Getting the cheapest/best airline ticket possible

[7-Eleven]

I reckon the majority of us use sites such as expedia, lastminute.com, ebookers etc. when it comes to booking our flights out to LOS.

 

I appreciate that the reason they are cheaper than the actual airlines is because they buy seats in bulk and therefore get a large discount, they then in turn pass some of this discount on to us.

 

But what is the science behind their pricing structure? Some of us make as many as five trips per year so I think it's important that we understand how these companies price there tickets so that we can get the best prices possible.

 

So what factors do they take into account? Do people find its cheaper to book as far in advance as possible? Or does leaving it till the last minute pay dividends? We all know a lot depends on the price of oil, how can we ensure that we don't pay over the odds? Do prices fluctuate depending what day of the week you fly?

 

Please discuss...

[cariden]

i can only speak from my experience but i booked almost 8 months in advance using sidestep and the last minute special is within $50 of the price i pd.

[koenig]

Well, I just started a thread which was inspired by a similar concern. I think it all depends how flexible you can be on the dates - even a single day can make a big difference...

 

My case on LON - BKK:

 

Dec 2008 - booked 12 hours before departure. £715 with Qatar via Doha (16/18 hours out/in)

Apr 2009 - booked approx. 2 months before departure. £540 with Etihad via Abu (16/16 hours out/in)

 

I know the Etihad's were in the low £400s a couple of weeks ago and actually my booking was £475 only

a few hours ago!

 

I reckon being cool about when to buy pays off in the end...And it's my preference, but looking to save where I can

this time and the dates are not flexible for me so it's important I maximise my time there.

 

The best thing I can think of is the Kayak site (maybe Netflights do to) and simply have a tracker running.

As for the science behind it, I really think it's only a mix of web bots and commercial agreements.

I sometimes cross check the online search and meta-search sites by calling DialAFlight. I never book with them, but I just

want to know if they can get close as they seem pretty clued up.

 

I think the real science is how seats are allocated by airlines and agents and are released/reserved in order to maximise profits.

 

Oddly, I really like lastminute.com - always seem a few quid cheaper. 'Cept when they bloody time me out!

[koenig]

i can only speak from my experience but i booked almost 8 months in advance using sidestep and the last minute special is within $50 of the price i pd.

 

just checked out SideStep - seems like this and UK site Kayak are one and the same?

[Spoony]

westeast travel always a good bet. Very helpful on the telephone as well. They say they will beat any price. In January I priced my trip in April and could get eithad £392 return but in the end I booked eva for £523. Eva still have a special offer on there site of £565 around april under the european offers section.

[gerry one more]

try ASDA travel

[ROIDFREAK]

I just booked with Netflights for June..Got Emirates, return date changeable fvalid for a year for £435 taxes included..a day earlier or later and it was about £516, craziness in the price difference..I also cross checked with opodo, kayak and the others but this was the best deal for me..

I usually use southall travells as they have always been cheaper in the past but not this time..

[koenig]

It is a bit crazy...The ticket I just confirmed has now dropped to £518 on Opodo. I'm pretty sure that by morning it'll be back to £475 or something. Probably best I stop checking it...!!!

 

Right now, Gulf Air seems to pop up on all the sites for trips out of the UK. It was Etihad before.

 

I think Netflights seems pretty good at VERIFYING the best online deal, but it actually doesn't IMPROVE it.

[7-Eleven]

Thanks for the replies. Has anyone here ever worked for a travel agent or better still an online travel agent such as ebookers or expedia etc?

 

I don't usually struggle to find a cheap flight, I just want to understand how they work there prices out.

[Bravo]

etihad normally has the best prices from the uk. Just do an hour or 2 of googling and you will find the cheapest flights.. Normally start off with etihad and then compare from there.

 

Regards

Ian

[The Gunslinger]

I`m looking to go business class next time. Any recommendations. Flying from the UK.

[B5Jimmy]

I have to make too many transfers coming from New Orleans, USA. Always expensive.

[Dr.Winston]

One factor that can be important is the booking class. I don't mean firs, business or economy. Even within economy class there are many different booking classes and the more expensive tickets are often more flexible if you want to changes your dates later. I once lost £200 with Thai because I had to cancel a flight, if I had paid an extra £50 for my ticket I could have just changed my dates for a small fee but because I had purchased the cheapest ticket possible it had no flexibility whatsoever despite me being one of their Gold card holders.

 

This concept can be very important if you are a member of the airlines frequent flier scheme. On Thai Air these days the cheapest tickets do not accumulate any miles. If you just want the cheapest flight then it's simple but with a bit of planning ahead you can open up new doorways. By not buying the cheapest economy flights I managed to get a Gold card (the top one) with Thai Air which gave me use of the lounges, 40 kgs luggage allowance etc. I once got a free pre-booked round trip to LOS 1st class in seat 1a both there and back! You also get a free round trip upgrade each time you qualify.

[my_name_mark_u_like_me]

try ASDA travel

i booked through asda they are very cheap. i booked over 2 months ago and checked my flight lastweek it is now £100 cheaper

[MR_HACHE]

I've managed to pay no more than £460 inc taxes for a direct flightm from Heathrow, with EVA or THAI, for the last 7 years.

These trips have been done in the months of June, July, October, November, and March.

I've always had a good look around lots of sites, and I always end up booking through WWW.WESTEASTTRAVEL.CO.UK, WWW.EBOOKERS.COM, OR WWW.THOMASCOOK.COM to get the best prices.

I've booked from 8 or 9 weeks in advance , up to as close as 3 or 4 weeks away.

 

If you watch any one of those websites from 4 months away right up to 2 weeks away for any particular date, you'll see they jump up and down an awfull lot.

Sometimes changing the date of one of the flights, can change the price by over £100 in my experience. Thats okay of course if you're able to be flexible.

As soon as I know the dates I am definately going on, I scour them sites daily, watching the prices change all the time, and once I see the price I want I get the card out.

[farang1]

From LA in the USA it is best to buy directly from the airlines. The two cheapest are China Air and EVA. However, China Air's seating sucks if you are taller that 5'6. Thai Air is charging $300 more round trip than these two. However, Thai Air's accomodations are far superior to China Air.

[MR_HACHE]

This is an example of what I was saying in my previous post :

 

Two days ago, direct with EVA AIR where £470 give or take a few pounds, on those sites.

Yesterday, they were £650.

Today they are back down to £470.

Infact, in the past I've even seen them change several times over the course of the day.

[keyser]

I only have 2 choices on CPH - BKK if I want a direct flight SAS and Thai.

SAS is decent but the movies on the screen isn't on demand they all start when the plane takes off and then loops.

 

I have been checking flights and normally if there are less than 1 month until departure the price starts to go up before then it doesn't really matter when I book.

Now they are running a special from April 15th to June 20th or something like that where you can a return ticket for £500 when its usually £800 or more. Luckily I have been to lazy to book as I get the outbound flight for £250 on April 18th and the return in December for £400 but these are non-changeable, non-refundable tickets.

 

I had planned on gettting an open ticket on the way home but a ticket where I could change the date for a fee of £150 were €200 more expensive and a ticket where I could change the date for free where A LOT more expensive so in the end it would cost the same to buy an open ticket or a changeable ticket as it would cost to buy a one way ticket.

[deadwood]

i've been told that flying on tues., weds., or thurs. is the cheapest. also choosing flexible dates is said to help. mobissimo and momondo are said to be the best for international flights but it seems this can vary.

Edited February 18, 2009 by deadwood

[Loso4ever]

The cheapest airliner I've come across lately is the former LTU, they work together with Berlin Air now. For a flight to Bangkok out of Dusseldorf, which is the nearest airport for me, they charge in September a fare between €600 and €650. Also with them it depends when you book, because it fluctuates daily. Last week when I checked the ticket could be booked for €608 and last night it had gone up to €638 for the same period.

 

Cheers,

Adrie

[farang1]

I only have 2 choices on CPH - BKK if I want a direct flight SAS and Thai.

SAS is decent but the movies on the screen isn't on demand they all start when the plane takes off and then loops.

 

What does SAS stand for?

[farang1]

I have to make too many transfers coming from New Orleans, USA. Always expensive.

 

Right now eound trip, LAX to Bangkok, is $762 on EVA. It probably won'rt last long.

[MR_HACHE]

Finally Booked.

 

Last night on Ebookers the flights (non stop ) with EVA air for my dates in April/May were £540, this morning they were just under £470.

Very please with that !!

 

Its always worth being a bit patient...

[thaibutch]

If you're booking from the UK, I've found this place to be by far the cheapest and most helpfull site. You can also ring them and they speak English and Thai and specialise in Flights to SE Asia. Based in North London, I think....

www.westeasttravel.com

[MR_HACHE]

If you're booking from the UK, I've found this place to be by far the cheapest and most helpfull site. You can also ring them and they speak English and Thai and specialise in Flights to SE Asia. Based in North London, I think....

www.westeasttravel.com

 

Yes mate thats one of the sites I check and sometimes get the best prices there.

I used it last year to get the best price.

Worth checking against ebookers, some times ebookers is the cheapest, sometimes westeasttravel is.

On the dates I'm going, ebookers was the best this time.....westeast's same flight (eva) was £540, ebookers was £467.

But as I said before, that can change several times a day....