Booking flights for your holiday, doesn’t have to feel stressful or overwhelming. There are handy tools you can use, with better travel planning habits, to make flight booking a little stressful. You need to know when is best to book, how to compare options, and know what details truly matter, to save you both time and money.
Start With Knowing What Really Matters For Your Trip
Before you start opening tabs and looking at prices, you need to make a list of what actually matters for you, for this specific trip.
Are you looking for a budget-friendly getaway? Are you wanting to treat yourself with a little luxury?
Do some location research, checking airport locations, ground transport options and typical arrival times, which won’t wreck your schedule. Then, do budget planning, with a hard ceiling, plus a small buffer, for your luggage, seats and transfers, so the price doesn’t “balloon” up during the booking process.
Make a list of your non-negotiables and nice to haves, and filter your airline options; reliability, carry-on rules, seat comfort and change policies. Make sure you factor in the people you’re travelling with too.
Flexible Dates Can Save You More Than You Think
Even if you’re only able to change your trip date by one or two days, being a little flexible can reveal noticeably lower fares, because airlines price their flights around demand patterns (like weekends, holidays and peak business travel times). Use fare calendars, or +/- 3 days views, to quickly compare prices, to lock-in the cheapest combination.
When you’re able to be a little flexible with your schedule, you can tap flexible pricing options, like mixed-carrier returns, different departure cities, or one-way pairings.
Make sure you know your travel budget, you can set a target price, and widen your travel date range until you hit it. Don’t skip the possibility of other airports either, as flying into a nearby city, can offset higher fares on your preferred route.
Be careful with seasonal fare trends – avoid school breaks and major events that will inevitably spike demand.
Best Times Of Day And Week To Search For Flights
It has been proven, that early morning searches on Tuesdays or Wednesdays are when airlines tend to refresh their inventory, and you’re less likely to have to compete with impulse buyers for the flights.
If you search for flights during peak travel times (Friday afternoons, Sunday evenings and lunch breaks), you’ll see fewer seats at higher prices, and you’ll feel rushed into clicking.
For week planning, aim for mid-week savings, by searching and flying Tuesday to Thursday. Use weekends strategically, as Saturday mornings can surface weekend deals, while late Sunday can spike, as people lock in their plants.
If you have no choice but to book close to departure, hunt for last minute offers late at night, and try and be flexible with airports and departure times.
Using Price Alerts Without Checking Every Five Minutes
Set up price tracking on a few of your preferred routes with a flight price alert service, and let the data work while you do your usual daily routine.
Use travel apps which monitor multiple airlines and OTAs, so you’re not stuck doing manual flight comparisons, every single morning.
Choose the travel dates you prefer, or a window of dates, if you can be a little flexible, and save the route you’d prefer.
Make sure you set up your notifications, where you’ll only be notified if there’s a big drop in price, and turn off any overnight notifications which could ruin your sleep.