Airfare is often the most expensive component of a holiday budget, although they remain unavoidable. Finding cheap tickets to favourite destinations always seems to be a tough task, but with detailed planning and research, one can actually pull out a coup by landing a good airfare deal.
Airfares change dynamically based on several factors like days, months, seasons, booking availability, type of airline, upcoming festivals, special promotions, discounts and offers, and so on, say the folk at the travel booking website HolidayMe.
However, by following a few steps, along with careful planning and research, one can surely get the best flight deals.They offer a few nifty steps to book cheap flight tickets.
1. Go incognito
Always use incognito mode or private browsing while looking for airfares to the selected destination. The cookies enabled by browsers are traceable by travel websites, and they tend to increase the fares automatically for repeatedly searched routes and flights. Opting for incognito mode or private browsing provides you a clearer picture without keeping a track of searches.
2. Comparison sites are a must
Try the best flight search engines and comparison sites for the best airfare deals. These websites search several travel portals and list the best airfare prices available for customers.
3. Flag carriers
Try booking with flag carriers of your travel destination. These airlines offer great flight deals, promotional airfares, and all-inclusive holiday packages. They also have the best airfares and the maximum number of flights to your selected destinations.
4. Loyalty programmes
Join an airline loyalty programme or register with travel portals. Subscribers are often the first to learn about promotional discounts and deals.
5. Experiment with low-cost carriers
Experiment with local and airlines and regional low-cost air carriers. Low-cost air carriers are the newest trend in the aviation sector. The no-frill airfares and quick operation turnarounds have resulted in increasing popularity amongst air travellers. Local airlines also have good promotional fares to several destinations, while regional low-cost airlines have round-the-year competitive prices and plenty of flights.
6. Be flexible with dates
Be flexible with your travel dates, since airfares fluctuate on a daily basis based on several factors like demand, availability, special seasons, promotional airfares, etc. Flexibility in dates can help to pick up the best date with the lowest airfare for a particular destination.
7. Be flexible with time
Be flexible with travel timings as well, since airfares continue to hover based on flight timings. Late night flights are always cheaper due to very few takers, while morning flights or evening flights have higher demands and pricing due to favorable travel timings.
8. Avoid peak tourism seasons
Avoid peak tourism season and months in the case of looking for attractive air fares. Peak tourism season and the best months to visit a destination generally see an increase in tourist footfalls. This leads to higher demands for flights, hotels, and holiday packages and in-turn leads to a surge in pricing. However, by booking in advance, one can still get attractive deals even during peak seasons.
9. Try to stay away from major events
Avoid travelling to your destination during festivals or events. Airfares are always high due to high demand during major festivals or events. Book in advance to avoid the surge in pricing during festivals and major events happening in your destination.
10. Opt for round-trips
Opt for round-trips rather than one-way flights, since combined flights booked together save money. What’s more, it also saves you the time and effort you spend in searching for return flights, following the same painstaking process.
