EVERYONE swears they have a “hack” or a “clever trick” that they use to get cheaper flights – honestly, it’s mostly nonsense.
I’ve been a flight attendant for more than a decade and I know fine well that booking on Tuesday isn’t necessarily going to be cheaper than a Friday.
It is cheaper to fly on certain days, sure, that’s obvious – weekends are going to be more expensive than weekdays, typically.
But that’s not a clever piece of hidden information that “airlines don’t want you to know” or whatever hilarious captions you see on Tiktok videos from so-called “experts”.
Instead, there’s only one real surefire method for booking flights cheaper than other people.
In this week’s blog for Sun Travel, I’ll explain exactly what that is – and how you can make sure you save money on your travels in the future.
Sadly, there’s no clever trick or unique code you can put in on checkout that will automatically give you 50 per cent off.
The best way to make sure you save money on your airfare is to buy tickets as soon as they’ve gone on sale.
Ticket prices are more often than not sold using a method called ‘yield pricing’ – it’s basically a supply and demand method that means the more available seats we have, the less it’ll cost you.
People swear by using incognito mode, using VPNs, only buying their tickets on certain days but really that’s not going to change things for you at all.
The simple truth is that the tickets will be cheaper if you buy them earlier and that’s about it.
There are rare occasions when the plane is pretty empty not long before the flight and then tickets might go down in price, but more often than not, you should get them as quickly as you can.
Normally the prices only go up once the tickets have been released.
This obviously requires a lot of advanced planning, with some airlines putting their flights on sale as far as a year in advance.
It’s often a case of looking up the airline and finding out how long before the flight they put tickets on sale, then logging on in time to snap them up as early as possible.
However, Google Flights and Skyscanner both have price alerts so they can let you know if your flights have dropped in price, just in case that does happen.
A look at your rights if a flight is delayed or cancelled, when your entitled to compensation and if your travel insurance can cover the costs.
What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed?
Under UK law, airlines have to provide compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late.
If you’re flying to or from the UK, your airline must let you choose a refund or an alternative flight.
You will be able to get your money back for the part of your ticket that you haven’t used yet.
So if you booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket refunded.
But if travelling is essential, then your airline has to find you an alternative flight. This could even be with another airline.
When am I not entitled to compensation?
The airline doesn’t have to give you a refund if the flight was cancelled due to reasons beyond their control, such as extreme weather.
Disruptions caused by things like extreme weather, airport or air traffic control employee strikes or other ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation.
Some airlines may stretch the definition of “extraordinary circumstances” but you can challenge them through the aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Will my insurance cover me if my flight is cancelled?
If you can’t claim compensation directly through the airline, your travel insurance may refund you.
Policies vary so you should check the small print, but a delay of eight to 12 hours will normally mean you qualify for some money from your insurer.
Remember to get written confirmation of your delay from the airport as your insurer will need proof.
If your flight is cancelled entirely, you’re unlikely to be covered by your insurance.
That’s the only way to really keep on top of fluctuations in prices, but I would always recommend buying earlier rather than later.
Another method that isn’t open to everyone is to make friends with a flight attendant or pilot.
We have a certain number of friend and family slots that they can use to get cheap airfares for their loved ones, so it’s worth taking care of the cabin crew in your life.
They’ll definitely be able to return the favour for you with cheap travel.
Meanwhile, this flight attendant revealed the common complaint that they’re sick of hearing from passengers.
And here are the surprising destinations that flight attendants love visiting, despite being able to fly anywhere.
