As a travel agent and longtime travel planner, the most common questions friends, family and clients ask me is how do I find cheap flights? It might just boil down to dumb luck, or timing, but we will compare several websites and apps that can assist you to find the best price on your next airline ticket. By Comparing these sights we hope to learn how to find cheap flights.
Fort Lauderdale Beach
To compare different prices on flights, I have come up with a scenario that a single person will be flying from Los Angeles, California, using LAX airport and flying to Fort Lauderdale, Florida using FLL airport. This person will be flying in one day before a cruise. His/her dates are not flexible, nor are the airports he will fly into.
couple walks along Fort Lauderdale Beach
Comparison using sights
- Delta Airlines
- Expedia
- Kayak
- Google Flights
Comparison using apps
- Hopper
- Skiplagged
Quite a few travel companies are owned by the same company. … For the record, just because one company owns another, it doesn’t mean they have the same prices or service quality. Expedia currently owns Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, eBookers and CheapTickets. Priceline currently owns Booking.com, Agoda and Kayak.
Feb 18, 2017 -Ben Todd, e Check.org
Scenario
The scenario: research prices on March 6, 2019 and come to a conclusion, Is it possible to find a sure fire way to purchase cheap air fares?
Our travel dates: April 12, 2019 to April 21, 2019.
These dates all during Spring Break for colleges in California, which possibly could effect our research and give us higher prices than normally.
Our flights will be from LAX to FLL and can either be round trip or a combination of one way trips.
Bare bones carriers left out
Bare bones carriers were purposely left out. Prices on the websites looks like an amazing deal until you go to pay for the flight and find out you are being nickel-ed and dime-d to death.
On several of my searches, Spirit Airlines came up in the low $200’s, consequently, you pay for everything separately on Spirit.
If you haven’t done any research on Spirit Airlines, you should know that the price is only the price for the flight, seat choice is not included, no snacks or drinks, and no carry on or checked bags.
You are allowed one very small personal item such as a purse that must fit under your seat. If you don’t decide upon booking that you are either checking the bag or bringing a standard carry on, then you will be charged a fee. By the time you add all these things on , you are very close to the price of a regular airline. Find out tips to handeling your luggage at the airport and what to do if your bag gets lost.
Finding a good price
In order to find the cheapest price it is best to have flexible dates and airports you will be flying in and out of. Know ahead of time how much you are willing to spend.
Check multiple sights. Some say you should clear cookies. I don’t think it makes a difference.
Sign up for airline sale emails and be prepared to jump on a fare if it is a price you are willing to spend. If you wait even a few hours, then you might miss out on the sale price. Seats are very limited during the sales, sometimes only a few available at the advertised price.
If your airport is a small feeder airport, be prepared for there to never be cheap fares. It could be worthwhile to consider driving a few hours to a major airport, but factor in the prices of driving, possibly renting a car, or price for parking the car while you are gone. Flying out of a hub will most always result in a lower price than a smaller airport.
Should I drive to another airport
Occasionally, I see sales advertising Allegiant Airlines fares $100 less than my home airport of Spokane. Spokane Airport is less than fifteen minutes from my home.
Pasco is a little over 2 hours of driving. Parking is $10 per day for eight days. That right there is $80. Add $30 for a tank of gas. The savings has already been exceeded. However, this does makes sense when you have multiple passengers sharing the expenses. In our scenario, our dates are fixed as we are flying to our port of embarkation for a cruise, so this does not make sense for us.
Delta flight gains altitude at take off
So what were the results?
Third Party sites
- Kayak $586 RT & ($293 +369) OW
- Google Flights $586 RT & ($484 + $293) OW
Airlines
- Southwest $599 RT & ($317 +282) OW
- Delta $586 RT & ( $293+484) OW
Apps
- Hopper $314 & $323 but cheaper fares listed for Spirit
- Skiplagged $243 but mostly listed fares on Sprit.
Should I wait unti the last minute?
Last minute fares might pop up in one of your emails, but in our scenario, your dates are set and your cruise is paid for. You cannot afford to miss the flight because you waited for a possibility of a cheaper flight and now the price has skyrocketed. Remember “supply and demand.”
How far out should I book?
There really is no rule how far out to book. Book too soon as prices might get better the closer the flight gets, but this could bite you in the butt. Remember “supply and demand”.
What I recommend for domestic flights is that you book your flights around 75 days or so prior to when you would like to fly. When it becomes less than 75 days, all the procrastinators jump in and then prices go up.
Make sure to install the Hopper app and set up alerts for your flights. Enter any combinations of dates and city pairs as separate flights. You never know when the one option will make a great pay out! Wheter you plan on booking first thing when flights come out or waiting until 75 days prior to your trip, have a target price in mind that you would like to pay. If you see that your flight is offering this price, now might be the time to purchase.
(2) One Ways or Round Trip?
It used to be in your best interest to book only round trip tickets, now it can be the same price to book each leg as one ways. You can even split your one ways using different airlines. Just consider prices might be different if you have bags to check or benefits you might miss out on because you lack status with the airline.
Red Eye Flights
Many times Red Eye Flights are priced cheaper. I personally despise red eye flights and would pay more to never fly on one again. Having had this experience last year on a trip from Washington to Florida, I can tell you that I would avoid them at all costs.
By the time you fly all night from the west coast to the east coast it is still too early to check into a hotel. All you want to do is sleep.If you want to go to the hotel and sleep, you will have to pay for an extra day’s lodging. Or, if you are staying with friends or family, all they want to do is catch up and have long conversations, while you want to do neither.
Connecting flights
When choosing your flights options for connecting flights will come up. Many times flights with one or more stops can be less expensive. Keep in mind that saving a few bucks will not only eat up more of your time, but for each take off and landing, you are putting yourself into more opportunity for things to go wong.
Non Stop Flights
Choosing non stop flights when given the opportunity is alway my first choice. Hanging around the aiport for hours on end is not how I like to spend my time.
Is your time worth money?
Last minute flights
If you’ve only just found out you need to travel or have procrastinate to the last minute, you might consider sights like Priceline or Howire. Prices might be cheaper, but you will have less control. When using these sights, you put in your dates and cities. You won’t get to know the exact times until you hit “buy”. Read the fine print. The ticket you just bought might not have an assigned seat. You wait until last to board. You might also only be able to bring a personal item.
Bereavement Fares
In the past, airlines offered special fares for passengers that needed to fly at the last minute for deaths in the family. Maybe people took advantage of this special fare price, or airlines just got rid of it. If you have to travel last minute and are looking for this fare type, please check the airline specific website for details.
In the event of a death or imminent death (for international travel) in your immediate family, you may have to travel at the last minute. We offer a bereavement policy, which offers additional flexibility on the best published fare for your itinerary when last minute travel is required. Call Delta Reservations at 800-221-1212 to book a bereavement fare.
Conclusion
Sign up for airline and third party email alerts.When you think you’ve found a great price on an airline tickekt, check the individual airline websites directly, prices could be different (more or less than third party sights.
Also, it is less hassle to use the actual airline website than a third party sight, especially when you need help from customer service. Remember, you are the customer of the third party sight, not the airline, not the hotel. Consider clearing your computer’s cookies or searching “in congnito”. Prices can change if you’ve previously visited webpage.
Install apps such as Skiplagged and Hopper and set up alerts by text message. Know the price you are willing to spend and be ready to pounce when the price dangles in front of you.
If possible, be flexible with your dates and city pairs. Consider driving to alternate airports, but do the math before you pull the trigger. When flying to a destination for a cruise where your dates are fixed, the only thing you can do is be persistent. Book early for best seat selection and shortest flights. Unfortunately, as we have learned, there is no for sure way to find the cheapest flights every time. Make sure to always travel with your passport, and consider applying to PreCheck or Global Entry to help save time at the airport.
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