AIR TICKET PURCHASE – A BATTLE OF WITS

It has surely become very easy to buy air tickets but their prices vary so much that it becomes very confusing. For the same trip there are so many factors that decide the ticket price – the airlines, the day of the week and the time of the day you choose to travel, time interval between date of purchase and the date of travel, whether purchased directly from airlines or an online travel agency (OTA) or a real time travel agent and many more. I have elaborated on why prices pof air ticket vary so much and how you can purchase cheaper tickets in one of my previous blogs:

https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2019/06/air-tickets-why-do-prices-vary-so-much.html

 

Travel experts and top booking websites all say that booking flights in advance is the key to finding affordable fares. Most of us are aware of this tip now. The tricky part, however, is actually finding those elusive cheap flights. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to save money on airfare every time you travel. With the right strategies, finding affordable flights is easier than you think.

 

1. Use incognito mode when looking for tickets: To find affordable flights, it is important to maintain anonymity throughout the ticket search process. Flight prices are subject to change based on demand fluctuations. Airlines utilize this data to adapt fares accordingly, often increasing prices in response to sustained interest from potential passengers. Clearing your search cookies disrupts this pattern, preventing attempts to capitalize on your browser history. After purging your browsing history, keep an eye out for price changes. Additionally, using an incognito browser protects your privacy and allows you to search for the best airfares discreetly.

2. Plan your flight on a weekday when tickets are cheaper: Plan your trips around weekdays to save money on flights. Some days, such as Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, are known for providing more affordable flight options. Furthermore, exploring midweek travel often leads to good prices and discounts, with occasional options for low rates on Thursdays. Mondays, Fridays, and occasionally Sundays have higher ticket costs. The increased demand for business travel throughout the week usually encourages airlines to change costs proportionately, especially for Monday and Friday flights.

Fortunately, the task of determining the lowest travel days has been simplified with the availability of online booking platforms, which usually include extensive airline calendars covering weeks or months. Furthermore, while selecting flight timings, consider the practicality of being at the airport on time, particularly for early morning flights before 6 a.m., which sometimes offer more cost-effective options.

3. Opt for non-refundable tickets: They generally come at a lower cost compared to refundable options. If you're confident about your travel dates, choosing non-refundable tickets can help you save extra money for your journey. Also, try booking a round-trip ticket as another effective strategy for saving money.

4. Buy air tickets individually: When you are buying flight tickets, it's important to keep in mind that most airlines offer different types of fares, each with a varying number of seats available at different prices. For instance, if you buy a group of four tickets and only two seats are available in the lowest-priced fare class, the booking system may automatically assign a higher tariff class to all four tickets instead. However, you may find a cheaper price overall by checking individual ticket purchases on the airline's website. This way, you can save money for one or more of the travelers, even if not all of them.

5. Stay in the loop with airlines through social media: In today's digital age, social media has revolutionized how we interact and access information.  As a consumer, you can take advantage of this by following airlines on social media to receive a variety of benefits. This gives you access to special discounts and exclusive offers, such as last-minute ticket options, at incredibly low costs. Moreover, you can subscribe to airline newsletters or notifications to receive alerts about flash sales and special airfare discounts. With a bit of luck, you could enjoy savings of up to 50% on ticket fares!

6. Invest in a travel credit card if you are a frequent traveler: If you're someone who loves to travel like me, think about getting a travel credit card. Nowadays, there are several options available that don't require you to pay an annual fee. These cards allow you to earn points on your regular purchases, which can later be redeemed for free flights. With travel rewards credit cards, you can accumulate points or miles to save on airfare, lodging, and various other travel expenses. Furthermore, many of these cards include extra perks such as insurance coverage, access to airport lounges, free checked luggage, and bonus points.

7. Book connecting flights yourself for less: When you're traveling to a distant place and want to save some cash, don't hesitate to book a connecting flight. Using search engines, you can filter flight itineraries by the number of stops and find the best deals. And if you're willing to book flights with different airlines, you can save even more money.

8. Mix and match airlines: Direct bookings with an airline can restrict your travel options to that carrier and its network of partners. While this might work in some cases, if you're eager to find the perfect itinerary or save significantly on costs, you may encounter limitations. If you're seeking greater savings, it's worth considering the tactic of booking flights separately with different airlines. For instance, if you're traveling from New York to Paris via a layover in London, booking each leg independently may yield better results. Secure your New York to London leg with one airline and then your London to Paris leg with another. Although this approach requires additional effort, the potential for savings and increased flexibility makes it worth it. Third-party booking platforms often employ this strategy to find the most economical options.

 

Should I book my air tickets through a real live travel agent, with an online travel agency or from the airline website?

It depends on your route, your circumstances, whether you need flexibility and how much the price matters.

Online travel agencies (OTAs)

OTAs offer sharp fares, often better than the airlines themselves. Companies such as Expedia, Webjet, Make my Trip, Yatra and Aunt Betty buy fares from consolidators – brokers that bulk-buy seats from airlines and resell them to travel agents. If you’re looking for the cheapest possible fare, flexibility isn’t a priority and you don’t mind tight conditions, an OTA is probably going to help you find it. Buying from an OTA works best on long-haul international flights, and for bookings made at least three months in advance. As the date of travel approaches the supply of cheap tickets available from online travel agencies usually dries up, leaving only more expensive options. Flying business class, the difference between an OTA fare and the airline fare is not nearly so dramatic but in economy class the price difference can be quite a bit. 

Book through a real life travel agent

Sitting down with a real live travel agent and discussing your flights inspires confidence. They can tell you what the options are and find the flights that work for you. For anyone who might not be confident making their own booking this is the way to go. Best of all, if anything goes wrong you have backup

Difference between booking through OTA and Airlines website.

Airlines website prices are usually higher, contrary to your expectations. But there is a world of difference in their terms and conditions. For example, I want to fly from New Delhi to New York on April 5 this year, returning April 18. Using Expedia, I find a fare of Rs. 85,228 flying with Qatar Airways. When I go to the Qatar Airways website, the price for the same flights is Rs. 96,737. There are a few differences. The airfare with Qatar Airways allows me to make changes and fee-free cancellation. If I take the Expedia fare the cancellation fee is $357 (Rs. 29,606) and the change fee is $266 (Rs. 22,061), but if I’m prepared to handle the risk involved, what’s not to like about a saving of Rs. 11,509?

 

One of the complaints frequently leveled at OTAs is that they’re unresponsive to requests for changes to bookings. Also, that it can be almost impossible to find any customer service agent to contact, but that’s not always so.

Confident? Know what you want and who you want to fly with? Then might as well make your own air travel bookings. That’s my choice. I pay for my air travel, it’s all work related or pleasure tours but invariably pre-planned and on a fixed schedule, therefore I don’t need flexibility and I’m happy making my own bookings.

My first port of call is an OTA to find out the best fare. If it’s a long-haul flight I’m looking for a premium economy seat on a quality airline such as Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines or one of the Middle East carriers or my Air India. A one-stop flight with a short connecting time gets a tick if it is cheaper than a direct flight.

After I’ve narrowed it down to a single airline, the next stop is the airline’s own website and if the difference between their price and the OTA’s is within a couple of thousand rupees, I’ll book with the airline. And yes, I know flying Budget Airlines is cheaper but that has its own problems, which again I have elaborated in my previous blogs:

https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2022/10/budget-airlines-value-vs-botheration.html

https://surajitbrainwaves.blogspot.com/2018/03/budget-airlinesare-they-any-good.html