As a reader of the Cheapflights News & Views blog we’ll assume you already know a thing or two about finding cheap flights. But there’s always more to learn, and even experienced travellers often find themselves stumping up more than they’d budgeted for.
In this guest post, we invite David Stone, the editor of Inside Traveller, to share some of the secrets he’s gleaned from years of working in the travel industry. For more insight, be sure to check out Inside Traveller’s blog, In The Air, which is also edited by David.
Most people understand the basics of finding a cheap (searching for a variety of airports, looking at mid-week flights and looking at various connections and lesser-known airlines, for example). But here are a few more points which can have an impact on your choice and make your journey easier and better value.
- While many long-haul airlines use a standard checked baggage allowance of 20 kilos, others allow 21 or 23 and Gulf Air even allow 30 kilos. Since all airlines will charge for extra weight, those extra couple of kilos can make a big difference.
- If you think you are likely to be over the checked luggage limit, see what the various airlines charge for excess weight. These charges vary dramatically between airlines and can make the saving of a few pounds on the basic fare look insignificant.
- Most airlines offer free alcoholic drinks in Economy but US airlines make a charge. A couple of drinks can easily erode any small saving on the fare – for example, a gin and tonic and a small bottle of wine each way on a return flight to New York will cost $28 with American Airlines but will be free on BA.
- Long-haul flights tend to be more comfortable than short-haul ones and this is worth considering when taking connecting flights. For example, if you want to fly to Portland with United Airlines, they will offer you connections via Washington, Chicago or San Francisco. The price is normally the same so we might pick the connection via San Francisco since it has by far the shortest domestic flight.
- If you are taking a connecting flight, give some thought to the amount of time allowed for the connection. Airlines and agents list flight combinations with the “best” (shortest) connection first. They will re-book you if you miss the next flight but that might not be much consolation if the next flight isn’t until tomorrow and you are just starting your holiday. Taking a flight an hour earlier from Newcastle or Manchester to connect with your long-haul flight in Amsterdam or London might save a day of your trip.
- Check if you can reserve a seat when you book your flight. If not, see if online check-in is available and when it opens so you can get the best seats as soon as possible. Make sure you familiarise yourself with the airline’s seating plan (the most reliable plans will be on the airline’s own website) and decide which seats you would like. Remember to do this for the return journey as well!
- Some long-haul airlines give discounts for children under 12 but these vary. The airline or agent that has the lowest fares might not offer the best deal for children so you should work through the best offers to see which is best for your combination of adults and children.
- Unless you are quite sure that your fare is ineligible for frequent flyer miles, you should always join the airline’s scheme. You never know when it might be useful in the future and a few airlines even give advantages (such as the opportunity to reserve specific seats) from the moment you join.
- Consider the cost of getting to and from airports – especially late at night or early in the morning when public transport might not be available. A £20 saving on the fare can easily disappear if you have to travel further to an airport or take a taxi when there are no trains running.
- A final reminder about seating comfort, which is not just about seat pitch (the distance between your seat and the one in front of you). The numbers of seats across the aisle can also have an impact – especially if you are squeezed in the middle seat of a block of five.
This guest post was contributed by David Stone of Inside Traveller. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Cheapflights Ltd.
