Even for so-called frequent flyers, flight ticket booking can be a confusing and nerve-wracking experience these days. Sometimes there is nothing you can do to avoid paying more than you would like for a flight ticket, but there are some things you should consider before booking a ticket. To help you avoid the most common mistakes that even regular travelers make, here are the top seven tips you must read before you book your next flight ticket to Australia.
Book Early
Book your flight ticket as much in advance as you can. As a general rule, book your air ticket at least 6 weeks before your date of travel.
Avoid Traveling In The Holiday Season
It can be difficult to get cheap air tickets during the peak travel season of the year. Travel season in Australia is typically around Christmas and the New Year since this time also coincides with school holidays. A great alternative is to plan your travel around Spring (September to November) or Autumn (March to May). Another thing worth noting is that this alternative will help you avoid the hoards of travelers and tourists who frequent Australia. Peak season also means that there could be unnecessary delays in flights or in getting your baggage across. You are also less likely to find a flexible date and seating options, owing to the rush. This is particularly important if you are traveling with children.
Consider Hopping Flights Instead of Direct Flights
While direct flights might be convenient, cheap flights are often those which have a layover in another city. Some of the popular layover airports while traveling to Australia are Singapore (Singapore Airlines, Scoot, Silk Air), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Malaysian Airlines, Air Asia, Malindo), Dubai (Emirates), Abu Dhabi (Etihad) and Doha (Qatar Airways).
An important factor to consider is the layover time. While a couple of hours layover time is convenient, tickets are often cheaper for flights which have a long layover (anywhere between 6 and 10 hours) in between. You might want to avoid long layovers if you are traveling with children.
While Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Dubai are more common layover destinations while traveling to Australia, it is useful to consider some of the less frequented airports like Bangkok (Thai Airways), Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific) or even Colombo (Sri Lankan Airlines) to get cheaper air tickets.Be Flexible With Travel Dates
Another sure shot way to get cheaper airfares to be flexible on the departure dates. Bear in mind that traveling on Friday or Sunday is comparatively more expensive than on other days of the week because of people’s choice to fly close to the weekend. The cheapest travel days often are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Consider Alternative Origin Airports
While searching for cheap flights, select different airports near your location. Often airports in very big cities are very busy and flight operators have to incur higher expenses to operate flights to and from these cities compares to smaller cities. Higher expenses mean that airfares of flights originating from bigger and busier cities are more expensive. For instance, airfare from Cochin to Melbourne via Singapore is significantly cheaper compared to the airfare from Mumbai to Melbourne via Singapore.
Consider Booking on Low Cost Airlines
Low Cost Carriers (LCC) offer cheap no-frills airfares. Compared to regular Full Service Carriers (FSC), budget airlines often offer tickets at much lower prices. The downside is that almost everything like baggage, in-flight food etc incurs an extra charge. Budget airlines do not provide first-class amenities like in-flight entertainment or access to airport lounges. However, they get you from one place to another at a fraction of the normal cost.
Use Flight Ticket Comparison Sites
Finding cheap flights has been made very easy by third-party cross comparison websites. These search engines provide side-by-side prices of tickets from different airlines. Once you find a price that suits your budget, you are redirected to the ticketing site for booking the ticket. Some of the best sites that you should visit when searching for the cheapest prices are Momondo, Kayak and SkyScanner. These engines tend to cross-compare flight prices offered by various ticketing agents and sometimes can reduce your airfare substantially. You can set email alerts for flight rate drops on these sites and also on official sites of airlines.
These are a few tricks to help you grab the best ticket option while flying to Australia.
In case you have any queries about how to book a flight ticket to Australia, feel free to contact Chalo Australia and we will be more than happy to assist you.
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Airport Exit Procedure
