How To Book Cheap Flights Online.

 

 

You will normally find the cheapest tickets on price comparison websites, rather than directly on an airline website. A route like London to Sydney (for example) is serviced by many airlines, some of which you may not have even heard of, so just checking a handful of airline sites is unlikely to turn up the cheapest ticket. Search for ticket on ebookers, Opodo and Expedia.

Searching a specific airline website can sometimes be a good idea though, particularly during seat sales. While seat sales normally are made available industry wide, airlines do sometimes have special fares only available on their own website. Follow our blog which will regularly update you on sales. Another consideration is the frequent flier programme. Consumers over the last few years have tended to become much more price sensitive, and tend to go for the cheapest fare rather than using a preferred airline. While this is perfectly understandable, sometimes it is worth paying that little bit more to enjoy the benefits of a good frequent flier programme. Airlines will reward loyalty with free flights, so if you do fly regularly think about taking advantage of these offers.

 

 

Typically the more airlines fly the route that you are travelling, the cheaper your ticket is likely to be. This means that by giving some thought to the route that you fly you are likely to save some money. Is your local airport served by lots of different airlines? If like mine, there are only one or two international airlines flying from your nearest airport, you are unlikely to get a great fare. An airport with a handful of long haul carriers (like Manchester in the UK) is always worth checking as you can get some great fares. As there are still less airlines serving Manchester you should also check London though, as more choice of airlines typically will mean a cheaper fare. Obviously as convenience is also a factor, do still check your local airport. If you get in early it may still be economical to book from there.

 

This same principle applies to your destination. If you are going to Koh Samui for example, by al means check a flight all the way through, but also look at flights to Bangkok (which is served by far more airlines) for comparison.

 

Another top tip is to think about how airlines fly. A great example is on the UK to Australia routes, where you will be stopping somewhere for refuelling whoever you fly with. Lots of people are keen for a stopover in Asia on the way, but rather than choosing your stop first, look at the cheapest airfare to your end destination and then see where that airline stops! Some are fairly self explanatory (i.e. Singapore Airlines stops in Singapore, Thai stops in Bangkok and Malaysian stops in Kuala Lumpur.) For other Asian stops BA stops in Bangkok or Singapore, Qantas is Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong and Cathy Pacific also stops in Hong Kong. Choosing your stopover based on the lowest fare will almost always save you money!

 

As a final thought, most internet booking engines will also let you book an ‘open-jaw’ ticket which allows you to fly into one destination and out of another. Don’t be afraid to book it yourself with this kind of ticket. It can be ideal when you are planning a big overland trip such as the east coast of Australia.