When is it profitable to buy plane tickets? This question is by no means idle. After all, depending on how many days before departure the ticket was bought, its cost changes, sometimes by fifty percent. If you want to travel the world cheaply, you need to know the secrets of airlines. In this article, we will introduce you to some of them. To begin with, let's break the general problem, which can be formulated as a question: "Where can I get a cheap air ticket?", into several parts. Let's call the first one: “Who should I fly with?”, the second - “When to travel?”, the third - “How long before departure do I need to buy a ticket?” and, finally, the fourth - "Where and how to buy a seat in the cabin?" You can also take care of subsequent movements around the planet - you love to travel, don't you? Let's formulate the question as follows: "How to make the next ticket cheaper than the previous one?" Well, now we will try to solve the tasks assigned to us.
Airlines: what are theythere are
To a person who travels little, it may seem that air transport is a kind of monolith with uniform prices that depend only on the mileage of the flight. But this is not so at all. There are many carrier companies in the world, and there is a competitive struggle between them, which is a sin not to take advantage of for an ordinary passenger. So, the highest cost of services is from reputable companies that deservedly enjoy the fame of comfortable travel. They provide brand new and ultra-modern cars for regular flights, the cabin of which is divided into several classes. On board you will be offered a variety of food, drinks - completely "free". You won’t be bored either: a screen is mounted in the back of the seat in front, and you can watch movies or play electronic games. A blanket and pillow are provided for night flights. But all these delights of travel can be tasted only when the air ticket (we did not consider cheap options) is too expensive.
Not very pocket-friendly airlines
And if we are looking for a budget option, we should find out what low-costers are. These are discount companies that offer cheap flights. Cost reduction occurs due to cuts in services. Such liners take off and land at secondary airports, in the cabin there is a single class for everyone, there is no food on board, and sometimes they take up seats, like on a bus. Low-cost airlines impose restrictions on baggage, such flights are often delayed. It is not possible to return tickets or reschedule the date of travel. But is it really so important when you can fly from Moscow to Beijing fornine thousand three hundred rubles?
Another option is to go on a budget trip with a charter. Travel companies pool their money to hire a plane to make a flight. Of course, they are interested in implementing the entire tour package. But if there are no people who want to buy it, and the departure time is approaching, then in order not to incur losses, companies throw out only air tickets for sale. Charters also have their downsides. Such flights are carried out only to popular tourist places and "in season", and they will deliver you profitable plane tickets the day before departure. But if you want to go to Greece in summer or Thailand in winter, then why not try to make friends with charters?
Choose travel time
If your vacation is not dependent on the will of the employer, and you can decide when to go to the resort, consider yourself lucky. And it's not about freedom at all. Skillfully using the servitude of others, you can get profitable air tickets. Most people go on vacation on Friday and return on Sunday to return to work on Monday morning. But if you're a freelance artist, travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Even with expensive airlines, tickets for these weekdays are twenty percent cheaper than for weekends. Also of great importance is the time of day when the flight is carried out. Most people do not like to arrive in an unfamiliar country late at night. Some do not tolerate night flights. And it's pretty hard to get to the airport for a flight that starts at six.morning. Therefore, companies reduce prices for such tickets. When there are few people wishing to travel in this direction, carriers announce discounts. At the beginning or end of the tourist season, you can fly to the country of your dreams, spending much less money than at the peak.
When is it profitable to buy plane tickets
Many Russians, relying on the notorious "maybe", start planning their vacation a month before it starts. And they are being very reckless! We need to take an example from the Europeans, whose schedule is scheduled six months in advance. But most people are careless - and carriers take advantage of this. When the sale of tickets for a certain date is announced, their price is quite low. It's time to take advantage of this. Three months before the departure of the flight - that's when it's profitable to buy plane tickets! The closer the start time, the higher the price. It grows day by day. But not to infinity. The price reaches its peak two to three weeks before departure. But in the last seven days, it has a downward trend. When an air carrier sees that the cabin is not one hundred percent full, and time is running out, he announces various promotions such as "Last minute" or "Last minute". These offers are very appetizing - provided that you live on suitcases, ready to start today.
Direct or connecting flights: which one to choose?
It only seems at first glance that one ticket is cheaper than two. Air transport pricingfollows a different logic. Most people want to get to their destination as quickly as possible. Therefore, direct flights are highly valued. But why buy a seat on a liner on the Moscow-Phuket route, when it is more profitable to buy plane tickets from the Russian capital to Hong Kong, and from there to the Thai island? Docking time can be very different - from an hour to a day. Choose flights of the same company whenever possible. She will be responsible if you miss the next plane. And, by the way, it is better to buy tickets there and back. It will be cheaper, and you will not have any problems with border guards (in the case of international flights).
"Stopover" - what is it?
This option has become available relatively recently. When it is profitable to buy plane tickets for connecting flights, then why not stop at the transit point to inspect it? Stopover is when you stay in city C, traveling between airports A and B, for a period of one to three days. Many air carriers provide this opportunity absolutely free of charge, sometimes for a modest price. But the stopover option gives you a chance to add another country to your travel experience. Experienced travelers are advised to choose Singapore Airport as such a point. There are even free bus tours around the city for transit passengers. And the airport itself is an extremely comfortable place to stay.
E-ticket
We have already addressed the question of when is the best time to buyair tickets, now it's time to discuss where to buy them. The pricing of any product includes a percentage that the seller takes. The airline hires an office and pretty girls who issue paper tickets. Rent and remuneration to employees is paid by the passenger who purchases a travel document from them. But smart people hunt for airplane seats over the Internet. There the ticket is on sale without extra charge of the sales agent. The option of buying online gives the passenger a lot of advantages. You will not lose your ticket. You can reserve your own seat in the cabin. Arriving at check-in, you will not need to stand in a long line of passengers. You simply show the printout along with your passport. You can even order your own meals on board from the menu!
Where is the best place to buy plane tickets
Each airline has its own website. If we already asked ourselves the question "where is it profitable to buy a plane ticket", then let's look there and compare prices. As mentioned above, they differ depending on the days of the week of departure and even on the time of day. Sometimes airlines - even not at all low-cost, considered expensive - delight passengers with unprecedented discounts. When a new direction opens, a promotion is held. Or in the "low tourist season" airlines want to fill the half-empty cabin of the aircraft with budget passengers. If you are not tied to certain numbers, you can register on the company's website and use the "Report low prices" service. Then you will receive emails aboutpromotions and discounts of this carrier. But do not rush to immediately respond to them: compare the offers of various airlines to find the best option for you.
Aggregators
Some tourist destinations are so popular that almost every carrier on earth rushes to them. How to profitably buy air tickets without going to countless company websites? That's what aggregators are for. These are such search engines, one might say, a database of all available seats on aircraft. Through aggregators such as Skyscanner or Aviasales, you can not only choose tickets for the flight you are interested in, but also purchase them. However, do not rush to press the "Buy" button. Go to the website of the company you are interested in and compare prices there. Sometimes it is more profitable to buy directly from those who provide the flight service. But sometimes it also happens that the prices in the aggregator are lower. These search engines are good because you can use the option "Find cheap tickets" in this direction. If the date is not critical for you, then the machine will find the best offer for you.
Marketing moves of campaigns
Carriers are constantly interested in finding customers. If you even once logged out of your computer to their website, they will constantly send you various messages like “The best flights from Moscow to Milan! 30% discount! There are two spots left! Don't get fooled. This is the original marketing gimmick of trivial advertising. If you really need to go to Milan, go to the company's website. Possibly tickets for neighboring dateseven cheaper than those offered to you. Explore the possibilities of low-costers. Near Milan is the city of Bergamo, whose airport takes much less than the hyped Malpensa for servicing flights. From the foothills of the Alps to the capital of Italian fashion can be reached in half an hour by train.
Loy alty program
Every manufacturer values its regular customers. And for them, he can lower the price. When buying cheap flights becomes your habit, you will understand it. Using the services of a company, go to its website. Register as a "member of the club" by entering the data from the ticket in a special form. From now on, "miles" will be deposited on your personal account. And when you buy your next ticket, you can count on your discount card. True, then you can become a hostage to a certain airline: in order to use the “miles”, you only need to use its services. Here you need to be able to balance: be loyal only when it is beneficial for you.
Summarize
So, let's summarize all of the above. When is the best time to buy plane tickets? Already six months in advance, it is worth subscribing to the newsletter from various airlines, travel agencies and services about promotions and discounts. In three to four months, you need to send a request to the search aggregator. Moreover, indicate not a specific departure date, but a floating one: plus or minus three days. It is also possible not to specify a specific airport (both departure and arrival). Tickets should be taken there and back - it will be cheaper. Don't forget to also consider docking options.flights.
