Tips For Buying Plane Tickets
Tips For Buying Plane Tickets
Blog Article
As with almost everything, the best way to find plane tickets is to shop around. Using multiple search engines, especially ones that let you compare prices from different airlines, is key. Many airlines also offer their own web sites that provide direct links to their fare search functions.
Having flexible dates is also important when it comes to snagging flight deals. Avoiding the heaviest travel days — such as Thanksgiving week, Christmas and New Year’s Eve — and focusing on mid-week departures will yield more options and lower prices. Keeping an eye on airfares over time and using a price-tracking tool will help you know when it’s best to book, too.
Airlines have complex algorithms that consider a variety of factors when setting their ticket prices, including what other people are buying. Generally, however, fares go up when there are more buyers and come down when less people are searching for the same route. For that reason, it can be helpful to check price trends over time and use tools like Google’s Flight Explorer and Kayak’s price-trend graphs.
When you’re ready to book, it’s important to enter all the details correctly. If you’re buying tickets for someone else, make sure the name entered matches the passenger’s ID or copyright and that the credit card used is in their name. If you’re buying the tickets yourself, be sure that the card you’re paying with has no foreign transaction fees. Some airlines will require you to present the credit card you used at the airport before boarding, so be prepared for that.
You can often save money by خرید بلیط هواپیما booking one-way flights and pairing them with a rental car or train ride back home. In fact, this strategy can save you up to 6% on domestic fares and 18% on international flights, according to Hopper data.
Whether you’re going to or from the airport closest to your destination, it’s worth checking flight prices to other nearby airports. Hopper research shows that you can save up to 10 percent by flying into an alternate departure airport instead of a major hub.
Keep an eye on fares over time, and be willing to buy at the last minute if you can’t get the airfare you want. You can always ask for a refund or travel credit if you find a cheaper fare after you’ve purchased your tickets. And don’t forget to pack the essentials for your trip, such as a travel pillow and eye mask. Have a great trip! Brooke Porter Katz is a travel and food writer who relocated to Mexico City with her family last year. Her work has appeared in WSJ Magazine, Sunset, AFAR, Bloomberg Pursuits and more. Follow her on Twitter @brookeporter. Photo by Joanna Luckett. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Report this page