How To Buy Cheap Last Minute Flights

Balling on a budget has never been easier with the help of these insider tips and trick to catching a flight.

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Have you ever wanted to book a flight during the holidays but the prices were just too expensive? Take it from Diana Roman, a flight attendant for Delta Airlines, who has seen people struggling to find a good bargain for flights. “ Flights are still the single largest cost of travel,” Roman said. “ Not to mention the cost of flights over the holiday season.” Roman goes in and out of different airports for a living which has made her learn a thing or two about flights. With her 10 years working for Delta she has witnessed all the hacks, tips and tricks that there is to know about how to get the best deals on flights.

“With the help of technology and different booking sites this has already brought the prices down,”

As someone who enjoys traveling, she wants people to be able to do this as much as possible and sites like these help everyone who is looking for a good deal. Roman added: “ These sites are called flight aggregators which search the entire web to find the cheapest and best deals for one's destination spot.” These apps are known for finding great deals out to people in a matter of seconds. Roman has always been curious about how some people score these amazing deals. Throughout the years she has spoken to many people of how they use these sites and which ones give the best outcome. Roman said, “ Most of what I know comes directly from the passengers and workers at the airport.”

The first app Roman suggest is called Kayak. “ This is a good place to start when you’re trying to compare prices,” Roman said. “ This app has a simple design which makes it easier to navigate and compares prices from other travel navigators like Expedia.” Sites like this have been known for their explorer options which all people to put in their budgets and travel options. This makes it easier for the user to just get to what they need to find. “ Now people don’t have to look through a list of 100 different flights and try to find the one that fits your budget needs,” she said.

The second option Roman mentioned was Google Flights. “ This search engine has evolved throughout the years,” she said. When this search engine was released not many people would go to it as an alternative to their usual sites. Roman said, “ It now has amazing programs like their track price features which allow people to get notified when the prices go down.” This is especially true when it is closer to the date of departure. She added: “ What many people don’t know is that, as it comes closer to the date prices tend to go down because there is no more demand for that flight.” Roman has even seen people shift their arrival or departure by a day or two and it has saved them so much money. Timing is also a crucial part of a flight if you are flying at a time no one else wants to fly this makes it easier to find cheap flights. “Finding a six a.m. flight or even earlier can save you more than you thought was possible,” she said.

The third step would be to fly on the actual holiday. Its a crazy option within itself but people are starting to do this more often. “ If you go on the day of the flight to the airport, you’re more likely to get a cheaper flight than anyone else who booked the same flight six months ago,” Roman said. “Not many people do this because it's not guaranteed that you’ll find a spot on the plane.” Surprisingly enough, the rise of people who have done this keeps increasing. Erika Thompson, who is a passenger service agent, also knows that when it comes to traveling going the day of the flight is the best way to get a good deal. “ I can’t even begin to explain how inexpensive these tickets get,” Thompson said. “ Not a lot of people use to do this but now it’s becoming a common trend amongst travelers.” Thompson along with many of her family members have used this method of travel for three years now and have found this one of the best methods of travel.

The fourth step, people like Roman would suggest are to just pick up the phone and talk to an airline representative. Roman said, “ Chances are they can match the price you found online or give you deals that haven’t yet to be published.” Even though some people may find this as time-consuming, it will be worth the hassle. Roman added: “ Not many people want to do this and these representatives know that, so they’ll try to help you as much as possible.”

As a member of Delta, she has close relationships with other people at different airports and airlines. Many of them have expressed these hacks that allow people to travel with time constraints and last-minute holiday plans. These budget-friendly tricks will allow people to travel for less and make a spontaneous trip for less.

If you are one that is looking for a cheap trip to European countries don’t worry, Ryanair is a popular website when it comes to saving money. “ These flights are one of my favorites to talk about because they have fairs for under 10 euros,” Roman said. “ I flew from Spain to Morocco for 15 euros.” Although they may have some additional fees it does not compare to how much you’d spend anywhere else.

For the fifth suggestion, Roman advised what most people wouldn’t think about when they are looking for flights. “ Making sure you’re on private mode and clearing your cookies while looking for flights on computers or phones,” she said. Not many people think about this when browsing for flights but if your software sees that you are looking at them often the price will keep increasing. While in private mode this keeps recent and past searches undisclosed.

If you are one who doesn’t care about where you go for your travel spot. Some of the most affordable flights you can find are one Airfare watchdog. This is a website which has real people scanning the web for insanely cheap flights to different destination. “ You can find all sorts of travel spots that you didn’t even know you wanted to go,” Roman said. “ I found a flight on there for Dubai and next thing you know I’m headed there.” This search engine is great for spontaneous people.

“ Nowadays people have so many things to pay for and the last thing you want to pay for is an overpriced flight,” Roman said. “ Especially during the holiday season, all you want to do is find your best deal.” Roman along with other travelers are using these ways to getting their cheapest airfare and are saving more than half of what they would pay for with a non- discounted price. Roman said,

“I could only hope for people to use these steps for them to be able to have a getaway around the holidays.”

* This is an academic article