Tips on how to buy cheap plane tickets. When is it cheaper to buy airline tickets?
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Don't forget to monitor carriers' websites. Sales are usually held in February - March and October - November. During such periods the servers may be down. But a little patience, and a cheap ticket is in your pocket. And some airlines offer to send messages if the price drops. Agree so you can buy the right ticket.
Subscribe to Telegram channels
To search for profitable offers, use Telegram channels. Information about discounts comes in the form of a personal notification. It’s better to subscribe to several at once and monitor them, comparing prices. Here are three useful channels from cheap air tickets: Samokatus, Travelradar and PassOnBoard.
And of course, use cheap air ticket aggregators such as Aviasales, Skyscanner, Momondo, OneTwoTrip. They are not tied to a specific airline, but compare prices from different sites and give you the best option. These search engines also have convenient price charts and calendars. With their help, you can move the date of your trip and save a significant amount.
Most of these search engines have mobile applications.
2. Clear cookies and cache
If you have already searched chip flights, the aggregator or airline website remembers both the country of departure and approximate cost roads. As a result, you may see the old price even if the tickets have become cheaper. In addition, the site will rush you and assure you that there are almost no seats left on the plane. Even if this is not true at all.
5. Buy tickets in advance
It is more profitable to buy tickets in advance. Airlines typically open sales 330 days in advance. But, as practice shows, the most optimal booking time is 50–60 days before departure.
The fact is that when sales start, the program focuses on last year’s prices, and then demand determines the price and, as a rule, it decreases. A couple of months before departure there are not many bookings. And the more empty seats on the plane, the lower the price.
When buying a ticket, you should also take into account the time of day. Most people buy tickets in the middle of the day. So book your flight late at night or early in the morning. There are not many visitors to aggregators, demand is falling, prices are starting to creep down.
6. Keep documents handy
Carry your passport information with you at all times. It is not necessary to carry a passport with you. It is enough to take a photo of the necessary pages or write down the data in notes. Special offers usually come at the most inopportune times. AND cheap tickets, most likely, will not live until evening. So when planning your trip, be prepared to book your tickets at a moment's notice. And, of course, don’t forget about the money on your bank card.
The ticket price directly depends on the flow of tourists. On holidays, school break And high season The cost of the flight usually increases. So be sure to check prices for other dates. Sometimes departures within a couple of weeks are several times cheaper.
So, in Asian countries a ticket departing at the end of December is almost twice as expensive as at the beginning of the month.
And don’t shy away from traveling in the off-season. Firstly, it's much cheaper. Secondly, there are no crowds of tourists or queues at museums. In Europe, for example, everyone goes to New Year holidays. It is much more profitable to fly there in early autumn.
8. Buy round-trip tickets
Buy tickets in both directions at once, don’t delay until later. Firstly, when you buy round-trip tickets you save about 20%. Secondly, remember: the closer the departure, the more expensive ticket. For example, tickets Moscow - Paris and back cost 14,000 rubles, and if you take them separately, you will have to overpay more than 2,000 rubles.
9. Don't limit yourself to the capital
If you want to get to France, for example, you don’t have to fly directly to Paris. View tickets at neighboring cities: sometimes you can get there much cheaper than the capital.
Then you can travel by trains, trains, buses or planes. Just remember: when abroad, it is better to book tickets for intercity trains and buses in advance, at least a couple of weeks in advance. It will be cheaper this way. In Europe, this can be done online, through the carriers' websites.
Sign up for airline alerts
Don't forget to monitor carriers' websites. Sales are usually held in February - March and October - November. During such periods the servers may be down. But a little patience, and a cheap ticket is in your pocket. And some airlines offer to send messages if the price drops. Agree so you can buy the right ticket.
Subscribe to Telegram channels
To search for profitable offers, use Telegram channels. Information about discounts comes in the form of a personal notification. It’s better to subscribe to several at once and monitor them, comparing prices. Here are three useful channels with cheap air tickets: Samokatus, Travelradar and PassOnBoard.
And of course, use cheap air ticket aggregators such as Aviasales, Skyscanner, Momondo, OneTwoTrip. They are not tied to a specific airline, but compare prices from different sites and give you the best option. These search engines also have convenient price charts and calendars. With their help, you can move the date of your trip and save a significant amount.
Most of these search engines have mobile applications.
2. Clear cookies and cache
If you have already looked for cheap air tickets, the aggregator or airline website has remembered both the country of departure and the approximate cost of travel. As a result, you may see the old price even if the tickets have become cheaper. In addition, the site will rush you and assure you that there are almost no seats left on the plane. Even if this is not true at all.
5. Buy tickets in advance
It is more profitable to buy tickets in advance. Airlines typically open sales 330 days in advance. But, as practice shows, the most optimal booking time is 50–60 days before departure.
The fact is that when sales start, the program focuses on last year’s prices, and then demand determines the price and, as a rule, it decreases. A couple of months before departure there are not many bookings. And the more empty seats on the plane, the lower the price.
When buying a ticket, you should also take into account the time of day. Most people buy tickets in the middle of the day. So book your flight late at night or early in the morning. There are not many visitors to aggregators, demand is falling, prices are starting to creep down.
6. Keep documents handy
Carry your passport information with you at all times. It is not necessary to carry a passport with you. It is enough to take a photo of the necessary pages or write down the data in notes. Special offers usually come at the most inopportune times. And cheap tickets will most likely not survive until the evening. So when planning your trip, be prepared to book your tickets at a moment's notice. And, of course, don’t forget about the money on your bank card.
The ticket price directly depends on the flow of tourists. During holidays, school holidays and high season, the cost of flights usually increases. So be sure to check prices for other dates. Sometimes departures within a couple of weeks are several times cheaper.
Thus, a ticket to Asian countries departing at the end of December is almost twice as expensive as at the beginning of the month.
And don’t shy away from traveling in the off-season. Firstly, it's much cheaper. Secondly, there are no crowds of tourists or queues at museums. For example, everyone goes to Europe for the New Year holidays. It is much more profitable to fly there in early autumn.
8. Buy round-trip tickets
Buy tickets in both directions at once, don’t delay until later. Firstly, when you buy round-trip tickets you save about 20%. Secondly, remember: the closer the departure, the more expensive the ticket. For example, tickets Moscow - Paris and back cost 14,000 rubles, and if you take them separately, you will have to overpay more than 2,000 rubles.
9. Don't limit yourself to the capital
If you want to get to France, for example, you don’t have to fly directly to Paris. Look at tickets to neighboring cities: sometimes you can get there much cheaper than to the capital.
Then you can travel by trains, trains, buses or planes. Just remember: when abroad, it is better to book tickets for intercity trains and buses in advance, at least a couple of weeks in advance. It will be cheaper this way. In Europe, this can be done online, through the carriers' websites.
In my opinion, it’s no secret that tickets purchased in advance always differ in price. It has happened to me more than once in my life when I was looking at tickets to hometown for several months and the price was much lower than, for example, for a month. At the same time, my friends often asked me why I take a ticket in advance, because there is still so much time before departure. There is only one answer: if you want to save money, this is the best option.
There are several factors to consider when purchasing your airline ticket in advance. First, you must know for sure that you can fly. I always plan my vacation a year in advance, and notify about it at work.
As a result, I already know exactly what dates I need to look for a ticket for. This helps me cut down on expenses. But if you cannot know for sure whether you will be able to fly at this time, then you should not buy a ticket in advance. When returning a ticket, a fee is charged, and this is a waste of money.
Secondly, it is worth remembering that on holidays and during high seasons, tickets will be much higher in price. Therefore, you should take them no earlier than 2 months in advance. Thirdly, I bought a ticket to Europe in advance, but I didn’t have a visa yet. And this is a risk, so it’s worth taking it into account.
I found out that sales start about a year before departure, but it all depends on the airlines. It is most reasonable to make a purchase from eight to two months.
Airfare reservations are also provided if you find a convenient date and low price for the flight. This also has its limitations, the reservation lasts from several hours to several days, everything again depends on the air carrier.
When I plan to fly somewhere profitable, I not only focus on the season and destination, but also try to purchase a ticket before the rush begins. There is no point in delaying, because you don’t have to run anywhere to buy it. You can take out a loan or installments, or pay by card.
By purchasing a plane ticket in advance, you can track all sorts of promotions and special offers from the airline. Thus, without overpaying for your trip.
Many friends are surprised how I manage to buy air tickets 2-3 times cheaper than others. Some people do not believe that tickets abroad can be purchased much cheaper than within their own country. Yes, there are a few tricks here. I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time and collect everything you need to know to buy cheap tickets. And finally :)
In this article, I will not tell platitudes about airline mileage programs, and that it is better to buy tickets in advance at sales - everyone knows about this. I'll try to give more practical advice. But I’ll start with the obvious... Many independent travelers They ignore charters, but in vain - this can significantly save money.
Lifehack 1. The first, most obvious thing is to take cheap tours or charter tickets when traveling abroad. But keep in mind that in this case you are limited either by the number of days of stay, or if you use a ticket only “there”, you can buy a return ticket at a very high cost.
Once I was lucky to buy two tours for the price of one flight “there” - this happens especially often in regions from where there are not always direct flights even to Europe, but charters do fly.
On the tour, you can only use the flight, and settle where it is more convenient, or arrange your own trip around the country. You just need to make sure that the return plane does not take off without you - after all, charters are often rescheduled. To do this, arrange for a travel agent to keep you informed, or return to your base hotel the day before departure.
It is better to plan your trip in advance and buy a single round-trip air ticket - usually such tickets are non-refundable and all changes can only be made for an additional fee, so the trip must be planned without changes.
Lifehack 2. Round-trip tickets are usually cheaper than return-only tickets, so always check round-trip tickets rather than just one-way tickets.
But keep in mind that having bought a round-trip ticket, if you do not fly there, the return ticket will be lost. However, you can get sick and not go at all, and then what? Then even a non-refundable rate can be returned by additionally purchasing insurance.
Life hack 3. If you are afraid that you will not be able to fly, buy travel insurance that includes not only medical services, but also “trip cancellation” - this is cheaper than buying additional insurance on the airline’s website. But carefully read in the conditions what is insured - usually the insurance does not compensate for losses if you simply change your mind, but if you get sick and present a certificate from the hospital, then the money will be returned even for a “non-refundable” rate.
I have already written about which travel insurance is best to take.
In the photo: S7 airline specialists skillfully work with each passenger There is an opinion that the best way is to sign up for newsletters about “reduced ticket prices” on airline websites, but this is just a clever trick by airlines to get your email. This way you will only receive advertising and news about promotions that are already known to everyone. Therefore, it is enough to subscribe to news and promotions from the airline on social networks - there will be more benefits.
Life hack 4. It is better to monitor low prices yourself, because... There are usually few really cheap air tickets, they are quickly sold out and such information never reaches the mailing list.
But how to search correctly? If there are many airlines flying from your city, then monitoring all sites in search of cheap air tickets is quite difficult. I'm telling you:
Which website for cheap flight tickets is better?
You can buy cheap air tickets on the airline's website, or you can use aggregator sites. Where is better? If the price is not as important as the airline, we wait for sales on the airline’s website; if it is important to buy air tickets inexpensively, and at the same time you don’t care which airline, we use aggregator sites, also called cheap airline ticket sites. Moreover, on these sites you can find low prices even on low-cost airlines! Below I will show you how and where to look.
Many people know, for example, Yandex.Avia, but not everyone knows sites where you can not only compare tickets different airlines, but also choose the most cheap month; and if you have already chosen the month, then that’s it cheap destination, where to fly. This is very convenient when you want to fly somewhere, but it’s cheap.
Life hack 5. Using cheap flight ticket websites you can find most cheap city , where to fly, and also cheapest month, not just a day!
Where to look? Where prices are not higher than on official airline websites. Many times I compared prices in aggregators with prices on the official websites of airlines. So far, I like the Kupibilet.ru website more than others - sometimes the prices are even lower than on airline websites. I don’t know how it works, but it’s always nice to buy cheaper, especially since there are no problems with such tickets. After the purchase, you can call the airline directly and ask for the reservation number - they always confirm, you don’t have to worry.
In addition, the Buy Ticket has a convenient service - selection of smart routes– flights of different airlines connect, and they also provide free insurance against delays at the connection.
I didn’t like their bonus program, but everything else was great. Good support service. After the purchase, they send SMS with flight notifications and reminders - you feel cared for the client, it’s nice.
How to buy cheap air tickets within the country
Don't be afraid of connecting flights. Also check flights not only to your final destination, but also to other nearby airports.
For example, when going on vacation to Gelendzhik, check flights not only to Gelendzhik airport, but also to Krasnodar - from there in just 3 hours - this way you can save a lot on air tickets in the summer season.
Before buying a plane ticket, remember that lowest price usually does not include food, luggage, seat selection and airport check-in– carefully read the conditions of what is included in the transportation. For example, at Pobeda Airlines you have to pay extra for all this; they even charge money for luggage inside the cabin (see tariffs).
Lifehack 6. To fly cheaper:
- just take it with you hand luggage so that you don’t have to pay extra for luggage;
– check in online on the airline’s website, not at the airport;
– board the plane well-fed :)
However, keep in mind that not everything can be taken in hand luggage. Read in detail: . And also keep in mind that different airlines have different conditions - you will only find details on the airline's website.
If you are flying with your family and have a lot of luggage, then first calculate how much money you will end up with: ticket price + seats to sit next to you + luggage + food on the plane. Perhaps flying on low-cost airlines is ultimately unprofitable for you, then choose another airline and check the conditions.
Lifehack 7. Use filters when searching for cheap flights. For example, you can exclude unloved airlines from your search results or search only for direct flights.
What is a low price calendar
If you know exactly where you want to fly, then the easiest way to find the cheapest air tickets is using the low price calendar. We select from where and where, and then open the calendar (click “there” in the form) and select dates with low prices for air tickets:
For example, using the calendar it is easy to find the cheapest air tickets from Moscow to Simferopol or Milan, from Kyiv to Odessa and to any other destinations.
How to buy cheaper tickets for direct flights
Most often, connecting flights are cheaper than direct flights, but this is not always convenient. Therefore, if you want to save money, but still fly on a direct flight, then you need to start looking for a ticket 6 months in advance, using the low price calendar. Or you need to look for the city you need among the Hidden City (intermediate city). This travel hack is based on the fact that tickets with transfers are cheaper than direct ones.
Life hack 8. The passenger does not have to fly all the way, he can get off at an intermediate stop! Such flights are sometimes more profitable than direct ones. This trick is called Hidden City.
Let me explain what Hidden City is. For example, you need to go to Paris, but tickets are very expensive. However, you have learned that there are cheaper flights that go somewhere else but stop in Paris. We take such a ticket, but we check in our luggage only to Paris, and in Paris we get off. Ready!
Keep in mind that this only works on a one-way ticket!!!
Example.
I'll show you what it looks like and where to watch Hidden City.
We need to take a direct flight from Moscow to Paris. We look at the low price calendar - the lowest price is 6348 rubles, here:
In the photo: calendar of low prices for direct flights Moscow – Paris If we look for flights with “hidden city” (we look at the cheapest flights from Moscow with one transfer - check the box “1 transfer” as in the picture below), we find that a flight from Moscow to Frankfurt with a stop in Paris costs 3,781 rubles.
In the photo: ticket price Moscow – Paris using “hidden city” We just check in our luggage for Paris, and then get out in Paris! In total, we bought a direct flight to Paris at almost 2 times cheaper.
Finding Hidden City is not easy, but it is possible, for example, on the Skiplagged website.
How to fly abroad cheaply
We are looking for air tickets in the same way as already described above. Select the desired country and city.
We just take into account that tickets to popular cities can be significantly more expensive than less popular ones, from which you can comfortably travel by bus for pennies, and at the same time see another city and.
In the photo: wifi even worked on the Flixbus bus during the journey By the way, such bus trips are especially popular in Europe.
Lifehack 9. Combine air travel with bus trips. If you're planning to visit a city that only has expensive airfare, check ticket prices in nearby cities and take a bus to the main city - you can save up to 70% on airfare!
For example, I want to fly to Vienna. Flights to Vienna are usually expensive. We open a regular map and find the nearest cities where air tickets are cheaper - Bratislava, Budapest (usually a flight is 2 times cheaper than to Vienna). From Bratislava to Vienna it takes 1 hour by FlixBus, costs 5 euros. From Budapest to Vienna it takes 3 hours by bus, costs 14 euros.
FlixBus is a very convenient low-cost bus service in Europe, I’ve traveled with them a lot. See instructions. In general, if you don’t have children, it’s very convenient to move around.
When traveling to Italy, most people try to get to Rome, where air tickets are very expensive. It’s cheaper to first fly to and then take the train to Rome, 3 hours. And you can make the trip even more interesting - stop by Florence and visit. On the way, stop by and update your wardrobe with discounts of up to 90% on the best brands!
Val D'orcia – best views And most beautiful places in Tuscany, Italy How to find out the cheapest destinations? I already wrote about this above, but I’ll add a list of the most popular:
From Moscow, the lowest round-trip prices
- Bratislava (Slovakia) from 60 euros
- Cologne (Germany) from 70 euros
- Memmingen-Allgau (Germany, Munich) from 70 euros
- Minsk from 70 euros
- Milan (Italy) from 85 euros, Rome
From Kyiv, the lowest round-trip prices
- Warsaw (Poland) from 34 euros
- Tbilisi (Georgia) from 40 euros
- Prague (Czech Republic) from 45 euros
I talked about the most important thing, I just want to remind you that:
Lifehack 10. If you found favorable air ticket, then it’s better to buy right away. While you are making a purchase, the price is fixed for you, but as soon as you leave the site, the price may change next time.
Also, don’t be afraid to discover new things! If you are tied to work and have a vacation every year in the same month (not at all cheap for a flight), then at least change the place of your vacation.
Life hack 11. Don't be afraid of new things! Discover new places and countries. Paradoxically, but the most expensive places in the world - not always the most interesting.
(Peter Greenberg). It's based personal experience formulated several tips regarding the day and time of purchasing air tickets, which may help you save a couple of tens of dollars.
When?
Air tickets usually go on sale 330 days before departure. According to many travelers, it is best to book tickets 8 weeks to 2 months before your trip.
Greenberg believes that the optimal time to buy an air ticket is 45 days. Six weeks. And that's why:
The number one mistake many tourists make is taking too much... early booking. If your trip does not fall on high passenger days, such as Christmas, then you have a much better chance of saving if you buy tickets 45 days (for domestic flights) and 60 days (for international flights) before departure.
Outside the 45-day window, airline computer programs cannot calculate the current cost, but form it based on last year's passenger traffic. If a year ago the flight was full, then this year the price will be high. But this year there may be a price collapse (there is unrest in Bangkok - people are not going to Thailand), so by booking tickets more than 45 days in advance, you risk overpaying for last year's forecasts.
In addition, Greenberg notes how important it is to “play around” with departure dates. If you are not strictly tied to a certain number, then you can save a significant amount of money. Peter advises flying in the middle of the week, when most flights, except for business destinations, are practically empty, which means their tickets are cheap.
At what time?
As for the ideal time and day of the week to buy an air ticket, Greenberg calls - Wednesday, 1 am.
If you want to buy cheap air tickets, then there is an hour for this. This is Wednesday, 1:00 (one in the morning). But it is important to monitor the time zone of the place where the airline is located - exactly an hour must pass from the moment the day changes according to their time.
Why exactly the night from Tuesday to Wednesday? Greenberg explains: Most airlines offer discounts on tickets between Sunday evening and Monday evening. This means that passengers have a day to redeem them. On Tuesday, at midnight, tickets booked but not redeemed are again entered into the airlines' computer systems.
However, Peter Greenberg warns that to use this trick, you should call the carrier and book a ticket over the phone, not over the Internet.
You will learn even more about the tricks of airlines, as well as hotel booking services, in the article by Lifehacker editor Slava Baransky -.
