Insider Tips for Securing Affordable Business Class Flights
There are many misconceptions about booking Cheap Business Class Flights and ways to get the best deals, and this can cause confusion amongst buyers, as these statements have been proven to be false. Below are tips and tricks to help you when looking into purchasing flights and booking trips. Many myths are exposed, and you will find some suggestions on how and when to find the best deals.
Myth of Incognito Mode to Cheap Business Class Flights
If you have ever looked for tips and tricks to find cheap flights online, then you have probably heard of this common hack; “search and book flights in incognito mode”. The logic behind using incognito mode is the suspicion that airlines are watching our searches and then raising ticket prices when they see us looking at the same flights over and over again. So, is it true? Can browsing in incognito mode actually save you on your flight cost? No, unfortunately, this one is a myth. If you’ve ever found a cheaper flight while in incognito mode, it’s probably because flight prices are constantly changing, not because you went incognito and cleared your browsing history.
Misconceptions About Booking Time
The second suggested cheap flight hack is to “book your flight at a certain time of day or to book on certain days of the week”.
This is a myth. There is no best or worst day for making the booking. Booking on a Tuesday or booking late at night is not going to get you a better deal on your flight. As previously mentioned, in point one, flight prices are constantly changing, so if a flight is in high demand, it’s going to be more expensive. If a flight is in low demand, it’s often going to be cheaper, regardless if you are searching for that flight on Monday at 10am or Tuesday at 6pm.
Choosing different days to book Cheap Business Class Flights
Another hack you frequently hear about to get a cheap ticket would be to fly on certain days of the week or to fly at certain times. This differs from the second point because the second one was when you book the flight, when this one is regarding when the flight is actually departing. And for some good news, this one is actually true, and knowing how to use this hack could save you a significant amount of money on your flight ticket.
Benefits of Booking Off-Peak
Most people don’t want to take an early morning or a late-night flight, meaning there is less demand for flights at these times. Because of this, ticket prices will typically drop to try to convince people to buy the seats.
The principles of supply and demand that work to drive down prices for unfavourable times are also going to work to drive down flight prices for certain days of the week, which is often when fewer people are flying. The most popular days to fly are a Friday, a Saturday, and a Monday. By avoiding these times and flying mid-week when most people are still working, you are probably getting a ticket that is less in demand and therefore, it’s going to be cheaper.
Budget Airlines vs. Regular Carriers
The next common flight booking hack to save money on your airline ticket is to book with a budget airline like Ryanair, Norwegian, or Spirit. It’s true, budget airlines can sell flight tickets for as low as five dollars, so yes, you can absolutely find a cheap flight ticket by booking with one of these low-cost carriers.
But here’s the problem and where the potential myth comes from: while your ticket price may be cheaper by using a budget airline, the overall cost of your flight may end up being significantly more than if you had booked with a regular carrier.
Unlike a regular carrier such as Delta or United Airlines, budget airlines are going to charge you for additional things, which could drive your flight costs sky-high. A single piece of luggage could be well over 50 dollars, and even checking in at the airport with an agent instead of checking in online and printing your ticket can cost you extra. So keep that in mind.
Always read the fine print and look at exactly what is going to be included in your ticket cost. Unless you are taking a short flight and have no luggage with you, you probably won’t be saving much money by going with a budget airline instead of a standard carrier. Whether these hacks are classified as myths or truths is going to be based on your own experiences, as some of these hacks that have been labelled as a myth could actually work for you.
Round-Trip vs. One-Way Tickets
It is often believed that “round-trip tickets are always going to be cheaper than buying two one-way flights”. The theory is that airlines are going to give you a better deal with round-trip tickets because it ensures that the passenger is going to fly with the same airline for both their departure and their return flight home.
While you can find some cheap round-trip flights, the notion that a round-trip flight is always going to be cheaper than buying two single tickets is just not true. This one is a myth, especially for short domestic flights, which are typically going to be the same price whether you book them as two one-way tickets or as a round-trip booking. Two one-way tickets can typically be cheaper because it gives you more flexibility in the airlines that you fly with.
You could fly with one airline to your destination and then fly on a cheaper flight with a different airline back home. Don’t dismiss round-trip tickets; you can still get a great deal, but also, don’t dismiss one-way flights because it could be the cheaper option. It really just depends on your trip.
The Truth About Refundable Tickets
This next one isn’t necessarily going to save you money on your ticket, but it is a flight booking myth that people should be aware of: “non-refundable tickets are non-refundable”. This is not true. Even if you purchase a non-refundable flight, if it is departing from, arriving or touching down at any point anywhere in the United States, then you have a 24-hour period where you can cancel the flight free. Just ensure that you’ve booked the flight directly with the airline, as third-party booking sites like Expedia or Flight Network do not have to honour this rule.
Using VPN for Better Deals
Another popular tip would be to use a VPN to mask your location when you’re searching for and booking flights. A VPN is a virtual private network that allows you to change your computer’s IP address to make it seem like you are somewhere else in the world. The theory is that flight options and prices can be different depending on which country you’re looking at them from.
With a VPN, you can quickly compare rates from around the world by simply changing your virtual location. The theory suggests that someone searching from a lower-income country is going to see better flight prices than someone searching from a high-income country. For example, if you’re sitting in India looking at a flight from London to Paris, you may see it for a cheaper price than if you’re sitting in the U.S. looking at that exact same flight.
Using A VPN to find Cheap Business Class Flights
There is another way that a VPN could potentially find you a cheaper deal. Sometimes buying a domestic flight from within a country or region is cheaper than buying that same domestic flight from outside the country.
For example, you may get a better price on a flight between two European cities if you search for the flight with your location set to somewhere in Europe. Then, if you searched for that same flight with your location set to somewhere outside of Europe.
Conclusion
Are you surprised by any of the truths or the myths in this post? Do you perhaps disagree with us on any of them? Please let us know about, and don’t forget to check our Cruise Travel guide.