Finding Cheap Flights in Turbulent Times

Frustration, long lines, delays, bad food or no food at all, one blanket per row of 9, questionable movies, lost luggage….this is generally my experience of flying, but in order to get from A to B I have to grin and bear it and try to find the positives in flying…hmmm, frequent flier miles, the destination at the other end, views on a clear day to the landscape below, an excuse to read a good book for 10 hours straight.

I like to consider myself pretty good at finding economical flights on the web, but it requires some research and patience. If you have the time, it is best to shop around and wait a few weeks before making your purchase, unless of course, you find that one deal that is too good to be true.

I have worked in the travel industry for close to 4 years now, and have traveled for many more, but I am still no closer to understanding how airlines work then I was 10 years ago. Prices change all the time, and there seems to be no pattern to why this happens. We hear all the time from our travellers “the flight was $800 yesterday and then today when I went to book it, it had increased to $1200”. I don’t get it either, but chances are the next day the flight might be back to $800 again. So if you have the time it’s worth checking on the flight for a week or two to see if and what changes are occurring in the price.

Below are some suggestions for booking and finding the most economical flight for your next adventure:

1) Search the web and check various sites for the best deal. Some websites for booking flights are Expedia, Travelocity, Kayak, Orbitz and Sidestep. When booking on these sites check prices daily to see how they fluctuate before making the purchase. Everyone on a plane pays a different price because there are so many classes of service, which all have different rates, plus seat sales. I've saved as much as $500 off of a ticket by monitoring sites for a week or two.

2) These days there are so many different classes of travel. Airlines are cutting out services and then giving us the option to either purchase this service for an extra cost or reduce the price of the ticket by not opting for the service. Some of the “extra services” include advanced seat selection, the ability to change or cancel your flight, meal packages or complimentary hotel accommodations if flights are delayed. Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t most of these services included in air ticket prices not so long ago?

3) Booking flights on points can be time consuming, and oftentimes needs to be done far in advance to secure a seat. However, if you have time, check daily for availability because seats almost always open up. People either cancel or lose their reservation for not confirming within the allotted time frame. I have always gotten the flights I wanted when booking on rewards, yet I often hear people complain that they never do. It requires a bit of diligence, but it is well worth the effort.

4) When purchasing flights, check to see the amount of points you will be rewarded to your air miles. I know some of the cheaper flights only reward 50% of the air miles, so in the long run you might as well spend the extra money on the flight to get all your miles rewarded. As well, if you're flying with an airline that you don't have air miles with, but you do with one of their partner airlines, check to see that the class of service your ticket is booked in qualifies for rewards with your air miles membership.

5) If you have extra vacation time and are heading to Europe, we recommend finding a cheap charter flight to London and then flying from there with one of the many cheap airlines such as Ryan Air and Easy Jet. Sometimes these flights can be ridiculously cheap.

6) Give us a call and we can check to see if our air consolidators can find you economical flights. Consolidators get bulk rates because they are booking in volume.

Happy Travels
Meghan