When is it profitable to buy plane tickets? This question is far from idle. Indeed, depending on how many days before departure a ticket is purchased, its price changes, sometimes by fifty percent. If you want to travel the world cheaply, you need to know the secrets of airlines. In this article, we will dedicate you to some of them. First, we will divide the general problem, which can be formulated as a question: “Where can I get a cheap air ticket?”, Into several parts. We’ll call the first one: “With whom to fly?”, The second - “When to travel?”, The third - “How long does it take to buy a ticket?” and finally, the fourth - “Where and how to get a seat in the cabin?” You can also attend to subsequent movements around the planet - do you like to travel? We formulate the question as follows: “How to make the next ticket cheaper than the previous?” Well, now we will try to solve the tasks set for us.
Airlines: what they are
To a person who travels a little, it may seem that air transport is a kind of monolith with uniform prices, which depend only on the mileage of the flight. But this is not so. There are many carrier companies in the world, and there is a competition between them, which is a sin not to benefit an ordinary passenger. So, the highest cost of services from reputable companies, deservedly enjoying fame comfortable for traveling. They provide for regular flights new and ultra-modern cars, the cabin of which is divided into several classes. On board you will be offered a variety of food, drinks - completely "free". You won’t be bored either: a screen is mounted in the back of the seat in front of the chair, and you can watch movies or play electronic games. And for night flights, a plaid and a pillow are provided. But all these delights of travel can be tasted only when an air ticket (we did not consider cheap options) is too expensive.
Not very burdensome airlines for your pocket
And if we are looking for a budget option, it is worth to find out what low-fires are. These are discount companies that offer cheap flights. Cost reduction is due to cuts in services. Such airliners take off and land at minor airports, in the cabin there is one class for everyone, there is no food on board, and sometimes they take up places, like on a bus. Low-costers impose restrictions on baggage, such flights are often delayed. You cannot return tickets or reschedule travel dates. But is it really that important when you can fly from Moscow to Beijing for nine thousand three hundred rubles?
Another option is to go on a budget trip with a charter. Travel companies hire a plane to fly. Of course, they are interested in implementing the entire tour package. But if there is no one who wants to buy it, and the departure time is approaching, then, in order not to incur losses, companies throw out only tickets on sale. Charters also have their drawbacks. Such flights are carried out only to popular tourist destinations and “in season”, and they will deliver you profitable plane tickets the day before departure. But if you want to go to Greece in the summer or Thailand to the winter, then why not try making friends with charters?
Choose a travel time
If your vacation does not depend on the will of the employer, and you can decide when to go to the resort, consider yourself lucky. And the point here is not at all a sense of freedom. Skillfully using the forced position of others, you can purchase profitable flights. Most people go on vacation on Friday and return on Sunday to go to work in the morning of Monday. But if you are a “free artist,” travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Even with expensive airlines, tickets for these weekdays are twenty percent cheaper than for weekends. The time of day when the flight is also of great importance. Most people do not like to come to an unfamiliar country late in the evening. Some do not tolerate night flights. And it's pretty hard to get to the airport for a flight starting at six in the morning. Therefore, companies are lowering prices for such tickets. When there are few who want to go in this direction, carriers announce discounts. At the beginning or at the end of the tourist season, you can fly to the country of your dreams, spending much less money than at the peak.
When is it profitable to buy plane tickets
Many Russians, relying on the notorious “maybe”, begin to plan their vacation a month before it begins. And they are very imprudent! We need to take an example from the Europeans, whose schedule is scheduled for six months in advance. But most people are careless - and carriers use this. When the sale of tickets for a certain date is announced, their price is quite low. It's time to take advantage of this. Three months before the departure of the flight - that’s when it’s profitable to buy plane tickets! The closer the start time, the higher the price. It is growing day by day. But not to infinity. The price reaches its peak two to three weeks before departure. But in the last seven days it has a tendency to decrease. When the air carrier sees that the cabin is not 100 percent full, and time is running out, he announces various promotions such as “Last Minute Ticket” or “Last Minute”. These offers are very appetizing - provided that you live on your suitcases, ready to start today.
Direct or connecting flights: which one to choose?
It only at first glance seems that one ticket costs less than two. In air transport, pricing follows a different logic. Most people want to get to their destination as quickly as possible. Therefore direct flights are highly valued. But why buy a seat on the Moscow-Phuket route when it is more profitable to buy plane tickets from the Russian capital to Hong Kong, and from there to the Thai island? Docking times can be very different - from an hour to a day. Choose flights if possible for one company. She will be responsible if you do not have time for the next plane. And by the way, it's better to buy round-trip tickets. So it will be cheaper, and with border guards (in the case of international flights) you will not have problems.
Stopover - what is it?
This option has become available relatively recently. When it is profitable to buy plane tickets for connecting flights, why not stay at the transit point to inspect it? Stopover - this is when you stay in city C, following between airports A and B, for a period of one to three days. Many air carriers provide this opportunity absolutely free, sometimes for a modest price. But the stopover option gives a chance to replenish your travel experience with another country. Experienced travelers are advised to choose Singapore airport as such a point . There, for transit passengers, free bus tours of the city are even provided. And the airport itself is an extremely comfortable place to stay.
E-ticket
We have already considered the question of when it is better to buy airline tickets, now it's time to discuss where to buy them. The pricing of any product includes the percentage that the seller takes himself. The airline hires an office and pretty girls who issue paper tickets. Lease and compensation to employees is paid by the passenger who purchases a travel document from them. But smart people are hunting for seats in an airplane over the Internet. There a ticket is sold without a margin of the sales agent. The option to buy online gives the passenger a lot of advantages. You will not lose a ticket. You yourself can reserve a seat in the cabin. Arriving at the registration of the flight, you will not need to stand in a long line of passengers. You simply present a printout with your passport. You can even order meals on board from the menu list!
Where is it more profitable to buy plane tickets
Each airline has its own website. If we already wondered “where is it profitable to get a plane ticket”, then let's look there and compare prices. As mentioned above, they differ depending on the days of the week of departure and even on the time of day. Sometimes airlines - even not at all low-cost, considered expensive - delight passengers with unprecedented discounts. When a new direction opens, a promotion is held. Or, in the “low tourist season”, air carriers want to fill the half-empty cabin with low-cost passengers. If you are not attached to certain numbers, you can register on the company’s website and use the “Report low prices” service. Then you will receive emails about promotions and discounts of this carrier. But do not rush to immediately respond to them: compare offers of various airlines to find the best option for you.
Aggregators
Some tourist places are so popular that liners of almost all carriers available on earth rush to them. How to buy tickets without visiting the countless websites of companies? There are aggregators for this. These are search engines, one might say, a database of all available seats on planes. Through aggregators such as Skyscanner or Aviasales, you can not only select tickets for the flight you are interested in, but also purchase them. However, do not rush to click on the Buy button. Go to the website of the company that interests you and compare the prices there. Sometimes it’s more profitable to buy directly from those who provide the flight service. But sometimes it happens that the prices in the aggregator are lower. These search engines are good in that you can use the option “Find cheap tickets” in this direction. If the date is not critical for you, then the machine will find the best offer for you.
Campaign Marketing Moves
Carriers are constantly interested in finding customers. If you have at least once logged on to their website from a computer, they will constantly send you various messages such as “The best flights from Moscow to Milan! 30% off! Two places left! ” Do not get fooled. This is the original marketing trick of trivial advertising. If you really need to Milan, go to the company website. Tickets for neighboring dates may be even cheaper than those offered to you. Explore the possibilities of low bonfires. Near Milan, the city of Bergamo is located, whose airport charges for servicing flights much less than the popular Malpensa. From the foothills of the Alps to the capital of Italian fashion can be reached in half an hour by train.
Loyalty program
Every manufacturer values ​​his regular customers. And for them, he can lower the price. When it becomes your habit to purchase profitable flights, you will understand this. Using the services of a company, go to its website. Register as a “member of the club" by entering the data from the ticket in a special form. From now on, "miles" will be deposited into your personal account. And when you buy your next ticket, you can count on your discount card. True, then you can become a hostage to a certain airline: to use the "miles", you need to use only its services. Here you need to be able to balance: to be loyal only when it suits you.
Summarize
So, let's summarize all of the above. When is it more profitable to buy plane tickets? For six months already, you should subscribe to the newsletter of updates from various airlines, travel agencies and services about promotions and discounts. For three to four months, you need to send a request to the search aggregator. And to indicate not a specific departure date, but a floating one: plus or minus three days. You can also not specify a specific airport (both departure and arrival). Tickets should be taken back and forth - it will be cheaper. Be sure to also consider connecting flights.