Nearly 850 million passengers flew on a plane in 2017. Over 740 million of these passengers flew domestically in the U.S. and over 100 million traveled internationally.
In 2017, 62% of Americans decided to take a vacation away from home. Even though this includes the majority of Americans these numbers are down from 2001 where 70% of Americans reported taking a vacation. Common factors cited in the decision to travel or not were income and ability to take time off of work based on employment status.
But, what if the cost of traveling was lowered? Would Americans be able to take a vacation without increasing their income?
We all want to get away. We want to be able to visit relatives, experience new places, and relax. We may think like we need to make more money to travel, but maybe we just need to learn how to travel for less?
Knowing how to book cheap flights can help to alleviate travel costs and get you to your dream destination!
Read on to learn tips for booking cheap flights so that you can have the experiences of a lifetime.
Secret Tips for Booking Cheap Flights
The average cost of a flight from Los Angelos, California in 2018 was $353.21. Lowering costs is possible though by knowing tips and tricks for lowering airfare prices. Explore the following ways to save money on your next trip with these tips for booking cheap flights.
1. Cheap Days
Before you firmly decide on days to take off of work for your vacation, research which days are cheaper than others to fly. Generally speaking, flying out on a weekday will be cheaper than the weekend, but this isn’t always the case.
In order to get the best deal, it’s important to check out flight costs in advance. You can do this by going to a booking website then reviewing flight costs for the weeks you’re considering traveling.
If booking website allows, select seeing costs to your destination for a whole month. Repeat this step for flights returning from your destination as well.
2. Book Your Connections
Getting to your end destination may require stopping at multiple airports and getting on connecting flights. The airline you’re travelling with will then transfer your luggage from one plane to another. Booking sites allow you to book all your flights at once, but to save money you can book your own connecting flights.
This method should only be used, however, if you’re willing to allow anywhere from a day or a few days to pass before getting on the next flight. This is because the airline will view your next flight as separate from your initial flight. This means you will need to pick up your own luggage, check-in your luggage, and then go through security again.
First generally search your flight allowing the booking site to provide you with the connecting flights. Then instead of booking everything at once, research the cheapest flights from your first destination to the next. Seek out budget airlines in both locations to save money.
If no budget airlines exist, then booking your connecting flights at once will likely be cheaper.
3. Use Travel Credits
Many credit cards and airlines offer customers travel credits for using their services. An airline may offer loyalty programs by creating an account and booking with them. This could build airline miles, discounts, and promotions that you can use to make your flight cheaper.
Some credit card companies also offer travel credits such as cash rewards and airline miles by purchasing airfare and travel related expenses. Seek out credit cards that are co-branded with airlines to get the best bang for your buck.
4. Compare Booking Sites
Booking sites always claim they have the best prices in one way or another, but the best way to know is to compare. When comparing consider whether you’re interested in bundling expenses and if bundling expenses lowers the total price of your trip.
5. Book Early
The earlier you book a flight typically the better. While some airlines may offer last minute deals to fill seats, it’s always better to book flights earlier to avoid paying more.
6. Surrounding Airports
Flights into some airports may cost more than a neighboring airport. If there are multiple airports in the vicinity of your destination, then research flight prices to each airport. You may need to rent a car and drive to your final destination, but it may cost less overall than paying for a ticket to the closest airport.
7. Budget Airlines
Flying on budget airlines can also help you to lower airfare costs. In the United States, budget airline companies include Southwest, Frontier, and Spirit Airlines. Two other U.S. budget airlines are Allegiant Air and Sun Country Airlines.
If you want to travel outside of the U.S., research budget airlines specific to the country or region. Some of these airlines may not fly out of an airport near you which means you’ll need to drive or fly to the airports they do fly out of to get the best deals.
8. Skip Direct
Flying directly usually means you’ll be paying more. If you have the patience for layovers and connecting flights, then flying indirect could definitely help you to save a buck.
9. Search Individually
Search for tickets individually and then as a group. Some airlines tend to provide customers with the same price for all the seats based on the most expensive seat. See how much purchasing tickets individually costs and then compare this to the group rate.
10. Set Alerts
If you don’t like the prices the booking sites are providing you, then set an alert to get notified of any changes in pricing. Prices can change from day to day, but beware they may increase as well!
If your flight is cancelled or delayed by the airline, then you may be entitled to compensation and can file a claim for a cancelled flight.
Get Booking with These Tips for Booking Cheap Flights
Using one or all of these tips for booking cheap flights puts you ahead of the game. Be flexible and try to use a variety of approaches in order to get the best prices. Bon Voyage!
If you want to cut even more costs for your upcoming trip, check out our blog post suggesting tips for traveling for free when you feel like you’re broke.
