In most cases, people who travel will state that air travel is the most comfortable form of transportation. Flights are without a doubt the fastest and best way of reaching a destination, although they are also the most expensive. Travel budgets are often dominated by spending on flight tickets, which often account for more than half. Yet there's always someone seated right next to you in the plane who bought tickets at a lower cost.
The tickets are not guaranteed to drop in price substantially, but we can assist you in finding the best airfare by giving you clever tips to help you book. Keep reading to find out how you can outwit the airlines and book low-cost airline flights:
1. Book in advance
Booking in advance isn't a cheat; it's a smart move for travellers who want to travel at a reasonable price. It has been reported that buying a flight ticket 47 days before the departure will assist you in getting the cheapest airfare. Moreover, a recently conducted study found that Tuesday at 3:00 pm is the best time to book a flight.
Pro-tip: Avoid booking tickets during weekends as it is often a high-volume time and tickets are often more expensive at this time.
Source: Travel Pulse
2. Pick Smart Flying Days
Frequent commuters tend to fly on Fridays and Sundays, as we all know. Most people opt to avoid flying on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays due to the fact that it often means giving up work or taking an extra vacation day. However, you can save money by flying on the above three days, as airline companies drop the price of tickets to avoid empty seats in their planes.
Pro tip: Avoid flying during major holidays such as Diwali, Holi, and Christmas since ticket prices are usually extremely high during these seasons.
Source: Travel + Leisure
3. Extend your Research
If you are a savvy traveler, you must thoroughly research airfare before investing in one. In terms of booking airline tickets on the internet, it is not wise to go with the first option. It is vital that you check out as many options and deals as possible before making any bookings. It is also possible to search for the best flights with popular fare aggregators, like Priceline & Skyscanner. Additionally, you can also find the best deal by visiting the official website of the airline.
Pro-Tip: Consider purchasing non-refundable tickets if you are sure about your plans!
Source: Smarter Travel
4. Always fly in the early hours
As morning departures have relatively cheap tickets, it is best to book a flight early in the morning. In addition, if your flight is oversold during the early hours of the day, you may exercise your right to negotiate with the airlines for an upgraded seat and additional amenities without paying a premium.
Pro-Tip: When going to the airport in the morning, there will be fewer vehicles on the roads.
Source: TheStoryPedia
5. Masking your IP address
Dynamic pricing in the airline industry means that the same flight may have a different price for two individuals traveling at the same time. Additionally, price differences between countries can be found in flight prices. It is likely that someone booking a flight ticket from the US may have to pay more than a customer booking it from India (as the INR is cheaper than the USD). In order to get the cheapest tickets, we suggest masking the IP address of your device in order to screw its location.
NOTE: The procedure associated with this trick is not illegal, however, some airlines prohibit it.
Source: IndiaMart
6. Clear your browser's cache and cookies
Research suggests that airline websites track your search using cookies in order to serve you with "dynamic pricing" schemes. It may be possible to get a cheap flight ticket if you clear your browser's cache and cookies.
Pro-Tip: You can achieve similar outcomes by using the incognito mode in your browser.
Source: Panda Security
7. Check for connecting flights
There is no doubt that booking a direct flight saves a tremendous amount of time. The fact is that connecting flights are relatively cheap, but only few people are aware of it. In this way, you may be able to save a lot of money by taking a connecting flight.
Source: Brussels Airlines FAQ
8. Take advantage of loyalty credits
Many times, loyal customers are pampered by airline companies. The airline companies don't all reward frequent flyers with 'Travel Credits' as they're called, but most of them do. These credits can be redeemed for future travel. Additionally, you can use the bank's credit and debit cards to redeem travel points in order to decrease the cost of airfare.
Source: PYMTS.com
See! Our plan for outsmarting the "dynamic pricing scheme" of airline giants hasn't proved as difficult as we thought. Therefore, keep these eight flight booking tricks in mind next time you or your friends want to buy a flight ticket.
Also, check out some similar blogs on our website to get more interesting hacks, tips and tricks while travelling.