The buzz of booking a flight to foreign climes is hard to beat, but we all try and do so for as cheap a price as possible. There is such a range of prices out there for air flight, it pays to do research and source the best deal. Moolr have looked at how to book the cheapest flights.
Use the best flight search engines
The obvious place to start. Once you decide that a package deal does not represent the best value, then you must begin your search for the cheapest flights. Search engines tend to display inflated flight costs as part of taking a cut from the airlines. Some search engines will inflate much higher than others. Get familiar with sites that offer the most competitive prices. An obvious example of a site to use would be Skyscanner or Momondo
How To Book The Cheapest Flights – Flexibility
If you are flexible about when you can fly, both in respect to the day of the week and time of day, you can save a fortune on flights. There is no set rule for the best time of the week to fly, so trial and error is often the best method. Put in a wide search area and see when the cheapest flights are. If you are close to more than one airport, examine options form both.
How To Book The Cheapest Flights – Use Air Miles
When I wrote on saving money on gifts, I mentioned the possibility of using loyalty points. This way you could purchase something for free, and take the pressure off yourself financially. This method works for air flights too. If you have collected air miles, then use them! If you are a regular traveller, it may be worth using a credit or bank card that rewards you with air miles when you use it. Also, if you use the same airline regularly, it is likely they too will run a reward and loyalty scheme.
Use budget airlines
In a perfect world we would all fly first class around the world, carbon-free, living a life of luxury. Sadly the real world does not work like that. Budget airlines offer significantly cheaper tickets than their full-service counterparts. The service is basic of course, but that should not matter if your flight is not a long one. Compromise is required, but economy travel is also better for the environment, as more people fly per plane.
No Extras!
In addition to using budget airlines, try and avoid all the extra that make these airlines their money. No scratchcards, eat before you get on the plane, drink lightly and don’t pay to move your seat. If you can travel by hand luggage alone, all the better.
