I hope everyone had a fabulous long weekend! Now it’s time to get back to work…and planning our travel for this year!
Last week, we discussed the importance of planning ahead for travel. What is the #1 thing you must plan in advance? Flights! While getting there is hardly half the fun any more, with a little advance preparation, you can make the process of booking your flights a little less painful.
Here are a few tips for getting the best “bang for your buck” when booking flights:
Use a reliable booking site to research your flight options…
Many people automatically look at Expedia or Orbitz, both of which are known for not always showing the lowest prices.
Google Flights is my go to site for researching the best prices and schedules – they also allow you to search surrounding dates for better fares and save your searches making it easy to come back to later. It is really fast and very user friendly.
Skyscanner displays smaller international airlines which might not show up on the US booking sites.
Adioso lets you search a wide variety of possible destinations without focusing in on one airport – for example, you can search “someplace warm” or “ski destinations” and they come up with a grid of destinations offering the best fares.
Hipmunk searches by best fares but also ranks the flights based on comfort level (they call it the “agony” level).
Also, keep in mind some
airlines, such as Southwest, don’t show up on any booking engines. If
you fly their routes, be aware of that and go to their site directly.
Finally, I use the sites for research only…I prefer to always book directly with the airline whenever possible.
Plan your schedule wisely…
Flying during the week is almost always less expensive than flying on the weekend.
Know the 24 hour rule…
With so many non-refundable fares these days, it feels like hitting “Buy” is signing your life away. By law, you can cancel any ticket booked in the United States (as long as you have booked 7 days prior to travel) within 24 hours of booking for a full refund.
Sometimes the lowest fare is not always BEST fare…
We all have the tendency to book the least expensive fare. But, sometimes for just a few dollars extra you can get a much better flying experience – better departure or arrival times, non-stop flights vs. one with a layover, or an airline with amenities or lower fees for extras. Consider all your options wisely. If your plans might change, paying a little extra for a flexible fare may end up saving you a lot in change fees.
Consider alternative airports…
If there is a nearby airport, check that out as well…flights into and out of there may be substantially less expensive. For example, when flying to Los Angeles, I have found much better deals going to Burbank, Long Beach or Orange County rather than LAX.
Reserve the best seats possible…
I am amazed by how often people tell me they didn’t reserve their seats upon booking and got stuck in the center seat. Always reserve a seat assignment the minute you book your flight. Use Seat Guru to find the best seats on the plane. And remember my tip for couples flying together – always book the aisle and window – more often than not the center seat will remain open. If it doesn’t, you will make someone’s day by offering them your aisle or window seat. If you are flying an
airline that doesn’t assign seats, it is well worth it to pay the extra
few dollars for early boarding…standing in line board is no fun at
all.
airline that doesn’t assign seats, it is well worth it to pay the extra
few dollars for early boarding…standing in line board is no fun at
all.
I hope these tips are helpful…do you have a favorite travel “hack”? If so let me know and I would love to feature it in an upcoming post.
Happy travels!!
Thank you for all of your great advice. I heard on The Today Show yesterday (Hoda's hour) that it is recommended to book airline tickets directly with the airline as you suggested. We have always done this and never use Expedia, Travelocity, etc. b/c I have never found the rates to be competitive at all. The reasoning they said yesterday was that if a flight is cancelled or there is some other issue you are the customer of the booking company and isn't as convenient to reschedule etc. Much easier to deal with the airline directly than the 3rd party travel companies. Sounds like great advice to me. On another topic…we are going to Maui for Spring Break and wanted to know if we should tip higher than usual b/c the cost of living in Hawaii is so much more than the mainland. I checked out your post from a couple years ago on tipping and am curious what you suggest? We are staying in a 2 bedroom condo at the Montage Maui and curious what we should tip in the AM for housekeeping and PM for turn down and towel service. My husband is a generous "tipper."
You are SO lucky…the Montage is supposed to be amazing! Their hotels are excellent with flawless service…because of that, I would tip a bit more generously. For housekeeping, I would leave $10 for morning and $5 for evening each day with a little note of thanks OR seek out the housekeeping manager with a tip for your entire stay. Hope that helps!!
Thanks Sandy. That's exactly what I was thinking.
I'm always ready for another trip but January is always a time when we look at the year ahead and try to plan for the coming months. Useful tips and Skyscanner is very helpful. I would agree that an alternative departure airport can be worth a considering.
Great idea, Sandy!!! I sent it to our girls because they are starting to book their own flights now. Yeah! Jeanne just raved about how helpful you have been planning their trip! Have a wonderful week!
I use KAYAK to get a quick view of rates (except Southwest) but always book through the airlines. I am so happy that there is no longer a penalty for booking one way flights. I will often book a one-way with one airline going and a one-way with a different airline coming back.
These are wonderful web sites. I will check them out when planning my trips.
Such good information and half of these sites (more than half actually) I did not know even existed!! You are awesome thank you for sharing all of this valuable info! So good to see you…..who knew Google Flights existed much less seat guru? Man, I am really behind the 8 ball here..need to get up to speed:)
Have a great night!
What a great job you have, SANDY! Oh the places you go to every day, and take me to!
Sandy, this is a fabulous post! Although we typically fly the same airline it is always nice to know about better search options.
I cannot wait to check them out.
Have a great day!
Such great advice, Sandy! Flying has got to be my LEAST favorite part of traveling. Anything to make it better!
Thank you! XOXO
THis couldn't have come at a better time Sandy, thank you! My sister is getting married in June and we'll definitely be booking flights for this trip soon. It' s complicated at this point since we have to make sure our flights coincide with the one we booked in advance for my MIL, plus with Sophia in tow, it's just gonna be a 'flight to remember'!
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Wonderful tips here, Sandy! I'll be sharing this one with my husband who ends up being our flight guru. Bon voyage!
xx