How To Book Cheap International Flights?
Just the mere thought of booking an international flight causes some individuals to tremble with fear.
Especially when you consider how much can be charged in the future, particularly if more than one service is offered. But the good news is that with little research and some leg work, anyone can book an international flight at an economical price. This guide will give the directions on how to look for and book international flights at a cheap price.
Set Flexible Travel Dates
Availability of cheap plane tickets depends on flexibility to travel during a certain period of time, which is why it is essential to be flexible on the dates of traveling. It is observed that the airfare which is booked in a week is cheaper than the airfare during the weekend. Furthermore, the availability of other flight options also help make a difference; choosing a flight that flies during midweek, rather than on the start or end of a week can also help with saving on some money. This is the best way to finding flights as it enables you to search multiple possible dates for travel then book the cheapest dates that you see.
Use Flight Search Engines
To get the best deals, instead of going through the websites of every airline, use a meta-search engine such as Skyscanner, Google Flights or Kayak. These sites look for prices across flight companies and online travel destinations. You can input your desired route and dates of travel in order to see a list of various flights and associated prices all in one location. This makes it very quick and convenient to look at the fares from various airlines and roughly estimate the reasonable fares.
Be Flexible With Destinations
If your destination has more than one big airport, compare prices for all of them. For instance, when searching for flights to London, one can compare tickets to Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, Luton, and Stansted airports. It is always advisable to select a flight that will make a landing at a less busy or a less close airport in order to be able to save a reasonable amount of money.
Look for any available promo or cheaper flights from other airports within the region.
There are some airports that may have comparatively cheaper international flight tickets prices than other nearby airports. You can start by searching for local airports but do not lock into them, rather try searching for airports which are within driving distance from your preferred location. These savings might be enough to justify the extra costs of getting to a distance airport: It is a good idea to add that the savings could be big enough to compensate an additional effort in getting from a farther airport.
Leverage Connecting Flights
International flights without a layover can be flexible but can be expensive in most cases. One way by which one can shave off cost is to take a fly whose journey has one stop. It is also important to know that flights that go through other cities have lower prices than flights that do not. It could be worth the extra time and money spent on travel because of the cut in fares.
Fly Out Midweek
Of all days, it is widely known that weekends are the most expensive to travel, at least in terms of airfare prices. To achieve cheap international plane tickets, get to and/or back in the middle of a week as there is high demand for travel in the course of the end of the week and over the weekend. It is argued that the cheapest fares are obtained when one is flying during mid week, from Monday through Thursday.
Book Early
Over the years, individuals have had varied opinions on when it is advisable to buy tickets for international flights. It is preferable to search and book approximately a few months in advance in general. If they can plan and book so early, like six to twelve months in advance, they can get fairly good rates. But it ensures freedom to choose any hotel of your choice; however, it is risky in case your travel plans change. It is advisable to avoid booking your flight at least 3-5 months to be able to get affordable flight tickets but not close enough to the date so that the plans may change.
Use Budget Airlines
Some of the low-cost airlines, or even the budget carriers such as EasyJet, Ryan air and JetBlue offer extremely low charges for the flights that are booked in advance. However, one loses the luxuries and comfort that are associated with cruises once on board. While this can be helpful if your objective is to find the lowest base fare, it can also be valuable if your research is limited to flights that involve one or more of the many cheap airlines.
Take Overnight Flights
If you do not have trouble sleeping on planes then perhaps overnight international flights could be a possibility for you. Another smart move is to take red-eye flights, that is, flights which take off late in the evening and arrive at the destination in the morning. This is the kind of flight that many airlines are likely to offer at a cheaper price, with departure after midnight and arrival in the morning. The benefit is that one is able to spend more time in his/her destination, although this means having to spend a lot of money on the air ticket.
Travel Light
One cannot underestimate the costs which are incurred when paying for baggage on planes, much more on international flights. In most airlines, every passenger is entitled to at least one free carry-on item. To be safe from checked baggage fees that range from - per bag on international flights, one should travel with minimal luggage. Pack lightly; one should carry only what is necessary, and it must fit in a non checked carrier bag.
Use Credit Card Rewards
There are several travel rewards of credit cards that can assist you to accrue enough points to earn free flights. Look for a card that has a high sign-up bonus and spending bonus based on the different categories of the purchases that a user makes, such as traveling and eating out. That way, all the expenditures incurred on that particular card might assist in building up enough points for an international flight.
Live fares update are available for signing up.
Most flight booking platforms and airlines offer the option of choosing preferred fare notifications for chosen routes. You select the routing of your choice and the rate that you consider appropriate for the route. For example, you buy air tickets that cost a certain amount, and the moment the rates drop to that level, you are notified through email. This system saves your time to constantly check fares and just alerts you when to grab the best deal.
Take into consideration Flights and Accommodation packages
There are online travel agencies and airlines that make their sales through selling flight and accommodation together with other ancillaries. The overall package rate can be a highly attractive and cost effective possibility as compared with the individual rates for flights and accommodations. Before you go out and purchase a flight and hotel bundle, make sure to look at the prices of the bundle, individually.
It is my hope that this guide has helped shed light on a few ideas and approaches to use the next time you have to secure an international flight. Loyalty to a single airline, travelling during off-peak hours, travelling during low traffic seasons, and booking well in advance are other methods that can be used to obtain cheap flight tickets. If some effort and time is put into researching and comparing, getting good value for money on international airline tickets is very possible.