asp 3/9/2018
OMGOSH! OMGOSH! OMGOSH! Roundtrip air to Paris for $249.00!!! What a deal!!! Yes it is!! I get these deals in my inbox everyday. And these are actual and real airfares, but is it the BEST flight for you?
There are several factors to consider. Most of these fares are from a major hub. How are you going to get to that hub? Drive, train, purchase an additional airline ticket to the hub, use points to purchase an additional airline ticket? So let’s add $150.00 to this ticket.
Now, you’ve gotten to the hub. If you checked a bag, don’t forget, you may have to retrieve your bag AND recheck it if you could not have it interlined to your final destination. Purchasing two tickets most of the time requires two check ins and paying for checked bags twice. Just to keep the math simple, we’ll say that’s another $50.00. Let’s factor in the time and stress of arriving at the hub, going to baggage claim, waiting for your bag, going up to check it again, going through TSA again .. Lots of agains! Oh! you only allowed yourself 1 hour to do all of this? Uh-oh, you didn’t realize you booked your flight into LGA because it was the least expensive fare to NYC, but your flight to Paris is departing from JFK! Well, that’s no problem ! We can just take a shuttle or cab to JFK! Another $50.00. We haven’t boarded our international leg yet, and we have already added at least $250.00 to our BARGAIN airfare. Ooooooh! You are taking your young children with you. How sweet. Well, let’s add on preassigned seats! Family of four, preassigned seats, $100.00.
While I adore these airfares, they are not for everyone and unless you are traveling from a hub city you have to add on additional fees. These fees include:
Additional transportation costs
Checked bag fees and look out for carry on fees for bags larger than a personal item (any bag that cannot fit under the seat). Love this chart from Carry On Guy.
Seat assignment fees
Snack and meal fees
So how do you find a decent airfare? Planning, flexibility, and paying attention to the details.
- Be flexible with your dates. This can mean adjusting your itinerary a day or so depending on fare availability.
- Be flexible with departure city. Example: RDU vs GSO vs CLT; Be flexible with arrival city. Example: FLL vs MIA vs PBI
- Sign up for Secret Flying . Great site for error and mistake fares.
- Set up fare alerts with Google Flights, Hipmunk, Skyscanner and Kayak.
- Clear your cookies and previous searches. Everything you do on line is tracked. Use Google Incognito every time you are searching airfares.
- Use points from Frequent Flyer programs or credit cards. I don’t play the points/miles game as much as I used to, but use these guidelines if you do. A) DO NOT WASTE your miles on short, domestic flights. Use your miles to go as far as possible. B) Use your miles for upgrades, not to purchase coach tickets. Check out The Points Guy . This man is the guru of points and miles. He and his team are very generous with their time and knowledge .
- Know yourself. If you want a certain seat, cough up the money. Traveling
with children? Pay the fee so you all will be seated together. Not comfortable doing carry on only? Pay the fee to check your bags. No shame in checking a bag, but don’t bemoan the fact that there is a fee. - Do a quick Google search on the airline. How can these airlines offer these dirt cheap airfares? To be honest, some of these airlines can’t and they are on the verge of bankruptcy. Always purchase your ticket with a credit card NOT a debit card. Use this rule for any travel related purchases.
- If you are eyeing a flight on a foreign carrier, try booking your flight on their home country website. Some travelers do this every time they book an international flight. Personally, I have never done this. Between the currency conversion and the foreign currency transaction fees on my credit card, I’m just a little nervous booking a ticket in this manner. DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!
So now you can get busy and book that dream vacation! With the money you save, you can splash out on an upgraded hotel or take that private tour 0f the tasting rooms in the Champagne region of France!
Let me know if you have any tricks or hacks for scoring inexpensive domestic or international flights. I would love to here from you and add your ideas to our ever growing list.
Stayed tuned, next time we will do a very short write up about rental cars. Just a hint, it is my LEAST favorite part of travel planning.
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