It’s a small feat that some people boast about to amazed relatives: having obtained plane tickets at a mini price to go on vacation to the other side of the world (or almost). Techniques exist, and Le Parisien provides you with an overview. Without forgetting that these prices, sometimes lower than those of train tickets, can legitimately cause controversy as they could encourage people to fly, and therefore to pollute.
Be flexible with your dates
One of the first tips to keep in mind is to be flexible, especially on dates. Avoid going in the middle of school holidays or during the weekend, when tickets are logically the most popular. “You should avoid leaving from Friday to Monday, ideally out of season”, confirms Marion Bertaux, editor of VoyagesPirates, whose site sends around fifteen good travel plans a day. If you are not stopped on a destination, choose according to the price and your criteria.
Get there early, but not too early
Warning: don’t start too early. “You should never book more than nine months in advance, because not all long-haul flights are on sale,” explains David Coutelle, head of Algofly, whose tool tracks ticket prices. , to see if a price is good or not and to be alerted when it may be appropriate to buy. By planning six months in advance, you’re more likely to get better rates.
Have you found where to go? Compare prices now with a flight comparator. Prefer those who will not offer you anything other than the cheapest trip on the pretext that it saves them more (compare comparators to see). Enter places of departure, arrival (some offer more options when you are flexible) and dates: you will have access to various proposals for tickets, sellers and therefore prices. See if there are any current sales offers or discount codes that can be used to lower the bill even further.
Think about connections and departures from other cities
If you want to go far, and your trip may require a connection, feel free to look at multiple combinations. “By deciding your own connecting airport, it is possible to find cheap plane tickets,” notes David Coutelle. It can be time-consuming and hassle-free (although comparators help), but there are cost savings. “When you live in the North, you can also watch from Brussels airport in Belgium or Geneva airport in Switzerland when you are close, because the taxes are lower there, and therefore the tickets are cheaper”, also underlines Marion Bertaux.
Avoid last minute opportunities
Use a VPN or use private browsing, useful? No, according to David Coutelle. An Algofly study had noted in 2019 that the price did not increase depending on whether the same trip had already been searched for. And for good reason: the way in which prices are set corresponds to “yield management”, the price increasing in stages as the plane fills up. It is therefore logical that the price increases the longer you wait (and even faster if the destination is sought). But Marion Bertaux nuance: “This can avoid price fluctuations. Note, however, that advancing hidden deprives comparators of income, which is remunerated via the clicks they generate, impossible to trace with this mode of navigation.
Don’t bet too much on last-minute tickets. If the aircraft occupancy target falls short of expectations, some airlines may lower prices before a flight departs. “To take advantage of it, you have to set alerts and be very reactive, because it goes away very quickly,” continues David Coutelle. But, “it’s always risky to wait”, explains Marion Berteaux. The risk is that you will not find a satisfactory destination, or pay the high price. “A cheap ticket leaves very quickly”, recalls the expert.
Travel light
Another technique that works: go light, even if you only fly with… a backpack. In order to attract customers (and to position themselves well on flight comparators), the majority of companies now sell tickets without luggage, with the only free possibility of a backpack. Adding baggage can quickly increase the price of the ticket: avoid this… if you can.