Booking Cheap Flights - Our Simple Tips |
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Don't always book direct with the airline  |
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Book directly with the airline and you normally pay the full published airfare, although they do have special offers, especially for early bookings so it can still be useful to check their website.
However, with many budget airlines you either have to book direct or may find that your agent will add a booking fee to the reservation. If you use a comparison site to search for budget no frills flights make sure that it links direct to the airline rather than via an agent to avoid any additional agents booking fees.
Online flight reservation specialists may negotiate special rates with the airlines due to the volume of business they transact or take a commission cut and then offer the same flight at a discounted rate. These flight booking agents are also competing with each other which is the reason most travel experts suggest you check the fares at several agents sites before confirming your booking to ensure you have found the lowest fare.
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| Check the total cost - lowest fare not always cheapest |
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Most sites comply with UK law and publish their fares including government taxes and, fees. Unfortunately in addition to the listed fare you can find a number of additional chargeable options (this is especially true with the budget low cost carriers) and will not see these until you have progressed part way through the booking process. These fees can include such things as hold luggage, reserved seats, booking fees and in flight meals so as always check the total cost carefully before confirming your booking.
Because of these optional fees it is impossible to compare fares on a like for basis. A fare which initially appears more expensive can end up costing less once all the additional fees have been added.
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| Flight comparison sites |
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These make it easy to search multiple sites with little effort on your part but each individual comparison site normally only display fares from it's selected suppliers so prices can vary from site to site depending on your route/day etc. No single site will compare every available airfare from every airline. You can find out more about price comparison sites and why you should search more than one here.
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| Flight + Hotel - Consider a package holiday |
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If you are booking a flight plus hotel for your holiday consider booking a ready made holiday as this can often work out cheaper and provide you with better financial protection through ABTA and ATOL. Scheduled and 'no frills' carriers are not required to hold an ATOL.
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| Scheduled, charter or budget low cost no frills |
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Flight prices vary enormously due to the laws of supply and demand so never assume that a low cost carrier or charter flight will be better value than a scheduled flight. A no frills airline may offer the cheapest fare for your route one day and the scheduled carrier offer an even lower price the next.
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| Book your flight early |
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Whilst we have all heard of people obtaining a real last minute bargain holiday the general rule with airline tickets is the earlier you book the larger the saving. This is almost always the case with the low cost airlines where there may only be a handful of seats available on each flight at the advertised bargain fare. As a general rule it is normally best to book your flights at least 8 weeks before departure.
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| If possible be flexible with departure day |
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If possible try to travel on a Tuesday or Wednesday as these are normally the least busy days for airlines. For other days it is always worth checking the cost of early or late departures which are less popular and can lead to substantial savings.
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| Stay over a Saturday |
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Although not applying to all airlines often if you fly midweek and stay at least one Saturday you will be able to take advantage of leisure rate airfares.
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| Indirect flights can save you money |
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Non stop flights are of course the most convenient and therefore the most popular. If you are prepared to make a connecting flight on route you can often make a major saving although your travel time will of course increase. If you intend to do this, the safest way is to book the complete flight in one transaction (as a flight from departure to destination) with the same airline to avoid problems with missed flights if you experience delays. Putting together you own itinerary with flights from different carriers could possibly end up with you stranded at the airport leaving you with no option other than to pay full price for a ticket to complete your trip.
Some comparison sites (including our own) now show results which include combining multiple flights which work out cheaper than a standard flight but in some cases may not always allow sufficient time for you to collect your luggage and check in for the connecting flight especially if you experience any delays. Bear in mind that although this can save you money, if you miss your connecting flight it is not the airlines responsibility and you will likely have to buy another ticket for the next available flight.
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| Low cost budget no frill airlines |
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There is no doubt these can offer great deals but make sure you check the total return price including all extras and charges. Also ensure you are flying from/to a suitable airport. The low cost carriers sometimes fly into small airports which may be a considerable distance from your destination.
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| Charter flights |
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These are the flights used by package holiday companies to fly holidaymaker's off to their destinations and can offer large savings (especially for late bookings) since they often sell off empty seats at bargain prices to fill the plane. To take advantage of a charter flight you normally have to be away for 7, 14 or 21 nights so they are not normally suitable for business travel or weekend breaks.
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| Always make your booking online |
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To encourage online bookings which are cost effective for the airlines almost all now either offer discounts when you make your reservation online or charge extra if you book by any other methods.
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| Pay with the correct type of card |
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Due to the low margins on airline tickets most companies will make a surcharge when you pay by credit card to cover their costs. This is typically between 1% and 4% of the total cost but can be avoided by using your debit card with most airlines and agents. If you are booking with Ryanair you need to check what type of card they will currently accept without surcharge as it does change from time. At the time of writing we understand they accept a prepaid Mastercard without additional fees, not the most common of cards.
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| Choose the correct departure airport |
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Try to fly from the most convenient airport from your home or business. Not only might it be kinder to the environment but any savings made by departing from a different airport can be quickly eroded by travel costs and possibly an overnight hotel stay pre and post departure.
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