Defoes Lifestyle Travel Team

Blog featuring travel tips, packing guides, videos and photography from around the world.

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Flight booking blunders that cost you

Everyone has their way, or even tradition, that they follow to book what they think is the cheapest flight possible. You might only fly with one company. You could only take low-cost flights. You might only use online or brick-and-mortar ticket agencies, or you might only book directly. Looking at booking statistics will either prove or disprove what you think. And if you didn’t have a plan and were hoping to get the best deal, the numbers might give you one.

1. Making reservations at the wrong time

Skyscanner, an online travel service, looked at its booking data from 2018 to find the best time to book a flight based on facts. Whether you plan a domestic or international getaway, the suggested time frame will differ. Skyscanner advises booking the first one-two to three weeks ahead of time and on a Tuesday. Skyscanner says that if you want to travel internationally, you should book your flight six months before and on a Wednesday. Skyscanner says the best time to book any trip is at 5 a.m. and to avoid 8–11 p.m.

CheapAir, another online travel agency, does study every year to help ease some of the stress. CheapAir did the maths and found that booking early, even 6 to 10 months ahead, will only cost you $20 to $50 per ticket. You’ll pay a lot more when you wait until the last minute to book. Fares a week before departure are nearly $220 more than the best rate.

2. Not the Right Time to Fly

The study done by CheapAir shows that the day you leave is more important than the day you book. The best day is Tuesday, and the next best day is Wednesday. Sunday is $85 more expensive than Tuesday to fly, and Friday is the second most costly day.

If you want one last cheap home trip this year, leave on a Tuesday in September. September was one of the three months Skyscanner said were the least expensive in 2019. Use search tools like Google Flights to find out what the cheapest month or day to fly is at the moment.

3. Going to the wrong airport by plane

Some towns may only have one airport, or the next one may be more than an hour away. But some towns have two or even three airports, and all could be connected to the city by rail. If you want more flight options, search by city instead of airport code when looking for routes. Also, instead of just looking for a round-trip ticket, check the prices of two one-way trips, even if they arrive at one airport and leave from another.

4. Thinking that the cheapest ticket is the cheapest

The cheapest choice might be something other than a ticket on a low-cost airline or the basic economy fare on a major airline. After paying for optional extras like seat selection, checked bags, and even carry-ons, the total price of either one could exceed that of a main cabin fare on a legacy airline. If you need to become more familiar with the rules of the cheap airline, take the time to read the fine print. If you pay for your bag or seat after booking instead of when you buy the ticket, you could lose even more money. Depending on the airline, seat assignments, carry-on bags, and checked bags can add $25 to $305 to the price of a one-way trip for each passenger.

5. Not having a credit card for a flight

Southwest gets a lot of customers because “bags fly free,” but if you have the right credit card, you can get this deal on most flights. If you live near an airline’s hub or fly with the same company often, you should get a credit card from that airline. In addition to cool perks like getting on the plane early, most airlines let you check your first bag for free, and basic economy seats can be made more comfortable.