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Holiday travel, especially with rigid time frames and equally rigid travel and destination preferences, has absolutely nothing to with budget constraints; rigid plans often come at a price. Once free from these constraints, there is an unlimited choice of holiday destinations that are served by cheap airline service. It is just that one needs to be lucky or smart enough to get the best budget plane deals, without really having to spend a lot of time hunting or searching for such deals. A travel agent is the one-stop-shop for the best holiday plan. A booking agent may, on the other hand, help the traveler locate the best budget plane plans available at the time of request. However, a systematic online search may prove much helpful in landing a good bargain.
Here are a few points to ponder while looking for cheap planes:
Online Research and Flight Alerts
Learn to look for budget planes online and plan the search across several search engines, travel sites, airline websites, as well as fare tracking and comparison websites such as Cheapflights.co.uk, Booking Wiz, airfare watchdog, Kayak and Expedia to simultaneously scan for budget planes and travel destinations. Relying on one or two travel sites alone may not yield the best of results out there for grabs. Sign up for plane alerts from travel websites to get timely information on cheap planes and act on them promptly to avail the offer available.
Flexible Travel Plans
Holiday and seasonal travel are hardly flexible, given the fact that several travelers vie with each other for the best deals during the time period. Peak demands and high plane fares are the norm at these times; however, choosing an off-beat destination or a low budget airline may very well make a marked difference in the fares.
Moving the travel dates by a few days often prove effective. Cheap planes are also usually available towards the end of a season, making one-way travel, especially transcontinental flights, comparatively pocket-friendly. Choice of airports also makes a difference in case there are alternative airports at approximately same distance from a given destination, given the fact that not all budget airlines use the major air terminals. Domestic travel is cheapest during the week, especially midweek, rather than on the weekends. The post-noon and post-midnight hour schedules offer the maximum benefits to the travelers.
Advance Booking
Booking tickets three or four weeks in advance is the ideal option to stick to the preferred travel plans, as the fares tend to go up during the peak season. A few airlines offer discounts just before the planned departure dates in case there are empty seats, though some may choose to fly empty and not cut down on their fares. Last minute bookings may enjoy discounts. Travelers can also keep track of fare changes and claim a refund, if the fares drop below the price paid for the ticket.
Booking Options and Additional Costs
Flying into select European countries may cost lesser than others. The traveler can, instead of opting for direct planes, choose to break the journey in one or more places, in case the route is cost-effective. Although direct flights to certain destinations may seem cheaper, flying to major airports do entail additional costs in terms of airport fees. Airlines also charge booking fees during the purchase of tickets, with additional charges for seat selection. Budget airlines though offering cheap planes may have baggage limitations, which when exceeded may incur additional charges. Smart research and a flexible travel plan are the keys to finding best budget planes.
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