How To Get a Cheap Flight

The days of cheap flights is over. There will always be hidden fees, baggage fees and more. The only way to find that "magical deal" is to be flexible in your schedule, buy the ticket at the right time and research. There are plenty of search engines that help the customer weed out different airlines.

There are plenty of reasons why plane tickets have increased in the past few decades. There are many airlines that have seen their profits sink as gas prices have escalated. Bankruptcy has given some airlines problems as well. Also, many companies have slashed routes that once were plentiful. This means airplanes have more seats filled and less incentive to lower the prices. For those who rely on cheap airfare, I can understand your frustrations. The best way to increase your chances of cheap airfare is to learn more through these tips below. I have used many methods to lower the price of my tickets. Here are the dos and don'ts on finding the best priced airfare ticket. 

Be Flexible With Your Travel Schedule
This is by far one of the best ways to save a ton of cash when preparing for your next adventure. Ticket prices are dependent on the time of day, days of the week, month of the year and holidays. In terms of traveling on a certain day, Mondays and Tuesdays are way cheaper than toward the weekend. This is due to more people traveling toward the end of the week, giving airlines an incentive to raise the prices. Flying right after a major holiday is also a great option. People will still be celebrating. Red-eye and early-bird flights are usually less traveled than the mid-day flights. Having an open schedule makes flying on a Monday at 4am much easier. There's no way to find a cheap flight if you aren't flexible. Every day counts. The difference between a few hours or a day can mean a lot in terms of saving on your next flight. 

Be Flexible on Where You Fly Into
Some airports are more expensive to fly into than others. For instance, London is one of the cheapest destinations in Europe due to Heathrow Airport being one of the largest in the world. If your trip doesn't need to start in a certain city or country, always pick the cheapest destination that's closest to your target country. Europe is an easy continent to fly to because of all the major airports to choose from. When flying from Southeast Asia, always fly to the cheapest large city. Then catch a train or bus to your desired location. There are Airline Search Engines like SkyScanner that allow you to use a tool called "Everywhere." This tool will allow you to choose the cheapest destination from your current location. It's a great way to find the cheapest flight at the right time. 

Fly With Cheap Airlines
Decades ago, traveling to the other side of the world was extremely expensive. This is not the case anymore due to Budget Airlines popping up all over the world. Norwegian Airlines allows you to fly  from New York to Copenhagen in December for 153€ ($172USD). There plenty of cheap deals from most major cities all over the world. It's about researching the right way as well as not settling for any old price. Fly from New York City (JFK Airport) to Moscow, Russia for 193€ ($216USD) via Alitalia and Aeroflot Airlines in November. There are flights from Asia to Australia and New Zealand for less than $100USD one-way. There are ways to get around the expensive culture of flying. 

There are a few things that can help you when preparing for a budget flight. Be smart when packing your travel bags as budget airlines will try to grab as much cash as possible. Always pack some kind of food for you trip. Food on a budget airline is expensive and usually pretty bland. And, expect to have minimal leg room. 

Flying on a budget airline is one of the best ways to save money. However, don't expect anything in the luxury department. 

Avoid Direct Flights
Never take a direct flight unless it's the cheapest possible option... Flying on multiple flights will save a lot more money than you would realize. For instance, a flight from New York City (JFK Airport) to Rome, Italy with 1 stop over is 277€ ($311USD) in November. A direct flight with the same locations and the same date is 944€ ($1,059USD). That's a huge difference in pricing. There's no reason to pay an absurd amount of money for a direct flight. 

Student and Military Discounts
Most major airlines have discounts for students and military personnel. Always take advantage of saving even more money on your already cheap flight. Make sure to do some research on discounts through a simple search via Google. 

Not Every Search Engine is Created Equal
A lot of search engines have their own agendas and biased information. Sites like Kayak, Orbitz and Expedia work with airlines to keep the prices in a certain price range. This doesn't help the customer find a non-biased price for their travels. 

Luckily, there are a few search engines that are free to use with a great satisfaction rating. Try using Skyscanner, Ctrip or Momondo for the best prices available online. My favorite and the most reliable is Skyscanner. If you are a newbie to these types of search engines, go with Skyscanner. 

Use Those Frequent Flyer Programs
Frequent Flyer Programs are perfect for the budget traveler. Most airlines offer these types of programs for those who want to rack up miles with one carrier. There are airlines that even offer free miles just for signing up. By flying one or two times with one airlines, you'll have enough miles for a free flight. How awesome would that be?
 
Here are the best ways to rack up more miles on your Frequent Flyer program.

- The best Frequent Flyer Programs: Make sure to sign up for Frequent Flyer programs that have more than one major airlines represented. I use Star Alliance's Reward Program because there are over 50 airlines that I can fly with while my miles add up into one pot. This means I can fly AirNewZealand, Asiana Airlines and Air Canada with my miles going to one account. It's one of the best things you can do as a budget traveler.

- Always pay with your card:  For those who have a travel credit card with zero fees, I would recommend always using it to increase your miles. If I were to pay $2,000USD in expenses for a month, that's 20,000 miles just for paying my bills on time. That's a free flight to anywhere in the world... It's that easy if you have the right credit card. 

- Fly routes that gives 2x or 3x more miles: As a traveler with no permanent residence, there are ways to double or triple your miles on just one flight. Make sure to fly a route that an airline is promoting with extra miles. This is a great way to add more miles to your program. 

- Use special offers to your advantage: Always use special offers form Airlines. Make sure to sign up for email alerts for airlines that you will be using. This way, if there is a special offer for triple the miles, you'll be able to grab that opportunity. The more you fly, the more flights you earn.

- Get the best travel credit card: Make sure to sign up for a travel credit card that gives you miles for buying everyday items. Each dollar spent usually means 1-5 miles spending on the card. These types of credit cards should also give you 25,000-50,000 free miles just for signing up for the card. Use these miles for your next trip. 

Don't Book Too Early, But Don't Wait Until the Last Second
Never book too early. I learned the hard way the first time I flew by myself. The best time to buy a budget ticket is in the 5-8 week range. Airlines will start to drop their prices if the plane isn't full. I would recommend not buying a ticket at the last second either. Prices spike at the last second as frantic customers try to book their flights. 

There are so many factors when it comes to finding the cheapest flight for your travels. Make sure to do enough research. Chances are the cheap flight you think you have netted may not be the cheapest out there. It doesn't take years to find a flight in your price range. It only takes a good hour or so.