Buying low cost flights: let's get it straight

There is a lot of information and tips for finding low cost flights on the internet. Cheap flights are available by the plenty but it may be a little overwhelming on how exactly to land the best deal on your airfare. I thought it would be useful to compile a list of what I think are the best ways to find a low cost flights on the web, anytime, to anywhere and with any airline company. Does it seem like a big undertaking? Sure, but I think I have most of the bases covered here.

• Choose your destination and see if there is a smaller regional airport nearby. Many low cost airlines prefer and offer cheaper rates to nearby cities instead of major ones. (Example: Bremen / Hamburg, Gerona / Barcelona, Beauvais / Paris, etc.) 

•  Decide when you’d like to travel: spring, summer, winter, autumn will determine a lot of things. To find the best rates you should travel during the off-season when tourism is lower and the deals are better. Hotel room rates, flights and tours fluctuate greatly in price depending on the season. Apart from the season, air fares also depend on day of the week and time of the day. Try leaving mid-week and returning on a Monday instead of Sunday night. Take the earliest flight in the day if it’s possible or take the red-eye, the last flight of the day.

• Book as soon as possible. For international flights you should book at least 6 months in advance to make sure that you get the lowest fares. For domestic o short-haul flights, 3 months is plenty of time for finding great fares.

• Use a travel search engine to find your flights. liligo.co.uk is user-friendly and totally transparent. I like that they don’t have sponsored links or favour airlines or companies. When you search, make it broad by using the flexible dates tool, amny travel search engines have this tool.

• Cash in frequent flyer miles if you have them or borrow them from a friend or family member.

• Keep an eye on promotions and seat sales with your preferred airlines by signing up for their newsletters. They may also have member-only sales which can save you a lot if you happen to be heading to one of their chosen destinations.

• When packing, stick to your airline luggage restrictions to avoid paying extra and costly fees at the airport.

Wherever you’re heading and when, you’ll be able to find the cheapest flights by following these advices. They may seem basic and that’s because they are. Searching for flights shouldn’t be complicated, neither should travelling but if you consider that the hardest part of travelling is finding a low cost flight, then the rest of your trip will be a breeze. Have any tips of your own? Share them with us!