Whether it’s taking a trip to get away or it is coming home for the holidays to spend time with your family, it is always difficult getting tickets that aren’t insanely overpriced during the holidays. Here are some tricks to spending less on airfare this holiday season.
Book Your Flights Early
It’s always better to be early than late. The same rule applies when you are trying to book a flight. Although airlines are aware of the popular traveling times and have increased prices during that time period, the rates are not nearly as bad compared to booking at the last minute for high demand flights. The higher demand the airlines see for a particular date, time, etc., the higher they will raise the price.
Be Flexible
Think about the most convenient times for you to fly and more often than not those times would probably be the most convenient times for other passengers as well. Tickets for popular times to fly will cost more compared to other times that you can choose from. Instead of booking flights at convenient times, try to book flights that depart in the morning or afternoon on a weekday, which wouldn’t be in as high of a demand.
In addition to flexible dates and times, another way to get better deals is by looking at available tickets at different airports. Booking a flight out of LAX would most likely be significantly cheaper compared to flight out of SNA. The reason is Los Angeles Airport is a lot bigger than John Wayne Airport, so they can accommodate more planes and passengers going to the same destination.
Shop for Tickets in a Private Browser
Did you know that when you are searching for plane tickets, you have cookies that are tracking your every move? The more you search for a specific flight, the higher the price will be. This is because it seems like you are desperate to find a ticket and that you would be willing to purchase no matter how high the price. To eliminate this, look for your future flights in a private browser.
Fly on the Day of the Holiday
Most of the time, people like to prep and get settled in at their destination before the day of the holiday. Although flying on the actual day of the holiday is not as appealing, the prices will be much lower compared to the dates before and after.
Compare Prices
There are various sites you can use to compare prices. You can look up each airline website, Google Flights, Skyscanner, Kayak and many more. Each of the sites shows the cheapest deals they can offer for various airlines and compare it to other sites. They can also let you know what days are the cheapest if you have the flexibility to do so, which can offer great savings.
Read the Fine Print
Although you can find cheap flights on Easyjet and other airlines, make sure you read the fine print carefully because sometimes it really is too good to be true. Even though the flight itself may be cheap, you may have to pay to pick your seats or pay to bring a carry-on. By having to pay extra for those items, you will realize that your flight was not actually so cheap after all. If you do decide to book a flight like this, make sure you travel light!
By utilizing these tips, you will be able to financially prepare better for the holiday ahead.
If you need guidance with your finances for the upcoming season, feel free to give us a call at (800) 835-3400, or stop by a branch. We are here to help you on your financial journey.