Ok so you have decided on your destination and chosen the route of travel; Air. The next step is to start researching what airline offers best services at an affordable price. Now I can appreciate my affordable price is not the same as the next person but for the purpose of this post our affordable prices are the same.
How do you go about searching for the best affordable price with so many Airlines promising so many things and most delivering little?
I read a couple years back when I first started blogging that the best time to search for affordable price is at night, closer to midnight. Don’t ask me why but this certain blogger swore by how cheap it was when you researched late at night and I must admit I checked it out for myself, I researched in the morning flights to Kaunas for our trip next month. The price was a bit high compared to the usual price for September and last night I decided to check again when it was almost midnight and it was shocking for me as the price was down by over a 1/3 of the price. This obviously alone is not enough proof that this actually is the case for all Airlines but it’s worth a try.
Another post I read a year ago or so said you should always clear your cache so that airlines don’t see that you have been checking out the competitors etc but I thought you would want them to know so maybe they might reduce a bit😬! Maybe. Another blogger said instead of using your normal browse use the incognito version of your browser in other words the private view browser.
Anyway :):)
The above are some great tips I think, but personally I have only practiced each one of them once and had worked for me at that occasion not sure right now. Since last year what I have been doing is as follows:
1. Use Travel sites like Skyscanner – I know most people prefer Expedia but I honestly prefer skyscanner (ps this is NOT a sponsored post). My brother in law introduced me to it last year when I was researching for my trip to Zambia. I had so much going on at work that I literally did not have time to sit and search for flights from Airlines with better deals. I did try using an agency to book for me but they charged a fee (£50) just to search for you. So I checked skyscanner and honestly I had more options than I cared to check but the best news is they put the lowest price first and ascend. Another good news is that the skyscanner is free and they do not charge you for using their site to search for affordable flights. Another good travel site to use is icelolly.com, a travel directory website and not a travel agent so that means they let you know what’s available offers for your destination. I love how easy this site is to navigate, have many offers nicely broken down whether you thinking of booking your next trip to Spain or like me thinking of going on a cruise ice lolly has some good offers.
2. Check the Airlines – though I am an absolute advocate for Skyscanner I also recommend checking directly with the Airline that flies to your destination, sometimes they have cheaper flights (better deals) as was the case for me last year. I used skyscanner and found Emirates were offering the same price as on skyscanner so made sense to book directly with them.
3. Start Early – I know this isn’t always possible but the sooner you start the better it is in most cases but have booked last minute before and was cheaper than those who booked earlier but would not recommend it.
4. Connect (if available and possible )- most people prefer direct flights but we know how costly these can be. Look into airlines offering connections you could just add another destination to your itinerary by connecting flights. Though will taken longer it’s cost effective, for example if I had chosen direct flight to Zambia last year would have to pay £900+ but connecting flights paid less than £500 this was a £400+ save and though added 3 hours to my travel time it was worth it.
5. Deals – I love deals like the next person so it’s important one looks or shall I say shops around for deals not just using the different websites for flights but sites like Groupon which offer amazing getaway breaks etc. I was looking for a cruise for the next couple of months and went directly to the cruise line but then checked Groupon days later and they had same as what I was searching for but cheaper so it pays to look around for deals.
These are all my tips for searching for flights, what are some of yours?
Who’s your favourite Airline service provider?
Peachy @ The Peach Kitchen says
I use Expedia when booking flights. I’ll give Skyscanner a chance next time I travel. Thanks for the tips.
Alice Megan says
At the minute we’re still going on package holidays but I think next year we’re going to build our own holiday so these tips will definitely come in handy
Nicky says
I stumbled across your page and love your tips on flights. I haven’t heard of skyscanner or icelolly. I will have to look them up for upcoming trips. Thanks so much
Yona Williams says
I also try to fly in and out on Tuesday and Wednesdays – they seem to be the cheapest days overall for booking travel. I love flying Jetblue because they have the best snacks, and to my knowledge – they still check one bag for free.
Rosey says
Good tip on the connections. I always look for direct but I may have to reconsider if there’s that kind of savings involved.
Stephanie Pass says
These are great tips. I’m great at finding a cheap hotel room, flights not so much. I’m curious to give skyscanner a try. Thanks!
Stephanie says
Great tricks! I haven’t been on a plane in over 15 years, but we’re currently planning a move across the country so I’ll be flying home a lot to visit family. I’ll have to bookmark this page so I can remember!
Nikki (Nicole) says
This is really perfect for our vacation in chicago, thanks for your brilliant tips on booking flights.
Franc Ramon says
I’d like to try out the booking at midnight part and who knows it may work. These are really neat tricks for bookings.
Rebecca Swenor says
These are great top tips for booking flights. I never know about the clearing of the cache or the using private browser. I have heard about searching at night though. Using travels site is a really good idea and when booking it is better to get early morning flights. Thanks for sharing.
Lisa says
Interesting to check out prices closer to midnight. I know last time we booked a flight, I found that 3 weeks out was the magic number.
Kristin says
Thank you for the tips, As much as we travel we could always use good tips.
Miranda says
You’re most welcome
Dina says
I wish I had read this before I booked my flights to Turks and Caicos. I’m going to bookmark it for next time though!!
Miranda says
Awww bless am sure it will come in handy next time
Erin - Yorkshire Tots says
Great tips! I haven’t used Skyscanner but I’ll check it out next time!
Miranda says
Thanks, its a great travel site to use
Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says
Man, I wish I had seen this when booking my recent flights to Africa.
Miranda says
Awww bless, maybe next time
Maureen Sklaroff says
I had no idea that checking at midnight would get you cheaper tickets, much less clearing your cache. I wonder if that is true for all timezones??? Like do they just know it is midnight in your timezone or is midnight for the airline’s timezone. I’ve never heard of Skyscanner, but will have to bookmark it for future travel. I wish we lived in Europe so we could travel to more exciting places. Here is just a different state, which just isn’t as exciting as a different country. We all speak the same language, use the same money, have the same government, etc. Not to mention, we don’t have all of the neat castles and what not.
Miranda says
I think its per time zone otherwise it would be weird lol and yes being in Europe has it’s advantages but then again for someone like me who’s never been to the states I want to come because y’all speak English lol
Terry says
After reading this post, I told my Hubs about Skyscanner. He is the one that books all the flights for us. I just sit back and let him do it.
Miranda says
Well I hope he likes it and finds it useful
Heather says
Yeah I figure starting to search several months out might save you some money, but good to know about the late night searching. I might have to try that when I want to visit some friends down the road.
Miranda says
Early start helps but so does night search
Tammy says
Starting early is such a key anymore in booking flights. I have never used Skyscanner. I will have to look it up on my my next trip. Thanks for sharing
Jeannette says
Starting early is such a good tip! I”m a procrastinator and I always wait till last minute. It’s usually such a bad idea and ends up costing me more!
R U S S says
Starting early always works for me. I need to file my leaves really early. My advance notice has to be super duper ahead of time. I used to hate it but since last year I found it more advantageous for me.
Sara-Jayne says
I love Skyscanner – I just used it in fact to book our French flights! I wish I cancelled it afterwards though as when a lower fare comes out I want to kick myself!
Davina says
Hi Miranda,
Great tips, I’ll definitely use them when planning for my next trip. Any advise on booking accommodation?