TRAVELLING CHEAPER
Geoffrey Vendeville
Staff reporter, Toronto Star
If you haven’t booked ahead there’s still hope, so long as you follow these strategies
It’s no secret that it’s best to book a flight in advance, if you’re travelling from Canada or the U.S., you are most likely to find the cheapest fares if you buy your tickets two months ahead, according to a Expedia/Airlines Reporting Corporation report based on global air travel data.
But there is still hope for busy, disorganized or spontaneous types yearning for an inexpensive escape to a Caribbean beach on a whim. The Star asked travel experts /or their money-saving tips.
Check airfares obsessively online
Bargains can vanish as quickly as they appear, warns George Hobica, AirfareWatchdog.com’s editor-in-chief. A plane ticket that was prohibitively expensive on Tuesday may suddenly be dirt cheap on Saturday – or vice versa. That’s why it’s important to book right away when a price is low.
Sometimes a cheap fare is posted due to a glitch. In 2013, for example, Delta Air Lines accidentally, sold first-class round-trip tickets from Baltimore to Honolulu for $99, the Guardian reported. To some lucky travellers’ delight, the airline promised to honour the fares.
Go where business people don’t
Airlines know that the jet-setting business class will pay for their trip with a company credit card, so they set prices accordingly.
The best last-minute deals on tickets are to destinations where the business crowd is unlikely to go, says Patrick Surry, a data scientist at Hopper.
“If you’re travelling on a route where there is a lot of business activity you’re hardly ever going to find a price drop,” he said “Check Hawaii or the Caribbean – those are probably going to be your best bets.”
Travel in the off-season
“’It’s always the low season sornewhere” is the informal motto around WhereFor.com‘s office, according to Ryan Wenger, the founder of the new travel search engine. Instead of starting with a destination, WhereFor asks users to enter their budget and go from there.
The low season varies by destination, of course. For Europe, it’s cheaper to go in the spring or the fall, says Jennifer Callegaro, director of brand marketing at Expedia.
“Not only are you likely to find better pricing, but you’re likely to find fewer crowds, lineups will be shorter, and you’ll get to experience a different type of Europe than you would if you’re there when all the masses go,” she says.
Sign up for airline newsletters
Waiting until the last possible moment to book a flight is easier with a promo code offering a discount of several hundred dollars. And one of the easiest ways to tap into those promotions is to have them delivered directly to your email inbox by signing up for airlines’ online newsletters. Often, carriers also give the newsletter’s recipients first dibs on discounts and the best seats, said Hobica of AirFareWatchdog.com. Air New Zealand recently offered customers a promo code valid for a full year that gave them $400 off any fare class, he said.
Another way to snap up discounts and deals is to follow airlines on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, said Callegaro of Expedia. “You’ll see deals daily,” she said.
Use sampler airports
There is more than one way to fly into New York or Los Angeles or Tokyo But people sometimes forget to check flights to smaller airports, which are usually cheaper.
“If you’re flying to L.A., if you can open up the search or conduct an additional search to neighbouring airports like Orange County, you might find savings,” said David Solomito, a travel expert with Kayak.com. “There are a lot of variables ̶ which airports, what time of year ̶ so you should cast a wide net.” For instance, starting May 6, WestJet will begin offering flights from Toronto and Calgary to London’s alternative airport, Gatwick.
Watch the weak loonie
The Canadian dollar’s recent decline to the lowest point it’s been at since 2003 has made travelling to the U.S. more expensive. But it’s no reason to cancel your vacation plans.
The Brazilian real has been declining for years, giving Canadian travellers to that country an advantage, said Travel Zoo Canada’s publisher Michael Duchesne. “Even with major events like the Olympics on deck, it’s still reasonable and you can still get there,” said.
The average meal at a mid-range restaurant in Rio comes out to 120 reals or $42.20, according to Numbeo’s online cost-of-living database.
Even Australia, which is notoriously pricey for Canadians, is a good bet. “Australia’s dollar is at parity” he said.
“The costs might be high to get there, but you won’t be paying anything more than you would here.”
