably earn asimple free upgrade. I used to always just go for the lowest fares but if I had stuck to one airline network, I would probably have been a high-tier member, flying first class.
Book Early
With oil prices steadily going up, airlines are raising fees. The last couple of years the best booking window seemed to be 6 to 8 weeks before the flight. Currently the best advise is to book as soon as you know when you want to fly. This can save you tons of money.
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