Source: Market Watch Personal Finance
If you want cheaper plane tickets, you may need to change the timing of your trip.
According to data that airfare research firm Hopper.com ran for MarketWatch, airfare tends to be cheapest for people who fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday, compared with other days of the week. On a Sunday (the most expensive day to fly), you may pay nearly 10% more to fly than you would on a Tuesday or Wednesday, according to the Hopper analysis, which looked at flights over the last year that were planned at least two weeks in advance.
“Sunday tends to be expensive both because it’s a weekend, which is popular with leisure travelers, and because it’s often favored by business travelers looking to get where they’re going for a Monday start,” explains Patrick Surry, the chief data scientist at Hopper. Furthermore, he adds: “Some airlines take advantage of that by charging more for round-trip tickets that don’t include a Saturday night stay.”
Best — and worst — days to fly if you want airfare deals
The month of your trip matters too. The most expensive months to travel are July and December, when you’ll pay nearly 30% more than what you’ll pay in January or February, which tend to be the cheapest months to travel. “The deep winter months are usually cheap because travel demand is lowest, and airlines tend to discount to keep their planes full,” says Surry.
Best — and worst — months to fly if you want airfare deals
Of course, notes Surry, “there’s no simple rule that works every time,” so sometimes there are deals to be found on Sundays or during July and December, for example; still, it’s worth playing with the dates of your trip to see if you can save by flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday or during a different month, the data show.
Subscribe to the right Twitter accounts.
Patti Reddi, the founder of travel website The Savvy Globetrotter, says that “Twitter is the best way to learn about limited time airfare deals.” In addition to following the airlines on Twitter, she recommends following the following for flight deals: @theflightdeal, @airfarewatchdog and @secretflying (and signing up for their email newsletters). “I frequently see U.S.-Europe roundtrip flights for under $500 posted on these Twitter accounts,” she says.
Consider a layover.
As my colleague Shawn Langlois recently discovered, choosing to have a layover may save you money. Check out site CleverLayover.com to figure out whether a layover may be right for you, he writes.
Combine discount airfares.
Eric Urbain, the North American general manager of travel search site liligo.com says that you can sometimes save up to 70% off airfare “by booking two one-way tickets with two different low cost airlines like Spirit or Frontier.”
Look at nearby cities.
Consider booking a cheap flight to another, nearby city and then continuing your trip to the city you’re going to via another airline or train,” says Reddi. “For long-distance flights, build your own itinerary by combining a super-cheap long haul that gets you to the region you want to go with a low-cost regional airline that won’t show up on international flight scanners,” explains tech consultant and frequent traveler Jonathan Weber. “For instance, it’s easy to get sub-$400 flights from East Coast U.S.A. to Norway with Norwegian Airlines. Combine this with a $50 euro Ryanair flight, and you can get to London, Paris, or just about anywhere in Europe for less than half of what most people pay for the cheapest direct flight.”
Don’t forget about the fees.
While it’s tempting to book just based on ticket price, that can be a big mistake: Low-cost airfare isn’t always the best option,” says Urbain. If you’re checking bags, consider baggage fees. It’s also worth going on airline sites to see what other fees they will charge before booking.
Consider booking directly with the airline.
Many airlines are now offering deals and discount codes on their own websites that aren’t available on the online travel deal aggregators. So while experts say you should still check online travel sites for deals, don’t forget to check an airline’s site too.
Book early.
“For domestic tickets, book three months in advance. International tickets should be booked six months before the dates of travel. Prices gradually increase as the departure date approaches, so do it ASAP,” says Urbain.
You’re invited:
If you’ll be in the San Francisco Bay Area at the end of July, we’d like you to join us for a special event focusing on retirement issues for women. The X Factor: Retirement Matters for Women is a free, two-part event designed to bring expert analysis and actionable information to consumers and professionals on how to plan for the best possible retirement.
On Wednesday, July 27 in San Francisco financial advisers and investors are invited to join us for an evening of cocktails and conversation about Social Security claiming strategies, tax-advantaged investments, longevity risk and more. Bob Powell will be the moderator, and our guest panelists will be Eleanor Blayney, Consumer Advocate for the Certified Financial Planners Board of Standards; Sabrina Lowell, Chief Operating Officer, Mosaic Financial Partners; and Frank Paré, President and Founder, PF Wealth Management Group. For more information or to RSVP, send an email to MarketWatchReception@wsj.com
On Thursday, July 28 at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif., we invite women and couples to join us for a panel discussion and luncheon specifically designed to help people develop a holistic approach to retirement planning, focusing on both financial and lifestyle objectives. Our guests will come away with specific lists of essentials: must-dos and how-tos. For more information or to RSVP to this event, send an email to MarketWatchEvent@wsj.com
Both events are free and open to the public, but seating is limited and reservations are required. Please note the different email addresses for RSVPs for each event
Source: Market Watch Personal Finance
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