The biggest question we’re asked is how to save money. People want to save money on their airline tickets. We don’t blame them. With the current increased charges for incidentals coming through, here is our advice for you.
- Book directly with the airline. Avoid the middleman. He has to make money too. And even with no booking fees, he’ll find a way to get it. That doesn’t mean you can’t use travel sites to search for deals though.
- Travel Off-Peak. When you want to travel, everyone else probably does too. Take your vacations when other people don’t. For that matter, consider off-beat destinations. Travel can be fun if you go somewhere because you can get a cheap flight there.
- Check one light bag, or better, nothing under the plane. The airline has to use more fuel to carry your heavy bags. Why do you really need that much? Take a few changes of clothes and some travel detergent and go for a hotel with a laundry facility. And if you don’t check a bag, how could they possibly lose it? A second bag will run you $25 on most airlines now anyway. Wait till someone besides Spirit starts charging for the first.
- Sit in the back of the plane. Why pay extra for premium seating? Will you really be any happier there?
- Get Yourself Bumped. Assuming that you make sure you know your rights, its a great way to pay for next year’s vacation.
- Bring your own food and entertainment. You can’t bring your own beverages anymore, but your homemade sandwich is certainly cheaper than what they would charge you…most likely tastier too. And for the airlines that charge for movies, a long-term investment in a portable movie player, laptop, etc will pay for itself. The last thing you want to think about is how you are crammed into a small space in a plane which might or might not have a questionable maintenance record(see recent news), suspended in air by air itself.
- Enjoy your flight. A positive attitude always helps.
We welcome additional comments.