The Airwander website is a good option if you are looking at multi-city travel or want to add unexpected destinations at negligible cost. The site throws up stopover options for the route, along with estimated cost, when you provide your departure and destination points, and the days you can spend at stopovers. This means is that one can visit additional city or cities at a fraction of flight cost. For instance, if one is travelling from Delhi to New York, one could take a two-day break at Helsinki and a three-day break at Stockholm, which show up as stopovers, without adding much to the original travel cost.
Most people think that flights with layovers are cheaper than the direct ones. It's typically true for long-haul flights, where you can cut rates by almost half if you pick ones with layovers or even stopovers. For instance, the cheapest direct, one-way flight from Delhi to New York, for July 25, costs Rs 1,33,251 (on Skyscanner), while the cheapest flight with one stop is available for Rs.75,334. Short duration direct flights are less expensive than the ones with stopovers, especially within India.
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INDIVIDUAL FLIGHT TICKETS
When you take a family or group vacation, it's more convenient to book multiple tickets in a single transaction. However, one will get an inexpensive flight rate if one books individual tickets because airlines show the highest price for group bookings.
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SKIPLAGGED
A controversial but legal trick used by the air fare search engine, Skiplagged, to cut down flight costs drastically is that instead of booking a flight from point A to point B, the website helps you find routes from point A to point C, with destination, point B, as a layover. So one disembarks at point B without completing the journey. However, you will not be able to carry checked-in luggage as it will reach the final destination, and can also only book a one-way ticket.
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GOOGLE EXPLORE
If you are planning a foreign vacation but don't have a destination in mind but are budget-conscious, Google Explore (https://www.google.com/travel/explore)is for you. It tells flight fares of all the destinations in a given area if you type in your departure point. You can pick a destination with low flight prices. Within a country, too, you can plan a multi-city itinerary by checking which cities offer the lowest flight fares. You don't necessarily have to book at the displayed rates using Google Flights and can check fares from other comparison sites too. A similar tools is Escape, where you can get the prices of flights to anywhere in the world.
Many believe that flight rates are lower on certain days of the week, but there is no such rule. Just check the entire month for fares on the comparison or aggregator sites and pick the date that indicates the lowest fare. When it comes to time, however, there's a high chance you will get cheaper flights before 8 am or if you book the red-eye flights.
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ALTERNATIVE AIRPORTS
Travelling to bigger cities, domestic or international, costs higher air fare because airlines have to pay more fees to use busier airports. So look for alternative airports around your destination city where the fares are lesser. Make sure that this airport is not too far from your destination or you may end up spending a high amount on taxi fare, defeating the entire purpose. Some flight booking portals and aggregators, such as Skyscanner and Cheapflights, offer the option of choosing nearby or alternate airports at reduced costs.
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BUDGET OR LOCAL AIRLINES
To bring down the travel cost while travelling abroad, it is a good idea to book inter-city flights with local or budget airlines. Some of these small airlines may not show up on popular search engines and you may have to look for them online before going to their websites and booking, but it will be worth the money saved in travelling. In Turkey, for instance, the best option for inter-city travel is flying to save time and effort, and some of the domestic airlines you could opt for are AnadoluJet, Sun Express, and Corendon among others.
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MULTIPLE AIRLINE COMBINATIONS
It's more convenient to book return flight tickets with the same airline, but your best option to slash fares is using an aggregator site that offers multiple airline combinations. For instance, if you were to use Qatar Airways to book a Delhi-London oneway flight with one stop, the cheapest option on Skyscanner would be Rs.25,220 for 25 July. If you booked return fare using the same airline, the fare would be Rs.1,08,857. But a combination of Air France and KLM would yield a fare of Rs 69,584, which is Rs.39,273 lesser. You could also book tickets for multiple airlines via Star Alliance or Oneworld global airline alliances by becoming a member of the frequent flyer programs of any of their partner airlines.
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PAY IN CHEAPER LOCAL CURRENCY
Travel and aggregator sites prefer that you pay in the currency of the country you are booking from or international currency used in the country. But you should try to find if you can pay in currencies that are cheaper if you are visiting countries where the value of rupee is higher. So if you are travelling to Indonesia, Vietnam, Iceland, South Korea, Sri Lanka, or other such countries whose currencies are cheaper than rupee, try paying in their currencies to reduce your costs. The savings in some cases may not be too high, so take into account the foreign currency transaction fee on your credit card to avoid paying the same or higher amount.
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AGGREGATORS VS AIRLINES
While aggregator sites and search engines are the best choice to book multiple airline flights, in some case airline websites can offer better bargains. This is because the former usually display inflated fares and also charge a transaction or service fee, which can add to your flight costs, especially if you are travelling as a family or group. On the other hand, with specific airlines you could avail of discounts, special offers, flash sales, frequent flyer program discounts and co-branded credit cards to bring down your costs. If you still prefer an aggregator site, pick one that offers the most flight combinations, lower fares, more filter options and low service charges.
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TRAVEL CARDS & AIRLINE PROGRAMS
If you are a frequent traveller, it's a good idea to take co-branded or generic credit cards that offer a good rewards program, or opt for the frequent flyer miles programs of airlines. This allows you to convert your reward points to air miles, thereby reducing your flight costs. Take the Air India SBI Signature card, which offers 30 reward points for every Rs 100 spent on Air India tickets booked through Airindia.com or Airindia mobile app, or the InterMiles HDFC Bank Diners Club card, which offers 16 InterMiles on every Rs 150 spent on flights booked on Flights.intermiles.com, among many others.
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SOCIAL MEDIA & FARE ALERTS
Opting for alerts is perhaps the easiest way to cut your flight cost. Subscribe to fare alerts on travel booking or airline websites and find out about the drop in prices or special offers to avail of cheaper flights. Similarly, follow the pages of airlines on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter to avail of flash sales, discounts and early bird offers to cut your flight cost.
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GO INCOGNITO
This is among the most well-known secrets for ensuring a lower flight price. Most aggregator or airline sites follow your search patterns through cookies and IP addresses. So if you check a flight price on a particular website and return to it after some time, you are likely to find a higher rate. To avoid this, you can use the incognito mode or delete all cookies after use. In case of Google Chrome, you can click on the three dots at the right-hand corner of the screen, and from the dropdown menu, click on 'New Incognito Window' to browse in secret.
Often, you'll find those early departures can save you some big bucks. It's not easy to set the alarm for 4 a.m., but it's easier to wake up when you know you're saving money. "We always recommend booking the first flight of the day, not only to avoid delays and cancellations but also in terms of price," she said.
As previously mentioned, booking airfare on Sunday is cheaper than other days of the week, especially Fridays. Be willing to fly mid-week. Since Thursdays tend to be the cheapest day to fly, see if you can tweak your travel plans so you depart and fly home during the week instead of on weekend days. Set price alerts.
Tuesdays may not be favorable for booking, but if you're hoping to score major savings, booking your departure on a Tuesday or Wednesday is a surefire way to do so. Mid-week flights offer the best deal prices in comparison to flights departing the rest of the week.
Most of the time, it is recommended to book last minute flights. This can make a huge difference. These are the causes that reduce the price of the ticket at night down especially at midnight. You can follow these techniques and book low-fare tickets.
You may not get cheaper airfare by booking on a specific day, but when you plan on flying can affect the price of the ticket. Generally, Mondays and Fridays are more expensive than Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
If you're planning to book a flight, you may be trying to find the cheapest option. According to Google, it's cheaper to fly in the middle of the week, rather than on the weekend. Flights that take off between Monday and Wednesday can be between 12% and 20% cheaper than weekend flights.
If you're looking for the lowest price possible, then buying the ticket directly from the airline will be your best bet. Travel sites are great for convenience, but they often charge a booking fee that can add up over time and negate any potential savings from the base fare.
While last-minute flights will frequently cost more than those booked in advance with flexible travel dates, there are ways to find cheaper last-minute flights. Check nearby airports, search for one-way flights, and consider booking one ticket at a time in order to save cash on impromptu travel plans.
Is there a cheapest month to fly? If you're looking for a bargain month to travel, January is best. Flights in February are a close second for being most affordable. At the other end of the spectrum, November and July are the first and second most expensive months to travel, on average.
Check Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays: These days typically have lower demand for flights, so Southwest may offer cheaper fares. Use Southwest's Booking Website: Visit Southwest's website and enter your travel details, including your departure and arrival cities, as well as your desired travel dates.
The reality is that flight prices change constantly and at all hours of the day, adjusting to real-time demand. Airlines don't restock on the same day every week like a grocery store, so you won't find deals by waiting until Tuesdays to book.
“Historically, Tuesdays were the cheapest day to book flights,” says Laura Lindsay, global travel trends expert for trip-booking website Skyscanner. “This was broadly true prepandemic as seasonality and even weekly pricing cycles were more predictable. However, this is no longer a hard and fast rule.”
The jury is out on this one. According to a 2023 study by CheapAir.com, on average, the best time to purchase plane tickets for a domestic trip is between 164 and 46 days before your departure. But according to Expedia's 2024 Air Travel Hacks report, the sweet spot is 28 days before your domestic flight.
In addition, there are no guarantees that you will get a lower price when booking on Sunday versus any other day of the week. Airline ticket prices are far more fluid and can even change by the hour. Your best bet is to start searching early to find better deals, no matter the day of the week.
Introduction: My name is Frankie Dare, I am a funny, beautiful, proud, fair, pleasant, cheerful, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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