With the too-many-to-count options available to today’s business and pleasure travelers alike, to buy airline tickets at a truly discounted price can be both elusive and sometimes frustrating. How do you know you got the best deal available?
Fortunately, there are several effective strategies known to seasoned travelers that you can also use to find the best airfare deals. If you follow some of these tips, you, too, can buy airline tickets at a real discount:
Do it yourself unless you need help from a professional in making your airfare reservations. Everyone now has access to the many online booking tools that allows them to bypass having to use a live (i.e., costly) person like a travel or airline reservation agent. Airlines frequently will price some of those self-serve savings into your airfare. You can either choose to book your airfares through the airlines’ own websites directly, or you can use one of a number of online travel agencies such as CheapOAir.com or Priceline.com to find – and even bid on – discount airline tickets.
Because of scheduling and logistical reasons, airlines can offer cheap airplane tickets to customers by encouraging them to book their travel well in advance. Ticket purchases made 7, 14, 21, or 30 days in advance will usually save you money. (Last-minute reservations, generally speaking, are the costliest type of reservations to make. More on that below.)
Since travel during the typical Monday – Friday week is heavily business-related, those airfares are generally higher than those at other times. If you’re able to, schedule either your departure or return on a Saturday or during the weekend. Plan on staying overnight at least one night to be able to buy airline tickets at a meaningful discount.
Flexibility can be an important key to finding cheap airplane tickets. The day of the week and time of the day for your departure, and how long you’re going to stay, can all factor into this. Your best bets are to fly before 7am, close to noon, and after 7pm, depending upon the day of the week. The more flexible you are, the better your chances of finding those discounted airfares.
Traveling for an extended stay somewhere and just want to buy a one-way airline ticket? In some cases, buying a round-trip ticket and then simply throwing away the return portion of it can be less expensive than a single one-way ticket; check and compare the prices for both types of reservations. Just remember, though, that airlines will frequently cancel the return segment of the ticket if you “no show” for the initial part of it. Be sure to check your carrier’s policies for credits, refunds, re-booking fees, etc. Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight Booking