Expert reveals the ‘sweet spot’ for booking flights that will save you hundreds of pounds
A TRAVEL expert has revealed the best time to book flight tickets if you want to fly around without breaking the bank.
Being smart about buying your flights could save you hundreds and let you spend more cash on enjoying your dream break.
And when booking a holiday, everybody looks to bag a bargain deal on their flights.
Luckily, a travel expert has revealed the “sweet spot” for flights to get cheap fares – and it takes little to no effort.
Jack Sheldon, flight expert at Jacksflightclub.com, said the best time to bag the cheapest flight tickets is between six to 12 weeks before taking off.
Flyers can get an absolute bargain deal while following the hack – and can save up to 50 per cent on flight tickets.
Booking a flight midweek instead of a weekend – when airports can be really busy – can also help you save some extra cash which you can splash on your vacation instead.
Gavin Lapidus, travel agent and director of multi-centre holiday specialists eShores, said Monday to Wednesday is the best time of the week to board a cheap flight.
If you’re flexible with your dates, always double-check departure days, as flying a day sooner or later could save you up to 20 per cent.
The travel expert has shared a number of tips around saving cash when booking your holiday.
One is buying luggage at the right time, as that price fluctuates also.
Ryanair, for example, offers the option to buy a priority ticket that includes a cabin bag and a 10kg luggage you can bring with you on the aircraft.
The prices for this package varies between £6 to £24 depending on timing and the amount of people that already purchased this option.
Plotting your annual leave around bank holidays can help you enjoy longer holidays without having to take extra days off.
Most, if not all of us nowadays, book flights independently as travel agents have been vastly disappearing from high streets.
But when proceeding to checkout, the flight you click on never seems to match the price initially advertised on the website.
This can add tens or even hundreds of pounds to flights by the time they’ve been purchased – not including any extra amenities like overhead luggage.
However, travellers are advised not to overlook travel agents as lots of them specialise in finding the best value trips for customers.
Condé Nast Traveller’s fashion editor Charlotte Davey gave a word of advice when booking future flights.
She said: “A lot of travel agents (like Flight Centre) offer to beat any price for flight bookings,
“So, if you take in screenshots of the flights you want with the cheap price being advertised (the price that disappears as soon as you actually try to book) they will book the flight under that price.”
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TIME TO FLY: Always use a flight comparison site, such as fly-scanner.com or kayak.co.uk, which will search for the cheapest operator on your chosen route.
Airlines release tickets up to a year in advance and, generally, the earlier you book, the cheaper flights are.
This is especially true if you’re planning to fly during peak periods, such as summer holidays.
FLEXIBLE WINS: You’ll be able to find the best deals if you can be flexible on your destination or with dates of travel.
Flying midweek is usually the cheapest, while Fridays and Sundays tend to be the most expensive.
If you have set dates in mind, try Skyscanner’s “Everywhere” search tool, which will show the cheapest destinations available at those times.
PACKAGE UP: You can usually save cash by opting for an all-inclusive deal over booking flights and hotels separately, according to research by consumer group Which?.
However, it does depend on the destination so it’s worth doing your research.
Spain was found to be cheaper as an all-inclusive, but you would be better off doing a DIY holiday in Portugal’s Algarve.