Ticket booking
You can of course go to a travel agency and discuss your wishes. They will then come up with advice on which flights to take and what the costs are. Nice and easy, but often a bit more expensive than necessary. Nowadays, using the Internet it is very simple to book your own airline tickets. However, there are many providers and there is a chance that you can’t see the forest for the trees! Therefore here are a few tips:
Use of comparison sites to find the cheapest tickets
I always put all the well-known comparison sites to work and then check which one has the cheapest tickets. Our experience is that Momondo often comes out on top. Another frequently visited site is expedia.
Book your tickets 4 months in advance
The experts do not agree on the best timing for booking your tickets. A year in advance the offer is known, then the prices are the highest. Last minute prices can sometimes be advantageous, but often the prices are on the high side. Between 4 and 5 months in advance would be the best time to book your tickets.
Set a price alert for tickets
Some comparison sites allow you to set up a price alert. This way you can see when the tickets for your favourite destination change. This can be done at www.skyscanner.nl.
Book two one-way journeys
It often makes a difference if you book two one-way journeys instead of a return flight. Always check that for your destination, sometimes you save €150!
Book on Tuesday and delete your search history first
If you have searched a lot for “tickets Amsterdam Sydney”, all cookies are stored. Airline companies know that you are interested in that flight and you suddenly get a higher price! Therefore, it is wise to first delete your search history including cookies on your computer. And then the experts say that the best time to book would be Tuesday afternoon. Booking airline tickets during the weekend seems to be the most expensive.
Be flexible in your airports
If you can divert to Germany or Belgium before departure, it can sometimes make a huge difference. The choice of airport in the country of arrival also affects the price.
Flexible departure date
Departure on Wednesday is cheaper than departure on weekends. If you are flexible, play with your departure date and see what the price difference of the airline tickets can be. If you use these tips, you will succeed in being able to fly to your destination cheaply! Keep in mind that your tickets are in the lowest price category and can never be changed or at very high costs. One last tip: if you book for yourself, make sure that your name exactly matches the entry in your passport when you book.
Airpasses
If you plan to travel a lot by plane due to the large travel distances in a certain area, an airpass – if available – often offers a cheaper alternative for booking multiple domestic and/or international flights separately. With this pass, you can book a number of one-way flights within a certain time frame. Not every airline offers such a pass. It is often the companies that are members of an alliance. The flights usually have to be booked in advance, so take this into account if any flexibility in your itinerary is important to you. More information.