Great Ways to Save Money on Air Travel

 

Welcome back to The Velvet Runway and this feature with our top Tips For Great Ways to Save Money on Air Travel.

Flying remains one of the most convenient, and sometimes only, ways to travel, depending on your destination. However, flying is also expensive. One of the most common reasons that people don’t travel more is that they can’t afford the flights. Below, we’ll offer some suggestions for how you can save money on air travel and hopefully make it easier to set up your next trip.

 

 

Great Ways to Save Money on Air Travel

 

1. Track Prices Over Time

The first thing you can do is start tracking the flights you want to take. If you know you want to take a trip in the future, you should set up an alert system that notifies you when the prices for those flights change. Airlines frequently adjust the prices of their flights. Sometimes they lower the prices, while other times they raise them.

Many websites offer flight fare tracking services, which can alert you when these changes happen. Then, once you see a cheap flight that you want, you can grab it. This won’t always save you money on your next flight, and doesn’t work well if you need to fly soon, but in many cases, it can save you a significant amount of money just by waiting for the right moment.

2. Sign Up for Travel Reward Programs

The next thing to explore is travel reward programs. There are essentially two types of travel reward programs. The first gives you rewards based on how often you travel. Many airlines offer these programs to entice customers to continue using their airline. If you travel a lot, you may be able to secure discounted or even free flights, along with some other travel perks, like upgraded seats. Explore airline reward packages offered by the airline you use most and see if it makes sense to join.

Some credit cards also offer travel reward programs. With this type of program, you receive points when you spend money on your credit card. You can then redeem those points for travel credits, allowing you to save money on your next travel expense. Credit card reward programs are a great way to get bonuses for the money you would have spent anyway and can help significantly reduce the cost of your next airline trip.

3. Take Advantage of Empty Leg Flights

If you’re looking to travel in more luxury, but want to save a little bit of money to do so, you should research empty leg flights. Empty leg flights are available on private planes. When someone books a private plane to a destination, that plane needs to return back to where it came from. In many cases, you can book this flight at a reduced rate, since the private plane is going to be making the trip anyway.

Of course, this only works if you have the money to travel by private plane to begin with. It’s unlikely that you’ll find a private plane fare that’s cheaper than flying commercially. However, if you have the money to fly private, but you want to save some money for other parts of your trip, empty leg flights can be a big help.

4. Have a Flexible Schedule

One of the best ways to save money on airfare is by having a flexible schedule. For one, if you can travel whenever, you should aim to travel to your destination in its offseason. Off-season travel for wherever you’re going will be much cheaper than flying during its peak tourist season. For example, you’ll likely find cheaper flights to Disney World during the school year rather than during summer break.

Schedule flexibility also means the day of the week you travel and the time of day. For instance, if you’re willing to travel on an early morning flight in the middle of the week, you may be able to save significantly on airfare versus a flight in the middle of a weekend.

Lastly, since airfare prices change all the time, having some flexibility with your schedule will allow you to secure the best deal. If it doesn’t matter to you when you go, you can simply choose the lowest fare price when it comes up. In some cases, it may even make sense to avoid booking a place to stay until you have your airfare, as rooms are sometimes cheaper than airfare.

5. Have a Flexible Destination

Besides a flexible schedule, a flexible destination will also help you save on airfare. Generally speaking, it’s more expensive to fly to popular areas than it is to lesser-known spots. When researching where you want to travel, keep an open mind. You might be able to afford a few trips to less common locations for the same price you’d pay for a trip to a popular destination spot.

Having a flexible destination also means being willing to fly to a spot that’s close to your destination. For example, rather than flying directly into the city you want, you might fly to a city that’s a few hours away, then take a train. Getting there will take a little longer, but the reduced airfare may be worth it.

6. Scale Back Where You Can

Finally, look for ways to scale back when you’re traveling. For starters, this means only traveling with what you need. Many airlines now charge fees for extra bags so if you can limit the number of bags you bring, you’ll reduce your costs. We often pack more than we need for our trips. Try traveling with only a carry-on bag and buy anything else you need once you arrive.

In addition, look for flights that limit the number of amenities. Some flights now offer practically nothing on their flights, such as limited legroom and bottles of water you need to pay for. In exchange, you get a significantly reduced airfare. How much you want to trade off for a reduced cost is up to you. If you have a long flight ahead of you, you may not want a cramped seat with no in-flight entertainment options. On the other hand, if you just have a quick flight to take and you’re not that tall, a tiny seat on a cheaper flight may make sense.

Final words on Great Ways to Save Money on Air Travel

In conclusion there are a number of ways you can save money on air travel, including planning ahead, being flexible on dates and destinations, signing up for travel reward programs, scaling back and taking advantage of empty leg flights.

 

I hope you enjoyed this feature about Great Ways to Save Money on Air Travel and you can also have a look more of our travel tips features.

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