11 tips for better airfare prices

Carol, great idea! I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of posting the URL for this article, in case someone out there is not familiar with Thrifty Traveler. https://thriftytraveler.com/guides/how-to-find-cheap-flights/

In terms of what I do, I usually book as far ahead as I can and have gotten some nice deals that way. And I always start my search with Google Flights. :) I've never had to cancel (24 hour rule) but it's nice knowing the option is there if I need it. :) And I never use OTAs - I always book direct.

Great tip-list, Carol!

I'd just add a footnote of caution about being penny-wise but pound-foolish. Some things can be worth paying a reasonable premium* for:

-More direct itineraries have less risk of missed connections.

-Weird schedules can have added, non-airline expenses. (Multiple airport meals add up. A hotel for an overnight connection. An airport hotel for a very early flight. Taxi fare when arrival or departure times reduce/eliminate public transit options. Cabs or busses when connections are at different airports, like LGA/JFK, LGW/LHR, CDA/IAD...

-Bigger airlines have more options for back-ups if anything does wrong, both in their own schedules and using partner airlines.

-Weigh added costs vs ticket inclusions. The cheap fare may cost more after checking a bag and/or selecting a seat.

-Being strategic about earning points/miles: I'll pay a little more to fly an airline that lets me earn the miles/points I primarily accrue. (Points stuck with an airline you may never fly again are nearly worthless.)

-Few of us are willing to pay for fully refundable fares, but can the ticket be at least canceled for a credit? With or without a change fee? And is it an airline I'd fly again, or would a credit be wasted?

*for the most part, cost/benefit is rarely strictly numbers, but mostly a personal assessment.

I thought all 11 were so generic that it was almost meaningless. For me a big one is -- Always check fares for two separate tickets, round trip, and open jaw (multi-city). And I have no idea what, "Ignore the Cheap Flight Myths" means or traveling at the "Right time."

"Ignore cheap flight myths" means there are lots of myths about how to score cheap flights. They are just myths, and best ignored.

A note on open-jaw is a good one, when appropriate to an itinerary.

The myths were summarized in the original post. Some people think that flights are cheaper if you purchase them on a certain day (not true), if you clear your cookies you will get better fares (not true), or if you search in incognito mode you will get better fares (not true). I know these are common myths because I see people perpetuate them on this forum all the time.

I like your idea of pricing the flights in multiple ways.

I always book the airfare first with flexible dates to get the best deal, and then build the trip around that. This has never failed me.

For example with our flights to Scotland being booked last summer I'm saving at least $1,000, probably more, compared to what it is now for premium economy. Even the hotel is more expensive now.

I would absolutely look at the cheap flights myth. Nothing to lose.

Please note that Tip number five is a basic. “ sign up with us for a fee and will give you cheap airfare alerts”

. Tip number five should don’t waste your money paying services to look for cheap airfares 😂

Agree with using google flights to start research, to familiarize myself with flights and connections, and to learn price trends and fluctuations.

Have no idea what is meant by "book cheaper flights by traveling at the right time". Meaning time of year, seasonal fluctuations, shoulder season vs peak summer? I avoid summer peak pricing for airfares and lodging, along with summer crowds and heat, but beyond that, what is the "right time"?

For those of you who chose not to read article, this is the excerpt about time
Book Cheaper Flights By Traveling at the Right Time

Getting a good deal on flights can all come down to timing. And in many cases, it's less about when you buy your flights and more about when you actually get on the plane. It's all about capitalizing on the cheapest days to fly.

Flying on off-peak days like Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays is often much cheaper. Avoid busy travel days like Sundays, Mondays, and Fridays when you can.
The shoulder season (from May through June and August through September) is your best friend. Prices are often much higher during the peak summer, as well as around Christmas and New Year's Eve
Want to shake up your Thanksgiving plans? Turkey Day is a great time to travel internationally at low prices.
Don't wait until the last minute to book! It's a common misconception, but last-minute fares are mostly a thing of the past. Always book at least 30-45 days in advance whenever possible. For international flights, plan even farther ahead.

in the past (I have not checked recently thus my use of ‘past’) flights were often cheaper Tues-Thursday. Monday’s were often priced higher to catch business travelers, F-Sun were considered tourist getaway and return periods etc.

My n=1 anecdote fwiw, but last week I bought tickets for a May trip to Paris, and I found that by moving my outbound flight from mid week (Tues - Thurs) to Monday of the same week I could save several hundred dollars. I approached the trip with plenty of flexibility for days of the week as well as which week(s) to go from late April to mid May for the length trip I desired, and using google flights, at least for the itinerary I purchased, the old paradigm you mentioned (and that I agree with you was the norm pre pandemic) is no longer driving the airline pricing models with the predictability it once did.

Could have been a glitch in the matrix on the day I pulled the trigger, so who knows, but using google flights gives you every possible advantage if you are flexible with your dates.

I think the other myth about cheap tickets is if you go to any site like "Cheapo Air" you will get a good deal.

I Think it is often cheaper to fly mid week (Tuesday Wednesday Thursday) because of the things discussed above.

I do not think it is cheaper to buy flights on a Tuesday which is a very common myth . “Check your flight on Tuesday because that’s a sale day.” And actually that myth does hav a basis in facts. Back before computers, every Monday management got together and looked at last week sales and decided what they were going to do. Therefore, new fares were released on Tuesday Now it’s all handled by computer and fares are adjusted daily hourly, etc. based on sales and projections

I signed on Skyscanner for an upcoming trip that we’ve already booked tickets for, just to see what happens to fares this year. There had been hardly any price changes up until about 3 weeks ago and now I’m seeing at least once a week if not more. The price we locked in still is a good one, so that’s a relief. However, when we booked our trip this time we adjusted based on the fare calendar and we were surprised to see things we used to be able to count on (Saturdays cheaper) weren’t holding true.

Carol,

I pay even more attention to the hotel costs for my destination. They can break you even if you got a good airfare price, and add up.

I pay even more attention to the hotel costs for my destination. They can break you even if you got a good airfare price, and add up.

I agree with this, it is at least as important as airfares, and the longer you are away, it becomes even more important. When I am in the active planning and researching of airfares and itineraries, I am simultaneously looking at hotel rates and availability. I have found that for a trip to Europe that exceeds a certain amount of time - say 10 days - what you have to pay for lodging can make more of a difference to your travel budget than saving a little on your airfare depending on hotel availability and events or demand for rooms during different weeks that may not be apparent to you when you are booking airfare first, then looking at lodging. The pricing variability for rooms is as volatile as the airlines these days as hotels increasingly have gone to online reservation systems with supply/demand driven pricing.

The planning and execution of the two biggest items in your travel budget go hand in hand. For people who plan to rent cars, that is an additional variable cost that can trip you up if you save it for last, too.

Another tip? Don't book flights through a consolidator. Book directly with the airline. I can't begin to tell you the hassle to get refunded for cancelled (by the airline due to COVID) flights to/from Auckland, NZ, from June of 2020. We'd bought Fiji Airlines lights on Vayama. The airline was very accommodating about refunds; Vayama ghosted us. I'll never book with any other agency again.