ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How to find cheap flight tickets and air deals

Updated on April 5, 2011

Air Deals, Cheap Flight Tickets, Flight Offers: How to get them?

Each of us found at least once, that finding cheap flights , especially to certain destinations , it is not easy . Nowadays when the travel industry is huge, when there are so many air tickets online search platforms, cheap flights offers on thousands of websites around the internet, travel agencies that send us offers, Tv ads that claim you can fly from London to New York with the cost of a cheap pair of shoes, any traveller, however experienced may not find the way to a good price for a flight.

Cheap tickets at a glance

The mission to find cheap tickets is half luck and half science ( to know what to look for, where and when). The first part you can not really help, but for the second I have prepared some general principles that can be applied successfully, if you want to find cheap flights.

Compare offers. Do not rush to get your first ticket that comes your way, do a market research first, see which is the average cost of the ticket and compare different offers . Ideal to start your investigations is the airline websites. For example, if you want a ticket to Spain, see first what offers are posted on the Spanair or Iberia website, to get an idea, and then compare them with other offerings. Also, you can check online rates comparators that offer more options where you can sort the offers by several criteria, including by price.

Check rates on different dates and times. Ticket price fluctuates according to demand and supply, such as a ticket which costs 99 eur today, tomorrow may cost 139 eur - either because there are no availabilities at a rate of 99 eur or for marketing reasons, related to airline.

Usually, Friday or Saturday departure flights are more expensive, because it addresses in particular to business travel. For many cheap tickets the Sunday Rule functions usually, meaning a stay at the destination for a period which includes a Saturday night. The price may change, even from hour to hour, so you must be prepared when you find an affordable price.

Book tickets online. Online bookings are often at least 10% cheaper. Buying flight tickets online, you can get a considerable discount. Agencies use to charge a booking fee and that adds to the ticket.

Buy tickets in advance. As soon as you know you need to fly somewhere start searching for your cheap flight tickets because the sooner you buy, the more chances you have to buy them cheaper, considering that low-cost seats are limited. As the flight date approaches, the tickets will be more expensive, so make sure you buy at least 14 days before your departure. Some tickets can be purchased with 6 months or a year before, especially for overseas flights. However, conditions and restrictions on tickets for most cheap flights are very strict and always non-refundable in case you change your mind. Recently, some airlines have introduced cancellation insurance which you can buy online, along with the ticket, and that covers the trip cancellation risk.

Avoid busy periods. Avoid, whenever possible, to travel around the holidays - Easter, Christmas, New Year, when demand for tickets is very high, and companies have no reason to reduce price. You should also take into account local holidays (national days,Thanksgiving Day, etc.) or avoid traveling around major events such as festivals, competitions, carnivals, if the purpose of your trip has nothing to do with them. The best air deals you'll find, of course, are during low travel season, when companies are competing in promotions and special offers.

Be flexible. If you are not tied to a specific date of departure or arrival, take into consideration other dates (2-3 days before or after), so you can find a more affordable price. Equally important is to be flexible about the airport - there are many cities that have two or more airports, usually one is for low-cost flights, where airport taxes are lower. Be flexible about the airline as well. Even if we all like to travel with Lufthansa, for example, there are situations when you can save a few hundred dollars only by choosing a company less known or that provides low-cost flights.

Make concessions. If your goal is to get a cheap ticket, you must be prepared to make some concessions - for example, to take a less convenient flight time - on early morning or on the contrary, late into the night. They usually have lower rates than during the day, which are most requested. Maybe not the most comfortable to wake up at 4 am, but you decide if convenience or economy comes first!
Take into account and stop racing, if you do not have time to get to your destination set. In general, stopover flights are cheaper than direct, but, of course, you'll spend more time. But considering the possibility of losing a few hours in the airport -sometimes you'll be able to make significant savings with this concession.

Buy round trip tickets. Round-trip tickets are more convenient than one-way, so take into account also the option to buy a return ticket even if you won't use the return. Compare rates and choose accordingly!
Avoid excess baggage. Most low-cost airlines have introduced charges for even one baggage - in other words, the ticket price does not include the cost of baggage, which is calculated per bag and per segment. For example, you can pay 10 usd per baggage per segment, and for a return flight only the baggage will add 20 dollars to the price. On a trip with a family of four members, two adults and two children, only minimal luggage will cost 80 usd. So think about how much you want to carry with you. Also, at the cost of the ticket can be added other special charges, such as sports equipment (skis, surfboards), strollers, etc.. Do not forget to get informed at the time of pricing about the policy on baggage, because they vary from company to company.

Loyalty programs. Most companies offer customers who frequently fly with them loyalty programs.Most work on the principle of accumulated points or miles, convertible, under certain conditions, vouchers, free travel, discount or gift. Over time, you can save a lot of money, not just on airline tickets but also to other tourist service, such as housing or rent-a-car, based on partnerships that airlines have.


What I use when I want to find an air deal or buy a cheap flight ticket: www.buruki.com

It is a website where all airlines latest offers and promotions are posted. There are links directly to airlines websites where you can book you ticket at the minimal price.They also give you an option to choose your favourite destinations and they send you on e-mail offers for your choice as soon as the airline initiate promotions.The website has a compare offers engine and it's easy to use.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)