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Budget Travel

10 Tried and Tested Methods to Fly at the Right Budget

16 Nov 2023

Airfares for a major part of your travel expenses, so if you can get your air tickets cheap, you have started on the right note. When you have decided to travel, you will be traveling according to the distance you have to travel. If the city you need to go to is close to the city you live in you can catch a train or drive to it, if you are comfortable. But if you want to travel the safest way, catch flights as these have the lowest chances of being involved in any type of accident. Also, it is the fastest way to travel between two locations, even if you add up the time you will have to spend at the airport with different formalities. You should note that airfares fluctuate from one day to another, still, you can try some tried and tested measures that most seasoned travelers believe in:

1. Booking flights Early

You should always book at the earliest, which differs for domestic and international flights. At the least, you will be able to choose how you want to fly in terms of the airlines and dates if you are strict about the destination you have to get to. If you are flying internationally book 2-3 months in advance, while for domestic flights try booking flights 4-6 weeks in advance. The principle of supply and demand dictates the prices in this business as it does in every business. So, the fewer seats are available, the higher the rates will be if there is still a good demand for these.

2. Be Flexible

If you are strict about the date, time and the airline you are flying with, usually you will not have many options to choose from. If you can be a bit flexible, you will have many more options and you will have a range of airfares to choose from.

3. Try odd times to fly

There are times of the day that most people will be comfortable with on weekends and weekdays. On weekends most people will prefer to catch flights in the morning and reach the destination by the evening. On weekdays business people will prefer to catch flights after they have finished the day’s work and families will prefer to take their children to the airport after their school time is over. So, try flying in the morning, though for this you may have to take time off from work or study.

4. Avoid direct flights

Flying direct always costs more than if you fly with flights with stopovers. Well, most people will want to spend as little time as possible for flying and this will mean catching nonstop flights. The charges of flights with stopovers are lower because most people will find taking off and landing, again and again, inconvenient.

5. Pay in local currency

If you can pay through your card without paying for currency conversion, try paying in the currency the airlines or the OTAs prefer. They will not charge you extra for the currency conversion if you pay them in a currency they don’t have to convert.

6. Join a Frequent Flyers program

If you prefer one airline, join their Frequent Flyers program and use the miles you earn to pay for your flights. Different airlines have different policies for the miles they offer you and the way you can use these. Usually, they allow you to spend your earned miles within a year or two of you having received them.

7. Try permutation combinations

You should check if 2 one-way flights are cheaper than 1 round-trip booking and vice versa. You can also fly one way and look for the return ticket at the destination. This will not take much time and you will have the cheapest way of flying.

8. Fly to a different airport

When you fly, flights to a nearby airport may be cheaper than to the major airport at the destination you want to get to. Though you may have to spend extra money and time in a cab. This is a popular option if the flights to an airport are fully booked, in which case clever passengers look for the nearest airport when flying for them is essential.

9. Special fares

If you are a student traveler or a military person, you can always enquire about discounts. Most airlines have something to offer to passengers who fall under these categories, whether in terms of discounts or baggage allowances. If you have a large group that is interested in flying, contact the air ticket retailers and they will give you special rates. 

10. Give flight search engines a try

You can always use flight search engines like ours to get a range of rates. Try searching for flights with us and we will always list the cheapest option at the top.

By FlightsChannel Team
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