When the internet came out for public use and became popular, it brought the ease and convenience of searching airline fares to our fingertips. However, nowadays, there are hundreds and thousands of travel websites, airport websites or airline websites to compare fares with and while we are so happy that we have so many choices, all of these information can be quite overwhelming. If you are not an expert budget traveler, you will definitely be confused with which website to go to, what techniques to use that will result to you getting the best fares possible. The thing is, the answer to these questions would mostly depend on what is the specific type of ticket you were looking for in the first place. In this article, we would like to share with you these steps to make comparing fares easier.
Steps 1 & 2: Write down all your travel plan options & check which are the best days and times to search. Comparing airline tickets depend on the following factors & which of these factors are you compromising or prioritizing: your budget, where you will travel, your travel dates, etc. The more flexible and the more options you have, the more likely you are to book the best airline fares. As for step 2, a travel consultant shares on of their insider’s tips: what’s the best time when searching for air fares is on an early Wednesday morning because according to him, all reservations that remained unused over the weekend at sale price will go back to their system at Tuesday midnight (which is technically Wednesday).
Steps 3 & 4: Bookmark aggregator sites & revision of travel dates or airports. As I mentioned before a lot of websites would help you locate cheap air fares. Aggregator sites can search from all airline sites and other sources for as many flights as possible so they are the ones with the most comprehensive returns after searching so bookmark Kayak.com or Skyscanner.com. Also, try to expand results by making dates either two days later or earlier or checking out nearby airports. Ticket prices can vary significantly with these factors.
Step 5: Book on the individual airline sites. After searching for flights at the aggregator websites, if you have already located a particular itinerary, go to the airline’s website & book the flight there. At times, the fares can go slightly lower. At other times, the airlines may offer something of value on that flight like a free upgrade or something. Book them there and make sure not to forget frequent flyer miles.
There you have it. Comparing air fares need not be a daunting task. It can be a fun one too. Take some time to get used to booking this way and if you do it every so often, you might just make your own strategy as to what’s the best way in booking the cheapest flights whether for a domestic or an international trip. Go have fun and book some tickets now.