{"id":77,"date":"2013-11-07T02:21:32","date_gmt":"2013-11-07T02:21:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/saviowong.com\/travel\/?page_id=77"},"modified":"2024-02-12T04:58:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T04:58:48","slug":"buying-airline-ticket","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/saviowong.com\/travel\/buying-airline-ticket\/","title":{"rendered":"Fly"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"By<\/a><\/p>\n

The graphic above is a summary generated with the data from my TripIt <\/a>account since I joined in 2011. \u00a0It shows the number of times that I have been at various airports between July 2011 and January 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

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[ADDED ON MAY, 2018]<\/span><\/p>\n

Hopper<\/a> <\/span>is an app that, in addition to selling tickets, suggests when it is a good time to purchase a ticket.\u00a0 \u00a0It was reported in the news recently that both WestJet and Air Canada offered secret airfares with Hopper.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[added on Feb., 2016]<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the moderator for the Flight deals from Toronto (YYZ)<\/a> has created a website called Next Departure — Flight deals<\/a> \u00a0Go to the website and sign up for the alerts. \u00a0Both this website and the YYZdeals have a sizable following. \u00a0If you see a deal for a location you plan to travel, book it immediately. \u00a0They do go fast.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you book your ticket with one of the discount airlines, beware of the extra charges such as printing a boarding pass at the airport and checked luggage fees. \u00a0For example, recently, WOW Air had a deal from YYZ to Reykjavik, Iceland for $368 return, all in. \u00a0However, the weight limit for carry-on is only 5 kg. \u00a0A piece of checked luggage will cost you $50 per leg. \u00a0That will add $100 to the ticket. \u00a0MInd \u00a0you, that’s still a good deal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Example of a Kayak Alert<\/em>: \u00a0The price for a return ticket for March Break was $1,027 on January 19, 2016. \u00a0However, the price was as low as $800 on Jan. 17, 2016. \u00a0Kayak does give a buy or wait recommendation.<\/span><\/p>\n

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[added on May, 2015]<\/span><\/p>\n

1) To get the latest deal, you should subscribe to YYZdeals<\/a>. Subscription by Email is good but Facebook and Twitter would be more timely.\u00a0 I have gotten a couple amazing deals because of alerts through Facebook.\u00a0 For example, I paid $510 (in all) for a return ticket from Toronto to Lisbon, Portugal for March Break, 2015.\u00a0 The flight there includes a short stopover in the Azores islands but the return flight to Toronto was non-stop.<\/span><\/p>\n

2)\u00a0 Google Flight<\/a><\/span> has improved its site that included a map showing prices for airports in the region.\u00a0 In general, if you are going to Europe, the cost of crossing the Atlantic Ocean is the most expensive part.\u00a0 If you can get a cheap ticket to a city near where you need to go, you have many inexpensive options to get to your ultimate destination.<\/span><\/p>\n

3) The most expensive time to fly is August, then July, then December.<\/span><\/p>\n

4) This is an excellent article dealing with travel booking myths that won’t die: http:\/\/www.yyzdeals.com\/travel-booking-myths-that-just-wont-die<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Waiting<\/a>

Waiting for a flight at HKG Airport<\/p><\/div>\n

[Originally posted in early 2015]<\/span><\/p>\n

The price for an airline ticket fluctuates like the price of a stock. Several factors determine the final price such as the time of the year (high vs low season), the time of the day (do you want to go to the airport at 4:00am), the number of stops, and the popularity of the routes.\u00a0 However, the bottom line is that it is hard to know exactly why prices vary from day-to-day.<\/span><\/p>\n

My suggestion is that once you determine a destination, research and determine the typical price for that time of the year, and use that as your target.\u00a0 Once you find a ticket at your target price, go ahead and book the flight.\u00a0 Like purchasing an electronic device, once the deal is done, don’t look back!<\/span><\/p>\n

In general, if you are flexible on the date and the time, you should be<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Taking<\/a>

Flying with a small plane from BUF to JFK<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

able to save some money.\u00a0 Also, flying out of Buffalo is a viable option especially if you are booking for a group.\u00a0 Hotels next to the Buffalo International Airport offer free parking for after a one night stay.\u00a0 Do give yourself plenty of time to cross the border.<\/span><\/p>\n

To begin your search, start with Google Flight Search<\/a><\/strong> to get an idea of the fluctuation of the price around the time of your departure date. \u00a0 There are a few nice features with this site, including its ability to retain your imputed data when your moves from it into an airline’s booking site.<\/span><\/p>\n

After Google Flight Search, go to Kayak<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong> Three features make Kayak one of the most used travel search engines:\u00a0 price alert, fare charts, and airline matrix.\u00a0\u00a0 Once you determine where you would like to go, you can set up a price alert and Kayak will send you an email either daily or weekly.\u00a0 Based on the fare charts, Kayak will advice you if you should wait or buy a ticket now.\u00a0 Finally, the airline matrix is a quick way to compare prices from different airlines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Neither Google Flight Search nor Kayak sells air tickets; [note: this was the case in 2015 but probably no longer] they are meta-<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The cartoonish Air Asia plane I took from HK to Malaysia.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

search engines and they recommend websites where you can\u00a0 purchase the cheapest ticket.\u00a0 However, some of the discount airlines may not be listed by them.\u00a0 To double-check, you can find a list of low-cost airlines<\/a> on this Wikipedia page.\u00a0 Alternatively, this page lists the low-cost airlines in Europe<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Check out this article by Rick Steves on flying Europe’s low-lost airlines<\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

If you are looking for cheap connections in Europe, check out\u00a0 whichairline.com.<\/a> It will produce results that other meta-search engines may miss.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a very good article from TravelZoo : \u00a012 Best Dos and Don’ts for booking Cheap Flights.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

A number of companies offer package deals that include flight and hotels. \u00a0You can check with a travel agent or just google<\/em> it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, additional things to consider when purchasing an airline ticket:<\/span><\/p>\n