How to save money on flights? That’s an eternal question for many budget travelers. No matter how hard we try, it seems like airline companies often tend to rip us off. They are just good at it!
I really don’t like flying. It’s very harmful to our planet and provides no cultural experience at all! For both reasons, I prefer (and encourage others) to travel by land with public transport. However, if you do fly, I hope you’ll find some of my tips helpful…
1. Carefully compare Miles plan, Flypass & Online Flight Agencies
How many times have you heard somebody saying: “I have a credit card with Miles, so I frequently fly for free!” They are telling the truth for the most part. Miles plans do provide opportunities to save money on flights, but they may not necessarily be your best option.
I also own a credit card with Miles plan. It offers 3x points for purchasing the flight from the issuing airline company, 2x points for affiliate airline, and 1x points for any other purchase. I rarely use the full benefit of this program and I will explain why:
Let’s say, I am trying to book a flight: Zagreb – Nairobi. At the airline company that offers 3x points the lowest fare is $1,100, while at Online Search Agency, the cheapest I found is $350.
…so I would earn a lot of points with the Miles plan mainly cause the flight costs a lot! I rather go for the significantly cheaper flight I found elsewhere, and I will still earn 1x points.
So are the people lying when they say they frequently fly for free?
Probably not, it’s just their lifestyle may be more suitable for the Miles plan than yours. Here’s another example:
Let’s say you live in New York, and have to fly for work to LA 5 times/year. You also have a vacation home in St Lucia and you fly there twice a year. If you find an airline company that offers cheap flights NY-LA & NY-St Lucia and that airline company offers Miles program, that program would be a killer deal for you!
Whenever I compare flight prices for my desired route, I can always find 3 times cheaper deal on an Online Flight Agency website, than through my Miles program. I collect my Miles by buying groceries and all other living expenses on that credit card, including the flights I book elsewhere. Skyscanner and Momondo are my favorite websites.
Save money on flights with a Flypass plan?
Just like with the Miles program, depending on your traveling plans, Flypass may work for you and it may not. Over the years, I gave a chance to various Flypass programs, and after doing my math, I would always realize I could save more money on flights by buying one-way trips separately.
2. Commute to and from the airport with public transport
Airport taxi fares are extremely expensive and budget travelers should always try to avoid them. It could be a pain in the but to hustle with the local transport after a long flight, but it’s worth it.
The best way to find public transport from the airport to the city center is by inquiring at the information desk. Do not ask taxi drivers, cause they may tell you there is none, just so they can get you in their taxi.
An alternative for public transport would be a Shared Shuttle or Uber. It will be cheaper than a taxi, but still a lot more expensive than the city bus. Keep in mind, any transportation vehicle that is picking up passengers at the airport has to pay an airport fee for conducting their business there. That explains high fees.
You could also try to find a public bus outside the airport. For that option, you might have to walk 500m-1.5km. That’s when phone apps Maps.me or Google maps come in handy.
3. Camp at the airport
Sleeping at the airports is a common thing due to odd flight hours, long connections, and delays. I am sure you have seen people sleeping on the benches at the terminals. I rather go fancy and spread my sleeping bag:)
Budget travelers could take advantage of this perk. Here’s an example:
Let’s say your departure time is 7 AM, which means you have to be there at 5, leave home at 4, wake up at 3:30… The prior night you went to bed at 11 PM. That is 4.5h of sleep only.
Instead, I would prefer to arrive at the airport the night before around 10 PM. Find a nice corner on the ground, spread my sleeping bag, and fall asleep by 11. Since I am already at the airport, I could set the alarm at 5 PM. That gives me 6 hours of sleep… much better, isn’t it?
Other than getting more sleep, there are more reasons why I like doing this:
- It is more likely to find public transport to the airport at 9 PM, than at 4 AM, and I already covered the airport taxi prices above.
- One night sleep free of charge instead of booking a room
- If you get to the airport the night before, it’s less likely you’ll miss your flight!
Some airports might have a strict policy against sleeping at the terminals, however, I never had such problems. They tend to close certain terminals or certain aisles for the night, but there should always be an option to spread your sleeping bag somewhere at the airport.
4. Pack sandwiches for your flight
Many people don’t know this: You can make a sandwich at home and eat it on the plane! The flight control will not take it away. They are only scanning for liquids, sharp and flammable objects. I always fly with a lunch box, sandwiches, fruit, or nuts, and never had anything confiscated. No need to waste money on overpriced and low-quality food at the airports!
Have you ever had your food taken away at the airport? Please write in the comments below. We would love to learn from your experience.
5. Bring an empty water bottle
This is a big one, cause flight dehydrates, and water prices at the airports are truly sensational!
You already know, you can’t pass the security scanner with liquids, but, an empty bottle is perfectly acceptable! Once you pass the security, there might be water fountains around your gate, so you can fill it. If not, you could ask any of the restaurants to fill it for you from their tap. Some parts of the world are scarce with drinking water, so this may not work everywhere, but usually, it does.
6. Bring a tea bag or instant coffee
…and all you gotta do is ask a barista for a cup of hot water. Some coffee shops at the airport charge for that service. I travel with a folding cup that looks like this. When I ask them to fill it with hot water, I never got charged or rejected 🙂
7. Avoid checking in luggage
Free One-bag-check-in days are over. Some companies will charge your 10 kg luggage more than your flight ticket! That being said, if possible, try to carry-on everything! The airline companies usually have size requirements for carry-on, but in my experience, they are not too strict about it. I see all the time passengers boarding with 2 medium size pieces of luggage
However, If you are taking a multi-month & multi-country trip (like me), obviously you will have to check in your large backpack. In that case, make sure it is not heavier than 23kg (the exact number varies) in order to avoid even higher fees.
9. Buy a cheaper flight with a longer connection time
Let’t say you are trying to book a flight from Lyon to Bogota. Your search gives you two options:
- Option #1: $400; 20h flight:
- Lyon-Paris
- 1.5h connection
- Paris-Bogota
- Option #2: $300; 35h flight:
- Lyon-Frankfurt
- 8h connection
- Frankfurt-Bogota
At first, Option #1 seems more convenient, cause you don’t feel like hanging out at the Frankfurt Airport for 8 hours… To me, Option #2 seems a lot more interesting. Not only because it is $100 cheaper, but for the opportunity to see and explore Frankfurt for a few hours… So you could save money on flights while traveling more! You still may be hesitant because of a few potential difficulties:
I don’t feel like exploring Frankfurt with 20kg luggage
Solution: Use a day locker or day storage at the airport. If there is none, you could look for one at the bus terminal or train station in the city. You could also walk into a hotel and ask if you could store your luggage here for a few hours. That way you might get lucky and get it stored for free!
The 8 hour connection is at night
Solution: As I mentioned above, sleep at the airport! Alternatively, you could look for a hostel in the city. Even if you spend $25 on hostel and transport, you’ll still end up spending $75 less than choosing the option #1
I need a visa to get off the airport
Solution: There may be a transit visa option, that allows you to be in the country (outside the airport) for 24-48 h. And you may be able to get it instantly from an officer at the airport. If not, play safe and get it before your trip.
10. Don’t buy Trip Protection
…or flight insurance or anything like that! I generally do not believe in insurance (other than essential health care). Statistically, insurance buyers lose money, cause insurance companies make money. Let’s examine some common reasons why people like to buy Trip Protection:
The flight gets cancelled
No worries! The airline company will put you on the next flight for no extra charge
My luggage got lost
Eventually, it will be found and sent to you. Once, my luggage got lost, on my flight from Zagreb to Nairobi with Swissport. It was sent to my hostel in Nairobi 5 days later. In the mid-time I had to purchase a new towel, swim shorts, toothbrush, flip flops etc…collected the receipts and Swissport sent me money for it. Once I finally got my luggage, I felt like all the stuff I had bought were free!
When you’re having an issue and need to dispute, you need to hustle with the airline company and fight for your rights. Sometimes you win, sometimes you loose, but usually $30 Trip Protection is not making any difference in your fight… I rather work on my hustling skills.
My luggage got stolen
Generally, thieves don’t hang out at the airports due to high security, so the chances of this incident happening to you are 1:1000000… and if it does happen, not sure $30 protection would make any difference in solving this problem.
I paid extra for the flexible itinerary
This one is a bit tricky… If I am not certain what date I wanna depart, I rather wait till I am, so I don’t have to waste money on a flexible ticket. You may think if you wait till you are certain about your flight date, the price will go up, but that may not be the case. It could be the opposite (if they have a lot of empty seats).
Obviously, in some cases, a flexible itinerary might be a good deal (if the itinerary you found is super cheap, you are not sure about the date and the flexible upgrade is also affordable). Beware, if you do buy a flexible ticket, and decide to make a change, there still may be some sort of hidden fee.
Bottom line: airline companies don’t wanna protect you. They wanna find ways to charge you as much as possible and we shouldn’t be victims of their greed!
10. Don’t choose a seat online
This feature used to be free, and now most of the airlines and online search agencies are charging for it. On their link, they make it look like, if you don’t pay for the seat, you may end up flying without one, but that’s just impossible! You booked a flight, you will get a seat, period! I rather have them choose a seat for me, in order to save $18 or so.
Bonus: When free, ask for more!
Long international flights almost always include free meals & beverages. In that case, the plane will be stuffed with some extra meals. Once you finish your in-flight dinner, if still hungry, it won’t hurt to walk to the end of the plane and ask the flight attendant something like this: “Excuse me, I did not eat the side dish because of the allergy, so I ended up being hungry. Since we have still 6 hours before the arrival, I was wondering if I could get another meal, please?”
It is even easier to hustle for an extra cup of coffee or an extra can of beer. I would advise asking for more by walking to the attendant, away from the other passengers, in order to be discreet. Attendants don’t want other passengers to know you got an extra treat, cause that may cause a chain reaction of demands.
Bottom line: Travel by land as much as possible!
Do you have any secrets on how to save money on flights? You can share them with us in the comments below.