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While
there is no real definitive answer, there are
several ways to ensure that you do not pay over the
odds for your airline ticket.
Book Early
To begin, airline ticket prices vary more or less as
tickets are sold, thus it is highly unlikely that
you will ever pay the same price for an airline
ticket as the same person next to you (unless you
booked your tickets at the same time). Indeed, you
may even be paying twice as much for the same seat
depending upon when you purchase your ticket.
Each airline works on a yield management system
which is used to calculate an airfare based on the
season, local events, competition, time of the year
and so on. The demand for a particular flight route
at one of these times is then calculated into a
percentage of airfares available. Using figures from
previous similar circumstances, i.e. the same time
last year, the airfare is calculated based upon the
natural demand that should arise.
In short the earlier you book the better the price
you are likely to get, though sometimes it is
possible to get cheaper flights after the earliest
possible time to book..
Book
Online
Many airlines offer web-only special offers as
an online booking attracts lower overall administration
costs. There are number of major online travel
consolidators such as TravelStoreMaker.com Travel
Center as we use here on our site but also companies
like Ebookers, Opodo and Expedia which make it very easy
to compare the prices of several airlines. If you want
to get smart, then compare several travel consolidators
best prices as they too will each have their own rates
with the same airlines and sometimes you will get the
lowest price directly by the flight company.
Fly Business
Incredibly at peak travel periods such as Christmas
and New Year, business tickets on major routes can
actually work out cheaper than standard economy
flights, plus you'll get some extra leg room to
stretch.
Think Laterally
If you have the option of more than one airport
to choose from for your departure and point of
arrival always factor in the cost of airport
transfers. The cheapest flight may end up costing
more by the time you factor in bus, train and taxi
fares. |
