There is a myriad of folklores about getting cheap plane tickets, like how Tuesdays are perfect days to buy flights, searching in incognito, and so on. They may have been fruitful in the past, but as of 2021, none of them works.
Airlines employ complex algorithms that none of us can anticipate. The system has gotten far too clever for these primitive hacks as technology improves. New loopholes have emerged, and in this post, we’ll go over 5 of them that we’ve tried and tested to get cheap flights. We hope you find the most feasible flight deal with one of these hacks!
Flexibility Is of the Essence.
Being flexible is the essential prerequisite to save money while planning your trip. Flexible about when, where, and what time you want to fly. The idea is to feed in your location while keeping open to visiting any area in the world!
Flexibility can result in a notable amount of savings in your travel expenses. In short, the more adaptive you are, the greater your chances of getting the cheapest flight are.
If you don’t bother where you land, you may even search for flights by country rather than the city. If you don’t mind when you go, you can also look for the cheapest month and plan your trip around it. Travelling in the off-season has its own set of benefits.
If you’re planning a winter vacation in South Africa, your odds of finding cheap flights to Cape Town from London are minimal. Overall, flexibility is the most crucial pricing factor when it comes to finding affordable flight tickets.
Make friends with Budget Airlines & Embrace Layovers
There’s a reason budget airlines are called that. They provide low-cost, no-frills tickets at a lower price than their full-service counterparts. You won’t have much legroom, and there won’t be any food on board, but you’ll save a lot of money on your travel tickets.
However, before booking budget airlines, read the fine print and confirm the airport it lands in (most of them travel to smaller airports outside of town – which isn’t always a bad price), the luggage allowance (occasionally they don’t accept checked-in bags), and the carry-on weight allowance.
Remember that budget airlines maintain their pricing cheaper than traditional airlines by charging only for the exact amount of luggage space/weight you require!
Furthermore, talking about layovers, when purchasing tickets, do not select the “direct flights only” option. Most transfers or layovers are less expensive than direct flights. Booking flights with short layovers, on the other hand, should be avoided. This could be pricey if you miss your trip due to unplanned delays.
You may also plan multi-day layovers, which allow you to visit two locations for the price of one! Instead of spending a few hours in the air, you can go out and explore the city.
Even if your layover isn’t long, a few hours in a new city is plenty of time to get out and explore. Several airlines and airports provide free or low-cost city tours to transit passengers. Some considerably offer free or diminished lodgings in the event that you stay for the time being. We recommend at least a 6-hour layover to get out of the airport comfortably and on time.
Red-eye flights are almost always less expensive.
Red-eye flights are half the price if you don’t mind flying at odd hours. The key to finding cheap airfares is to fly when others aren’t! Because of their unpredictable timetables, they are less popular.
As a result, airlines sell them at a discount in order to persuade people to book flights during these off-peak hours. The ‘dead times’ vary depending on the route; early morning and late-night travel are best for leisure travel, while mid-day travel is usually ideal for business journeys. What’s the point of flying red-eye when you can save money?
Apart from red-eye flights, you’ll find that flying during the week is less expensive than flying on the weekend. Flights are also less expensive after a long vacation. Business passengers often fly Mondays and Fridays, whereas weekend vacation tourists typically fly Fridays and Sundays.
As a result, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are slightly less popular than other days of the week, and prices may be lower. Although the pattern has been noted over time, it is crucial to emphasize that this is not always the case.
Subscribe to Airline Newsletters
For cheap flight newsletters, the spam is worth it. They scour the internet for cheap plane tickets and prepare a list for you! They essentially do the grunt work.
Again, flexibility is essential to fully profit from the bargains made available through these services, as some only last a few hours and may not include recommendations to your selected destination.
Sure, 99% of them will not work with your schedule, but keeping an eye on the deals will ensure you don’t miss out on a good one. Furthermore, frequent flier benefits are routinely advertised in airline newsletters. These bonus offers can help you receive free flights and excellent upgrades if you travel frequently.
Reliance Travels is one of the best airline newsletters to sign up for if you want to take advantage of cheap flights from the United Kingdom.