More ways to save on air travel

One of the ways to make a boring flight more bearable is the knowledge you have the cheapest ticket on the plane. With all the security restrictions at air ports and the lack of comfort on the air planes themselves, traveling has lost its appeal. Now, it’s just a way of getting from where you are to where you want to go. The recession is helping because the airlines are having to compete to fill their planes. This is bringing down the retail price of seats and there are a lot of attractive “special offers” being advertised. The fact of a bargain always helps to lift your spirits. The big question is therefore how to get the discounts. If you are planning in advance, there are savings if you book around two months ahead. This gives you a so-called “early bird” discount. When you want a flight in the next few days, the airlines know you probably have to travel and keep the price high. If you book too far ahead, there are uncertainties about costs, particularly of aviation fuel, so airlines tend to keep the price higher to hedge against possible rises in their operating costs. When you book, if possible, always fly as a round trip. One-way tickets are more expensive and, if you are looking for connecting flights, try to stay with the same airline.

Traveling on your own gives you the maximum flexibility. You can decide when you want to fly and how much inconvenience you are prepared to accept to get a discount. Most airlines start offering discounts for groups when there are at least six people in the party. So, if you are prepared to put up with the hassle of organizing friends into a package deal, the savings can be substantial. The emphasis here is on a package which includes hotels and other add-ons. There is another general rule at work here. Never rely on a single internet site for making a booking of any kind. Always get multiple online quotes and pick up the telephone to talk to the airlines and travel agents about travel packages. The moment you start talking about adding a rental car or hotel rooms, you have their undivided attention. Indeed, asking what the options are for saving money will often produce unexpected offers not mentioned on the websites. In this, remember to identify the consolidators or aggregators. These are the travel agents that buy tickets in bulk from the airlines and sell at a discount. Also remember that many of the no-frills budget airlines do not sell through the standard internet search engines. You have to approach them directly.

Learning how to save on air tickets is not difficult but it does take up time and requires some effort. You should also be wary. Many discounted air tickets come with restricted rights to change flight times, exchange tickets, or cancel and seek a refund. Always read the small print before confirming the purchase. You should also use your credit card because many have insurance provisions that cover you should you fall ill and be unable to travel.

Travel by air without breaking the bank

A while ago, before the price of gas rocketed up to stratospheric levels, there was some research on travel habits showing that men preferred to drive long distances whereas women preferred to do the same journeys by air. When the price of crude oil did reach record levels, both genders were hit. The drivers were paying $100 to fill up the tanks of their guzzlers and surcharges were making the price of seats on an airplane ever more expensive. Now we have a different problem with the recession. The price of gas may have dropped but people no longer have the same amount of disposable income to pay for their travel. The business and holiday travel industry has taken a big hit. Aircraft are flying with empty seats. Hotels are half empty. So the big question is whether you can still afford to travel by air.

If you look around the internet, watch TV or read the newspapers and magazines, there are advertisements everywhere promising to save you big dollars. As with all advertising, some of it is true, while the rest is just the standard come-on to hook your interest. In some cases, there are real airfare wars with limited time promotional fares being offered by the major airlines feeling the need to generate some cash flow. If you are flexible on when you travel and, for holiday purposes, where you go, some of these deals are very attractive. But, for the more general traveler, let’s start with the simple tips that work no matter which website or agencies you use to buy the tickets, and no matter where you want to go. The first could not be more straightforward. Fly midweek on a Tuesday or Wednesday. These are the “dead” days of the travel industry and most airlines offer between 8 and 10% discounts if you are flexible enough to travel on these days. Saturdays are also discounted to some extent. The same applies to the unpopular time slots, i.e. the “red-eye”, late-night flights, and those flights that are the first off the ground once it’s officially morning. Flights with at least one stop are also cheaper than direct flights.

The second general way of saving money is to survey the prices from all the airports near you. Assuming you are flexible and prepared to travel to slightly more distant and smaller airports, you can often save several hundred dollars on your air tickets. It’s all about supply and demand. If there are fewer people traveling to and from from an airport, you can save on air tickets. The same logic applies to the landing fees. The smaller, secondary airports have lower landing fees. The airlines will still pass them on, but the savings can be significant. For example, if you are going to New York, you can save up to $200 if you fly into and out of Newark or Philadelphia. Now the only question is whether the cost of the extra time and transport from the smaller airport to your final destination is less than the savings on the tickets and fees.

Far East Vacations

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Vacations to the far east are becoming popular. Better TV and Travel Zoo has tips to make this trip more affordable. … travel destination city shanghai china asia japan