Are you feeling the travel envy from looking at your friends’
holiday Instagrams? It’s time to book your own trip soon then;
these useful travel tips will help you grab the best flight
deals.
If you’ve ever wondered when are the best dates and times to book
your flights, check out this handy list that we had got
from travel search engine Kayak.
#1 Pick the right day of the week to fly.
Mid-week flights on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are generally the
cheapest, compared to other days of the week. Most business
travellers will prefer to fly on Mondays, which makes flights at
the beginning of the week just a touch more expensive.
If you’re flying to a city nearby for a short holiday, flights on
Saturdays are the next best alternative, price-wise.
#2 Flights at ‘dead times’ are cheaper.
Choose the early morning or overnight flights, to nab the best
airfare prices. Time it such that you’ll arrive at your destination
city in the day, to help with the jet lag; getting more exposure to natural daylight will your
body clock adjust better to the time difference.
#3 Choose a less busy airport for cheaper
flights.
You’ll save more by opting for flights to alternative airports
nearby, like the Stansted in London instead of busier ones like the
Heathrow. Lower airport fees mean that the airlines can pass the
savings to you too. Plus, these airports are likely to be less
crowded, which will mean shorter taxi queues and possibly cheaper
car hire prices as well.
#4 Book at least 3 months in advance for the cheapest flights to
South America.
A trip on a whim to South America will definitely cost you.
According to Kayak, airfares can cost up a whooping 43 per cent
more than usual, if you get your tickets less than one month before
your departure date. The best time to book: At least three months
before you fly to popular destinations like Rio de Janeiro or
Buenos Aires.
#5 Book at least 2 months ahead for trips to New Zealand, Australia
and Europe.
For flights to Europe, your air
tickets should be reserved at least 10 weeks in advance — that’s
about two and a half months before the departure date — before the
prices start rocketing even more. Similarly, flight tickets booked
at least two months in advance to Australia and New Zealand can be
18 per cent cheaper than those booked less than a month before the
departure date.
#6 Airfares to New York or Bangkok will cost about same whether
you’re booking them 1 month or 2 months in advance.
Barring the seasonal airfare deals, the price
difference in booking your air tickets to North American and Asian
destinations can be surprisingly minimal, compared to other
destinations; the difference makes for only about 9 per cent, which
adds to about less than $100 difference for regional flights and
the ballpark of $100 to $200 for flights to the States. Which does
make that impulse airfare booking even more tempting, don’t you
agree?
HWP
