In all trip planning, a large part of the budget goes to transportation. Whether by sea, land or air, if the distance to travel is long, or the chosen destination is not popular and demanded, we can to pay something more.
For that reason today I will explain the tricks that I use, to find the cheapest flights.
- 1- FLEXIBILITY ... HAVE THE MIND OPEN
The main thing is to have an open mind, the more we are pigeonholed, the fewer options we will have.
Surely your list of places to visit is infinite, right? So, what’s the difference between going to Hawaii first and after go to Japan?
If you base the choice of the chosen destination (always places of your interest) according to the prices of the flights you can save yourself good money. On the other hand, if you cling to a particular site, the tickets may be are very expensive.
Another important point is the dates. This always goes more subject to the availability of each one with his free days. But if we have flexible dates it will also save us money.
Sometimes it is cheaper to book round trip, but it is not always the case. I advise you to look if the separate flights are cheaper. Even in this way, you can make a circular route.
Also keep in mind airports are nearby of you and compare flights. It is possible that even with the displacement to the farthest airport the final price will be cheaper.
- 2- WHERE TO BUY THE TICKET
There are several options to search for flights on the Internet, whether in the pages of airlines, search engines, travel websites … everyone can to decide which one you prefer.
A good option is to sign up for flight alerts, and so they will inform you. Or even, sign up for the airline newsletter. Every time you launch offers, promotions or discounts you will receive an email with all the news.
You have to take into account that many promotions on the Internet indicate a very cheap price and as you progress in the purchase process it increases. Go to the parrot!
I use Skyscanner and then compare the prices directly with the pages of the airlines that fly from my nearest airports.
Skyscanner gives you several options to find a flight. Either in a concrete and specific way, that is, without any flexibility (Flight Barcelona- Paris on January 16, 2019). This option is the best known and used by all. You only have to enter the origin, destination and the dates of the trip . And the search engine itself gives you all the options of the different airlines that operate between these airports whether they are direct flights or with stopovers.
It is the option that every search engine has on its main page, through a box where you can put the data.
Here you have a screenshot to visualize it better:
But there are other options, for example, if you have flexibility in the days to travel, you can search the prices of the entire month. So you can see which day is cheaper to travel where you chose during that month. To do this you must select Full Month in the drop-down when entering the date.
Here you have a screenshot to visualize it better:
The other options that skyscanner gives you is through the map. You can find which flight is the cheapest that departs from the airport of origin selected. For example, which flight is cheaper leaving from the Barcelona airport during the month of March 2019. This option is through the map. All flights departing from the chosen airport appear on the map. So you can see if it’s cheaper during that month to travel to London, Berlin or Rome.
Here you have a screenshot to visualize it better:
You will see a screen where you have a map with red and green dots. Those points are the destination you can choose to fly there. The greens are direct flights, the red flights with scales. Just click on the point that interests you, a screen with all the information of the flight will appear. Here you have a screenshot to visualize it better:
- 3- SCHEDULES
Although it is one of the keys to get cheap flights, it is not so easy to get to good price. The best time to book a flight, in reality, no one can predict exactly which it is. For this, dozens of factors influence at the same time.
You can try to avoid buying tickets during the weekend, when more people are looking for flights.
Mondays are when companies usually launch offers and if they do not sell much on Tuesdays they lower prices.
I realize, I do not know if by mere chance or causality, it is that when looking for the same flight several times on the same day, the price goes up. Apparently, this is because your browser keeps a search record and the airline’s website knows it. And they are likely to increase the price. If this happens, I advise you to try to erase your browser’s cookies, use the incognito mode or verify it from another device.
There are many theories about the advance to buy cheap flights. Some say that for short-haul flights, it is better to do it seven weeks in advance and for long transcontinental flights at least 5-7 months in advance.
- 4- DO NOT CHECK IN
Currently, it is rare to be able to check in free bag, since most airlines charge for it. Then, to save money, plan well and travel lightly … and do it with the suitcase of the cabin. Maybe if you are going to be 2 or 3 weeks, it is not ideal, but you can always wash your clothes at the destination place. You know, if you want to save on your flights, do not invoice.
Anyway, flight offers can appear at any time, so attention!
