10
Tips For Booking Flights Online
How do you find the cheap flight deals online? And how can you ensure your “bargain”
doesn’t turn into a costly error?
Locating the best fares online needn’t be complicated. All it requires is a little simple planning
combined with some good old-fashioned common sense.
Here are 10 ways to find those flight deals whilst insuring
you don’t make any nasty mistakes…
- Plan ahead.
The fares system is based on supply and
demand, and the lowest fares get snapped up first. For some special offers, you need to book at least 14 days in
advance and sometimes 28 days.
- Get organised.
Don’t rely on your memory. Have a pen and paper handy and note down:
the website, the airline, the flight date and times, and the fare. It’s easy to lose track after you’ve visited
five websites.
- Be flexible.
The
more choice you can exercise over your travel dates and times, the more likely
you are to find the best deals
- Select your days.
The cheapest days to fly are usually
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
- Choose your times.
You’ll almost always save money if you
travel outside the business-flyer periods of 6 – 9 am and 4 – 7 pm.
- Watch those date formats.
Europeans talk about “the 6th of July” whereas
Americans say “July 6th”.
The online system will tell you which format it uses: dd/mm/yy or
mm/dd/yy. Just take care not to book a flight for 07/06 when you really meant
06/07!
- Check for hidden costs.
When you see a fare quotation, make sure it’s the full
fare including taxes. Don’t compare
apples to oranges.
- Get it right.
Try to get your travel arrangements right first time. The cost of changing your flight – if you’re
even allowed to - can wipe out any savings you originally made.
- Read the smallprint.
Always read the terms and conditions before you
book. Yes, it’s boring but it only
takes a few minutes and it’s important information you need to know about.
- Take action.
When you do find the flight you want at the right price, don’t hang
around – grab it. Fares change
constantly and there are many other travellers looking at the same information,
ready to snap up the bargains.
Apply these 10 insights the next time you book a flight
online. You’ll be amazed how much money
you save – sometimes enough to pay for your accommodation and a few drinks
besides!
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