Lifehack for those who want to save on air tickets

Regardless of whether the vacation is already planned in advance or is still in the dreaming phase, the avid traveler will always be looking for ways to save money on their trip . Finding the best prices on all flights has now become much easier. In 2018, travel agents, based on their personal observations, published their data on fluctuations in ticket prices for domestic, short-term and long-haul flights.

Chip flights

As it turns out, the best time to book flights is not the time that is always intended or always advertised by travel companies. It is not always possible to see significant savings when purchasing a ticket for a year or six months. This is an imposed opinion to stimulate and increase sales. Also, when purchasing a ticket 24 hours in advance, there is no guarantee that the ticket will be on sale, and even at a very reduced price. This is a huge risk. But, as a rule, a traveler uses these myths in everyday life when searching for and purchasing air travel.

The data reveals some interesting findings, which even includes statistics on which day of the week is the best time to book flights. Therefore, before making payments for flights, it is recommended to do some research to help you book cheap flights, hotels and car rentals, optimizing your timing to get the best deals.

Change your thinking

There is this traditional school of thought that dictates that you buy airline tickets six months in advance of your planned trip in order to get them cheaper. Or find a ticket at a very reduced price a couple of days (or hours) before departure. However, these two options have proven that these habits are outdated. The truth is that booking flights six months in advance or at the last minute will result in overpaying for the difference in prices. There are favorable rules, following which you can really track the reduction in prices and take advantage of favorable conditions for air travel.

Six week rule

Based on their research conducted by travel agents in 2018, it can be clearly seen that the best time to purchase a flight is six to seven weeks before the flight date. Prices at this time are significantly lower than at any other time. If a pre-planned airline purchase is acceptable to the traveler, then a six-week window would be ideal for saving. This rule is also ideal if the trip is planned with a group of four or more people. Since a week before the planned date, there may not be seats on the plane for the required number of people.

Unplanned trip

Sometimes it happens that you need to fly away urgently, or there is a sudden unplanned trip. The chance to take advantage of the six-week rule to get the best prices is no longer relevant. However, do not be upset, as there is another way to reduce your costs. A week (8-14 days) before the date of the planned trip, prices also decrease, of course not as significantly as six-week ones, but still have a significantly reduced price compared to earlier dates or later dates.

There is also the following classification of price reductions by day of the week:

• The cheapest month to book domestic flights is Sunday.
• for international in the near abroad - Wednesday,
• for long-haul flights – Tuesday.

Well, if you classify by month, then you should look for significantly better prices for flights in the month of January.

Knowing these systematic observations from professionals, the traveler will be able to independently test this theory and use it in the future for greater savings and benefits from travel.

Svetlana Hauer