Inflation may be at an all-time high right now but that doesn’t mean you should suspend your travel dreams. Where there is a will, there is a way. One way to keep your travel dreams alive is by finding out cheaper airfare prices for your dream destination.
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Check Out Deals Websites
Depending on your destination, it might be best to use websites that proffer Comparative Analysis of airfares from different airlines. Some websites provide flight fare deals like The Flight Deal, ITA Matrix, or even Holiday Pirates. Others display only the fares from as many airlines as they partner with. The most popular are Google Flights, Skyscanner and Momondo. In Nigeria, we have our very own Wakanow website to check. When you do, you might find the same airline offering the same flight for a cheaper price on a different airline booking site.
Check The Airline’s Website
After you check prices with the search engines, make sure you visit the airlines’ websites for any cheaper deals. Some airlines put cheaper deals on their site to encourage people to come directly to them. Other times it could be because there was a mistake in the earlier posted fares or resale of the purchased slot that just opened up. But as a general rule, it’s best to start your search two or three months to your travel date if you want to book from an airline directly. That’s because fares are higher on an airline’s website the closer it is to your travel period.
Check Again After Clearing Out Your Browser Cookies
When you visiting multiple sites, your cookies keep a tab on where you’ve been and what info you accessed. It brings it up as soon as you enter the URL again. So if you book your flight on the cheapest deal, make sure you choose one that has a 24hours cancellation policy. Before you lose the opportunity to cancel that flight, clear your bowser’s cookies. Then search the sites again just in case the price dropped after you left. Best to do this at least an hour or an hour thirty minutes before the deadline for cancelling your booked flight. This way, you can cancel and rebook the same flight at a cheaper price. If the price hasn’t changed in your favour, then stick with the price you booked prior and give up your search for a cheaper deal.
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Don’t Focus On Direct Flights & One Airline Only
When looking for cheap flights, don’t focus on only direct flights. If your dates and destination can become flexible for a cheaper fare, so can your route choice. If there is a budget carrier transiting in another country, consider it. Here the tradeoff is more time en route for a cheaper fare. To do this, find out how much it costs to get to your destination before using the search engines for comparative prices. But when you use the search engines, check the cost of flights to airports close to your destination. Let’s say, for instance, if you are taking a flight to Kaduna from Calabar. Rather than taking a direct flight, find out how much it costs to go to Abuja first and then Abuja to Kaduna. It might just be cheaper to stop at a nearby airport and use another mode of transport to get to your eventual destination. Also, be open to the idea of using different airlines to arrive or depart from your destination. You can switch airlines on connecting flights along your route if it is cheaper than using one airline for direct or transit flights.
Sign Up For Newsletters With Flight Deals
Before you start any of the above, sign up with newsletters. This is where flight fare deals are regularly shared. It could be a tour agent’s newsletter or newsletters run by airlines. You can get their newsletters by joining their mailing list. If you are on their mailing lists, you’ll have access to bonuses, coupon codes, the latest info on when top deals will be out, and more. This is particularly helpful if your travel dates are flexible and you want the best deal for your money.
I don’t know if you caught on or not but my point is, getting cheaper fares comes with a lot of work on your part. Commit time to the process. If you can’t just settle it with yourself to take whatever price you meet when you are ready to book or pay.
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