Flights are the most expensive part of any trip. Finding the best flight prices is a battle that you feel you’ve won but chances are you might have lost. There is always uncertainty of prices going low or high; you can never guess if you’ve hit the ‘book now’ button at the right time. Hence, it is better to gamble safe. Below are some ways to know if you are paying too much on air tickets and how to avoid it.
Booking tickets outside of ‘Prime Window’: One factor that impacts your wallet is the time of booking. You are overpaying if you choose to book 6 months in advance or 2 weeks before departure. Monitored advance booking guarantees cheap fares. Book your domestic tickets 70-80 days and international tickets 60 days before departure. This is the Prime Window and travelers should monitor airfares on websites such as LatinOFare and pounce on an attractive price.
Not using the best flight finder
Using a competitive flight finder such as LatinOFare is crucial to ensure you are not paying too much on air tickets. If you are booking through an agent, the airline or an average flight finder, you will not get the best flight rates. Thus, it is important to select an aggressive flight finder and search for cheap flights on your selected dates or flight prices for alternative dates (if flexible). Flight finders such as LatinOFare also offer amazing flight deals.
Not comparing prices
One thing a vigilant traveler must do is compare flight prices. Do not blindly book the first flight that pops up your search results; compare flight prices that may be not the cheapest but have better service coverage, baggage inclusion, etc. Also, if you have some time at hand, set up price alerts on websites such as LatinOFare;analyze highs/lows before booking.
Picking peak times to fly
Traveling during peak time, whether it is the season, time of the day/week or occasion, is a budget-buster. Tickets booked for popular times attract higher prices. Never choose to fly during peak season, in fact travel on the day of the occasion – such as fly on the day of Christmas, if possible. Do not fly on weekend, focus on flights during “dead time”; opt for early morning/late night flights for leisure routes and mid-day flights for business routes, if schedule allows.
Flying directly
A direct flight is any day more expensive than a connecting flight. Hence, when you book a direct flight to your destination, be assured you are paying too much on air tickets. Choose a layover flight if there is no rush. Check LatinOFare for best connecting flights to your destination.
Apart from this, keep certain pointers in mind:
- Check alternate airports
- Search incognito and clear cookies
- Set up flight price alerts
- Check social media offers
- Use loyalty points
Next time you book a flight; check this list before-in-hand to master the art of finding cheap airfare and avoid paying too much.
