Tuesday Tip: How to be a CHAMP in booking low-fare tickets – PART 2!

A few months ago, I gave you 5 CHAMP tips on how you can book your super duper low fare tickets. Let’s try to remember what these 5 pointers are. First, you must check & subscribe to airline newsletters. You should also book your tickets during holidays & special occasions because these airlines usually have promo fares during these days. Third, make sure to download the airline’s mobile applications. Websites become busy during these seat sales. The best way to secure your low fare ticket is by booking using the mobile applications. Fourth, make sure to sign up for airline memberships & loyalty programs. These memberships allow you to save your personal & companion details plus your credit card information thus making bookings faster. You are also given access to priority seat sales & sometimes, free flights. Lastly, you must plan your travel dates as soon as possible.

Were you able to book affordable tickets after reading the previous blog post? If yes, feel free to share in the comments below where you’re going & how much did you pay for the ticket.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who read & shared the post to their families & friends. The CHAMP post is the most visited & most read content on my website to date.

Now back to business. For those who are yet to book your tickets, I thought of additional 5 CHAMP tips which can help you secure your cheapest airline ticket. I noticed that the previous tips I gave were all for planning your next trip, meaning prior to booking your tickets. I thought it would also be nice to share some tips on how to book these affordable tickets in the airlines’ websites.

Disclaimer: These tips mostly apply only to low-cost carriers like Cebu Pacific Air, Air Asia, Jetstar Asia et al. The tips below are purely based on actual observations & past personal experiences; they did not come from any airline insider or connection. I don’t intend to endorse any airline / carrier; I am not affiliated in any of the mentioned companies above.

C – CHOOSE red-eye flights

Red-eye flights are flights that leave late at night & arrive in the wee hours of the morning. These flights are inconvenient for most, thus lesser people taking it. Lesser demand means cheaper fare. There is always a higher chance of you getting a low fare seat going to Bangkok if you choose the 9:30 pm flight than the 6:00 am flight.

Chose a red-eye flight to Bangkok & got my ticket for only ₱1,800++ round-trip

H – HAVE all stuff in CARRY-ON baggage

Most low cost airlines now have prepaid baggage. It means that every ticket only includes 7 kilograms carry-on baggage. If you are travelling with heavy luggage, you need to pre-book or buy baggage allowance for a fee.

If you are traveling to a city, island or country for only 3 to 5 days, you only need to bring just the right number of clothes. You also don’t need to bring all those fancy stuff & accessories. People in your destination of choice won’t bother look at your clothes anyway.

If you think you need to bring a luggage last minute, you can always pre-book it 4 hours before your flight. It is available both via phone call to the airline customer service or via manage booking section of your account. Make sure to book baggage before you go to the airport as baggage fees during check-in are expensive.

Flew to Caticlan last July 2016 for only ₱684 pesos with only carry-on baggage

Traveling with carry-on baggage also saves time. You don’t need to wait for your luggage in the baggage claiming area; just go straight to wherever you’re going upon arrival.

A – A big NO to airplane food

Another cost cutting measure practiced by low cost carriers is the removal of free in-flight food. They now offer prepaid meals as early as booking your plane ticket. They also changed the game by selling food during the flight.  The bad news is these in-flight treats are priced twice or even thrice than their regular price in the stores. Airplane food is so expensive you should avoid it. Imagine paying ₱100 for a can of fruit juice; it’s overpriced.

You can always bring a sandwich or any snack with you to avoid paying for expensive airplane food.

M – MAKE sure to SKIP seat selector

Low cost airlines offer regular & premium seats for a fee. Yes, it’s another unnecessary add-on. I advise you to skip it. You can always request for a window seat, an aisle or exit seat upon check-in.

I requested window seats (at no additional cost) for both flights during check-in. I was given a window exit seat on my way to Nagoya. Good stuff!

P – PURCHASE travel insurance.. OR NOT?

I’ll be honest with you. I am on 50/50 on this last tip. You will definitely save some money if you do not buy travel insurance; but the thing is, we do not have control of what is going to happen during the flight.

Having travel insurance will keep your mind sane if something bad happens; but bear in mind that these occurrences only happen once in a blue moon. I suggest skipping travel insurance if you are leaving for only 3 to 5 days; but if it’s a 2 weeks to 1 month trip, it’s best to get one. Make sure to read the terms & conditions of the insurance offered by the airline; sometimes it’s a lot better to buy insurance for the whole trip than only for the flight.

You can also check with your banks if they offer travel insurance. The independent travel insurance companies I know are Pacific Cross Philippines (formerly Blus Cross) & the Lonely Planet-recommended World Nomads.

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The tips above will save you thousands of pesos when booking a flight. Basically the technique is to SKIP ALL ADD-ONS offered by your carrier. Please take note of these options are pre-selected most of the time, so you really need to remove all of them.

BONUS TIP: You have higher chances of getting a low-fare seat if you choose flights that leave on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays.

Make sure to remember these 5 tips (plus the first 5 pointers I shared last January) in booking your next airplane ticket. You might just get your cheapest plane ticket to your dream destination / country! 😉

Do you have any questions in booking air tickets? Is there topic / content you want to see in this blog in the future? Feel free to comment below or send me an email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. You can also send me a message on Facebook, drop a comment on Instagram or send me a tweet on Twitter.

Thank you for reading & have a nice day! 😎