When it comes to booking flights, there’s a few things you should know. I’ve been researching flights for a number of years now and have learnt some tricks which could make it easier and cheaper for you when booking flights.
Book Ahead
Though you may have heard stories about someone snapping a great price for flights days before their flight, chances are, the earlier you book, the better the deal. Plus, you’re not risking any price inflations over time. If you see a flight you like and it’s at a good price, purchase it.
Research from Momondo, the flight comparison search engine tells us the below:
- Europe – Momondo says it’s generally best to book 47 days ahead, and that booking then can be up to 37% cheaper than booking a day before departure (which is the most expensive time to book). The best day to travel is Friday, with Saturday being the most expensive day on average.
- Worldwide – Here it says booking 90 days ahead is generally best, and that booking then can be up to 27% cheaper than booking five days before departure (the most expensive time to book). The best day to travel is Wednesday. Again, Saturday is the most expensive day on average.
Use Google Flights To Check Price – Not Purchase
This is what I usually do. I go to google flights and input the details such as the airport I’m flying from, where I’m flying to, the dates and how many passengers. Once I get some results, I note down the prices and then head over to my favourite flight search engine, Momondo. Occasionally I use others as sometimes other platforms can offer a cheaper price. However, Momondo usually always comes out at the top with the cheapest prices.
What I really like about Google Flights is it’s drop down dates which come with prices (see below). It gives you an idea of how much it will cost you on each day.
Once You’ve Found Your Flights, Head Over To Momondo
I say Momondo because it’s my personal favourite. It always yields super cheap flights and also gives you the option to be able to see three things; the cheapest flights, the quickest flight and the best flight from the previous two options leaving you to decide what’s more important to you.
As you can see above, the tabs in pink/purple represents what is more important to you. If you’re looking for a cheap flight and don’t mind how long it takes to get somewhere, go for a long but cheap flight. However, if you want to get somewhere quick and willing to pay a little extra, go for the quickest option.
There are other sites like SkyScanner which is also really good because it gives you fare options spread over a month to find exactly when’s cheapest. Kayak is also pretty clever as it allows you to filter options based on whether or not you want to check in bags.
Jack’s Flight Club
Let me take this opportunity to tell you about Jack’s Flight Club (JFC).
Jack’s Flight Club is a company co-founded by Jack Sheldon. It is an email newsletter and mobile app focusing on helping subscribers find cheap flights, using flight deal alerts.
If you don’t have set dates or destinations but love to travel at great prices, I suggest you sign up with them. They have a free subscription plan where Jack will send you one newsletter a week with super low fares. However, if you upgrade to the premium plan, Jack will send you almost 10-12 deals per week that he and his team search for like crazy. Jack and his team are constantly on the hunt for airfare mistakes, drops in prices and immediately released prices. What they do after getting that is email you with those details. They even tell you how to book the flights.
I have been signed up with them for around a month now and have already received something I’m interested in; direct flights to Hurghada, Egypt for £169 return! See, I did not even know flights go to Hurghada from the UK until I signed up with JFC. They really know their destinations and definitely know how to do all the leg work of hunting good prices and sending them directly to your inbox.
Just in case you’re not happy with the plan after signing up, you have 30 days to get a refund.
Muslims Go Travel 