The same goes for package holidays and as my earlier example proved, with a little research you can put together your dream holiday at a substantial discount to a High Street travel agent.
Last time I talked about how no-frills airlines have revolutionised the way people travel around Europe. Now that you know how these airlines operate, you can use that knowledge to your advantage when booking your tickets, so let's put the power of the internet to use.
Winter, and for some reason thoughts turn to the summer holiday?!Are you restricted to a particular departure airport? First port of call should either be Whichbudget.com or the website for your local airport in order to find out which airlines are at your disposal. Be warned though, Whichbudget.com classifies charter airlines in the low cost category, which is certainly not going to be the case if you're flying to a popular beach resort at the height of summer.
Also, it's worth considering other airports nearby if there is a convenient public transport connection. For instance, there is a 24-hour shuttle bus from Manchester city centre to Liverpool Airport, which is a Ryanair hub.
Are you loyal to a particular airline? Let's face it, loyalty counts for nothing these days in the cut-throat world of capitalism. In my mind, loyalty amounts to laziness and can lead to you being ripped-off if you value the brand over value. But if you are set on travelling with a certain airline, be sure to sign up for its email alerts. You should be the first to hear the news about special deals.
Do you have your heart set on a certain destination? If you've got a destination in mind, then it's all about finding the cheapest fare, so it's time to sweep the market through a site like Kayak, Travelsupermarket or Skyscanner. It is worth using more than one to maximise your research - no one single site will be able to report back on all your flight options.
Flying further afield? When flying long-haul (to another continent), use the flight brokers Expedia, Travelocity and Opodo. Again, look at more than one, you might save a few quid for the same flight and each has their own special features to explore. For instance, Opodo will give you an indication of seat availability, while Expedia easily lets you amend the airports in your search to offer immediate price comparisons between different departure or arrival points. And Travelocity gives you the easy option to extend a layover if you are changing flights, which can be handy if you'd like an early connection in order to leave the airport and see some sights along the way before catching a later flight home.
Could you care less about where you want to go? Sometimes you just want a change of scenery, so why not use the Martin the Money Saving Expert's flight checker travel tool? Set a budget of £50, £40 or even £20, specify an airport and a range of dates, then select from the list of cheap flights it finds. At the moment, Ryanair does not allow its site to be included on Martin's search, but the king of the no-frills flyers does feature in Skyscanner's search results.
One problem you may encounter is that flights are cheap going one direction, but not the other. This may require some creative planning on your part. For my recent trip to Italy, we took the shuttle bus from Manchester in order to fly from Liverpool to Pisa. Coming back it was cheaper to fly from Pisa to Frankfurt, then catch a flight later that day to Manchester.
Florence: a 1-hour rail journey from Pisa Airport, as long as your train is not held hostage by riot police along the way (I should know)A site like Skyscanner shows connections like my example, though be warned that carriers like Ryanair do not claim to offer a connecting service. Miss your connection because your other flight with them was late? Tough!
Still to come...reducing the environmental impact of all these flights, plus when sometimes it pays to book the dreaded package holiday after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment