Traveling significantly broadens our horizons, gives positive emotions and gives us the opportunity to feel ourselves truly alive and full. Psychologists believe that stress from a whole year of hard work can be removed with just one trip of ten days. Of course, many readers can counteract the fact that any trip requires significant financial costs, most of which falls on air travel. Because of this, our compatriots are afraid to organize independent trips, preferring package tours. But some Russians with extensive travel experience may reveal the secrets of how to find the cheapest flight ticket. They argue that with some dexterity and relatively little time spent searching, you can fly to almost any part of the world at the lowest price. Weāll talk about this topic today. Our readers will be able to find out how to find the cheapest tickets, when to book them best, which route may turn out to be the most profitable, and many more secrets of a budget trip.
A few words about airline tickets
Almost everyone who has ever purchased a tour package or planning an independent trip, has an idea of āāwhat costs of the total budget of the trip is an air ticket. By reducing them, the tourist will be able to spend the vacated amount on excursions or on vacation purchases, so conversations about when it is more profitable to buy air tickets and how to do this do not lose their relevance almost never.
On various Internet resources there are quite a lot of tips and advice for tourists, but not all of them help to really save. After all, the travel route also plays a significant role in this matter. Few Russians know that the price of an air ticket rises not only during certain seasons high for air carriers, but also depending on the route. This must also be taken into account if you want to purchase an inexpensive airline ticket.
Experienced travelers who know how to save on this expense item argue that this is possible only if you take into account the following nuances:
- route;
- season;
- time of purchase;
- the skill of finding tickets on the Internet.
All this seems rather complicated, but only at first glance. We will reveal the points of all the tricks of how to get cheap round-trip air tickets.
Ticket price components
The cost of the cheapest air tickets of all possible options, as well as the most expensive ones, has several parts forming it. This is necessary to know in order to understand why air carriers lower their prices and arrange sales. Indeed, it is clear to any passenger that the company will not make flights at a loss, which means that there is a component that the carrier can increase and decrease at its discretion.
So what is the cost of an air ticket? Everything is pretty simple here:
The fare is the basic part of the ticket price, which is usually the aggregate of the airlineās basic expenses for the flight. Most often, the carrier itself sets the tariff based on its costs. This includes passenger services, payroll, aircraft repair, leasing coverage and other nuances. Therefore, the size of the fare is affected by the duration of the flight, season and booking class. In order to meet all the needs of passengers, airlines have provided several fares:
- First grade. Such flights are very expensive, so the fare is available for booking only on rare international flights. If you happen to fly in the first class, then definitely you will not remain indifferent to the level of comfort that will be provided to you on board. It includes a bar, a video salon, showers, fully folding armchairs, individual cabins and much more.
- Business Class. This tariff is more familiar to Russians, as it is found on most routes. Passengers receive an increased level of comfort, consisting of the priority right to board, a separate cabin, the ability to carry more luggage, an expanded menu with included alcoholic beverages and other nuances of a comfortable journey.
- Economy class. This tariff is acceptable for most of our compatriots. After all, it is to them that they travel the world. It is not stable, as it has several subspecies. Moreover, the quality of service on board does not depend on them. Typically, the differences between economy class fares are in the rules of baggage allowance, ticket return and the ability to choose a place on board for yourself.
The fare, which is the basic part of the ticket price, almost never changes. But where then do cheap flights come from? The second component of value plays a significant role here - taxes and fees.
It is established not by the company, but by the airport. For example, fuel surcharges depend on international fuel prices. In addition, it is charged in euros and dollars, so fluctuations in these currencies have the most direct impact on it.
This part of the ticket price includes servicing passengers at the airport, ensuring their safety, fees for departing from someone else's airport, and even a certain fare for flying over a foreign territory. Often airlines include a service charge for issuing a ticket in this group of expenses. At any box office, it will already be included in the price of your flight. Therefore, an experienced traveler without hesitation will answer where it is cheaper to buy plane tickets. Naturally, on the Internet, where there are no service charges, and no one writes out forms to you.
Based on the foregoing, it is not difficult to conclude that the cheapest air tickets (S7, Aeroflot and other companies) are formed due to fluctuations in the second part, which makes up the cost of the flight. For example, the price of fuel may decrease due to the exchange rate or the airport will give a privilege for servicing the aircraft of a company for a certain time.
Tariffs themselves rarely change. In rare cases, the carrier may make the bulk of economy class tickets non-refundable as part of the promotion, which will significantly reduce their cost, or make a different marketing move.
We select a route and a season
If you are worried about how to find the cheapest flight ticket, then ask this question at the initial stage of travel planning. After all, your expenses for it depend on the route and time of the trip.
When we talk about the route, it is extremely important to consider the place from where you will fly. The fact is that, in addition to the high and low season, the starting point of the journey also affects the ticket price. For example, if you are planning to go to Thailand, then the months and days of the cheapest flights will differ significantly for residents of Irkutsk, Moscow and Tomsk, for example. Since this or that airline is the leader in each region of Russia, it is the price that sets it depending on the demand in the region and its own workload. Therefore, if it doesnāt matter to you at all which country or city to fly on vacation, find out where the cheapest flights are from your city. Believe me, with this approach you can save a pretty decent amount.
How to find the cheapest flight ticket? Plan a trip for a period when air carriers traditionally lower prices for their services. Of course, there are certain subtleties in the search for these months, but usually they are considered two periods: from mid-November to mid-December and from mid-January to late February. This is due to the fact that at the indicated time intervals, interest in air travel among passengers decreases. Many who are planning a vacation, seek to combine it with the New Year holidays, so November and December until the twentieth numbers are simply not considered as time to relax. By the New Year, airfare prices are rising standardly, to then decline again before the May holidays.
From May until the fall, most airlines do not make shares on their flights. Since this time is the hottest time for air carriers. Nobody knows how to find the cheapest air ticket for a given period. Prices in the indicated time interval are kept high in almost all directions. Therefore, if possible, plan your vacation for other dates.
But donāt be upset if you wanted to walk around the Roman Coliseum or see Barcelona in all its glory with your own eyes, and this does not work out because of the high prices for flights in the summer. Of course, the cheapest flights to Europe from Moscow are sold in February, but this does not mean that your dream will not come true. Try to find a compromise and go on a trip, for example, in April. The cost of flying to Europe at this time is kept at an average level, so it is available to many. And the weather in most European countries already offers long walks and sightseeing.
Acting according to the scheme indicated by us, you can fly on vacation quite inexpensively.
When to which country are the cheapest flights?
If you have the opportunity to adjust your vacation for certain dates, then be aware that there is a general tendency to lower airfare prices depending on the destination. Perhaps you can fly to rest just when the ticket price is kept at a minimum mark.
For example, it is best to go to Sochi and Crimea from October to May. At this time, the price of tickets is low, and there are a lot of opportunities to have a good rest. After all, tourists often swim in the sea until November and open the swimming season in April.
Those who prefer traveling around Russia can be advised to plan their vacation from January to March. But the period of low prices for flights to Asia begins from February to June, and then it falls on October and November. Europe and the USA are cheaper to visit in February and March. Low prices for tickets to the states are held in September.
When to buy plane tickets?
In advance. We think a similar answer was heard at least once by every potential traveler. But only when in each particular case it begins āin advanceā few people know. Although there are simple rules in this regard.
Usually those who travel the world on their own plan everything long before the trip. Most often, all vacation details are worked out over the year, so you need to think about air tickets at about the same time. Statistics give a fairly clear answer to the question, āwhen is it more profitable to buy air ticketsā. It is believed that the lowest prices you can find six months before the trip and a few days before departure. However, the latter option to purchase a cheap ticket is more suitable for spontaneous trips. Indeed, inaction in anticipation of low prices for flights may not bear fruit. As a result, a carefully prepared trip will fail.
There are also special country statistics that provide information on when it is most profitable to buy plane tickets. The lowest prices for flights to Sochi are formed one to two months before the trip. But in Crimea, America and Asia, you should look for tickets no later than six months before the holidays. Those who are planning to relax in Europe can purchase tickets approximately four months before the flight. Be sure that the prices in this period will be the lowest. Traveling around Russia makes it possible to buy the cheapest ticket from two to four weeks before the expected departure date.
Skills needed to find the best price
Despite the fact that today most of our compatriots purchase tickets through special sites, many do not know how to book plane tickets over the Internet with the maximum benefit. That is, a phased scheme of search and purchase is known to almost everyone, but few know the tricks that make it possible to find the cheapest flight. Today we will try to help our readers become professionals in finding airline tickets. To find the most profitable flight, you must have the following skills:
- make full use of all the capabilities of search engines;
- monitor promotions and discounts (Aeroflot and S7 airlines, for example, conduct them regularly, which they inform their subscribers about);
- pick a flight not from your city;
- Do not be afraid to fly low-cost airlines;
- Traveling in a big company
- search for flights with transfers;
- hide the city of departure and arrival;
- use erroneous tariffs;
- accumulate miles and exchange them for airline tickets.
In the following sections, we will go into more detail on the listed list items.
How to search for cheap tickets through search engines: basic tips
What does an ordinary person do when he wants to buy a ticket online? Most likely, he opens the first search engine that appears, enters dates and a route, and then selects the most suitable one from the received options. But you will not find a profitable flight ticket, so we have prepared several tips for readers:
- Do not use all services in a row. Not every one of them gives full information about tickets. In addition, one should not exclude the possibility of getting caught by scammers, which periodically occurs in this field of activity. Therefore, the most popular among experienced travelers are the search engines Aviasels, Skayskanner and Buruki. Before buying a ticket, be sure to compare its price on all three sites. Sometimes the price difference is up to ten percent.
- If you just want to relax cheaper, but donāt know in which direction to look for tickets, then Skyscanner will come to your aid. The search engine has one very convenient option that allows you to see all the cheapest tickets at once. This can be done by entering the word āeverywhereā in the line instead of a specific destination. If you are not limited in dates, then indicate the period of travel a whole month or year. Thus, in a few minutes you will see all the cheapest flight options.
- Those who know exactly where he wants to fly on vacation are advised to sign up for the newsletter. A similar service is provided by the Aviacels search engine. Once you have entered all the data you need to search for tickets, you will regularly receive information when the cost increases and decreases.
- The calendar of low prices allows you to compare the cost of flights on different days throughout the week or month. If desired, the passenger can conduct a comparative analysis even for several months at once. Moreover, the lowest prices will be highlighted in green. Interestingly, usually the best offers for departure appear on Tuesday.
- Complex routes involving one or more transfers are always cheaper than direct flights. Therefore, try to drive a similar route in a search engine and compare the cost of tickets. Often, open flights are beneficial when the city of arrival and departure in the next segment are different.
- On holidays, it is almost impossible to find an inexpensive airline ticket. Therefore, "Buruki" offers special selections. One has only to enter the holiday that interests you, as the system will give out all the profitable options in the directions at its discretion.
If you take advantage of all the features of search engines, then your chances of buying a cheap ticket will increase significantly.
Promotions and discounts
Many air carriers conduct ticket sales and make various promotional offers. Therefore, you should subscribe to the newsletter from the companies you are interested in. But be prepared for the fact that you need to do this at least six months before buying a ticket.
We plan a route based on favorable offers
Often when searching for a ticket, we are fixated on certain airports, but the best offer can be waiting for you, for example, in a neighboring city. Try to enter in the search bar not your usual city, but several others located nearby. Perhaps, even taking into account the road to them, your flight will be much cheaper.
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Those who prefer to travel with a fun and noisy company may well be counting on a discount from some air carriers. It can be expressed in a discount on the current flight, a loyalty program, or in an offer to join the club. The latter option gives you the right to purchase tickets at a discount on an ongoing basis, but you will need to pay a membership fee. It usually pays off on the first flight.
Advanced passenger course
If you have already mastered all the skills we described earlier, then try using several new methods that will allow you to save even more on the purchase of airline tickets.
Everyone knows that connecting routes are cheaper. But what if you didnāt get the ticket to the desired endpoint? For example, you want to fly to Tallinn, but the price categorically does not suit you. In order to buy the cheapest ticket, you need to find a carrier whose hub is located in Tallinn. Once you find it, look through all the transfer tickets in the city you are interested in. Often, such a flight will be cheaper than direct. Therefore, you buy a ticket to another point and simply stay in Tallinn during the transfer.
Many travelers write that with frequent requests for flights from the same city, the program begins to give you far from the cheapest result. Experiment and for a while hammer in a search bar not your city at all. Then, when entering the correct data, you will get the most profitable option.
Often a program crashes, and the search engine gives an erroneous option. It can cost half as much as usual. If you immediately buy such a ticket, it will be valid even when the error is corrected.
And in conclusion, I would like to say about miles. Do not be lazy to use all kinds of bank cards offering bonuses in the form of miles. If with each purchase you will receive such a cashback, then you can quite quietly save up for a free flight.
And one more nuance: never waste time seeing a very advantageous offer. Buy an air ticket instantly, because such a chance may no longer be presented, and go on a long-awaited journey along your dream route.