Best times to fly
On domestic routes, the rule of thumb for snaring a bargain is to avoid early mornings or late evenings on weekdays because that is when businesspeople fly.
Their need to fly then – especially on Monday mornings and Friday evenings – allows airlines to place a premium on seats. Demand for flights from leisure travellers for weekends away also spikes on Friday evenings and Sunday nights.
“If you are flexible on times, travel in the middle of the day and avoid the start and end of the weekends,” Flight Centre’s general manager of leisure travel, Tom Walley, says.
For long-haul travel overseas, flights are more expensive at the start and end of school breaks, as well as public holiday periods such as Christmas and Easter. They also rise during holidays in the northern hemisphere.
Airlines have more data than ever on travellers’ habits, and they will exploit that to turn a profit. So to squeeze a cheap deal out of them, be flexible and book early.
“The best thing for keeping your fare down is flexibility,” Walley says. “And generally you get the best fares by booking early. There is no advantage in waiting late if you are travelling in the school holidays.”
Airline passengers make their way through Melbourne Airport in Melbourne, Wednesday, Aug. 2014. Source: AAP
Budget not always best
Low-cost carriers have transformed air travel over the past two decades, disrupting the so-called legacy airlines and making overseas trips affordable for more people.
Yet it is important to be aware that ancillary revenue is the lifeblood of budget airlines (and is seeping into the revenue-raising activities of full-service carriers, too).
A cheap fare on a budget airline can quickly become comparable with what you pay for flying on a premium airline once you include an array of additional charges for items such seat selection, meals, bags or priority check-in.
And a sting in the hip pocket for those flying on a budget airline can come at the terminal gate if staff weigh carry-on baggage and find it has exceeded a 7-kilogram limit.
