UPTOURIST

Like many of you, I’ve been on expensive flights and had the misfortune to talk with other passengers who paid half the price I did for the same flight!

Yeah, it sure hurts when you find out that if you’d only booked the flight a day earlier — or a day later — you could have saved hundreds of dollars.

The following infographic offers some great information regarding what goes on behind the scenes in the super-computers of the world’s leading airlines. It also offers tips for ways you can use to easily hack flight prices to maximize every last one of your travel dollars. Costs are demonstrated using British pounds (£), however the information and tips are relevant no matter where you live.

One key takeaway that I have from the graphic is that airlines are definitely keyed into “desperation travelers” who book last minute like business-people. That’s no big shocker, but it’s interesting to see deep down how they analyze data and adjust their seat prices “on the fly”. They’re constantly monitoring variables like competing flights and how fast seats are filling to determine how much more money they can squeeze out of their passengers.

6 price hacking tips for budget weary leisure and business travelers

1. Book up to 66 days in advance to get cheaper flights:

Longer than that an you risk paying a more expensive default price rate set by the airline’s revenue managers.

2. Avoid traveling on blackout dates (ie., holidays of all sorts):

This should come as no shock, but also sometimes it’s unavoidable, right?

4. Try to include a stopover in your itinerary, to avoid paying higher “non-stop” rates:

Again, sometimes the extra time spent isn’t worth the savings, but definitely look into them — a $100 savings for a 20-minute stopover is definitely worth it.

5. Aim for early morning or late evening arrival times:

I’m guilty of ignoring this tip, but the airlines do soak travelers who like to ease into their day and not have to rush to the airport first thing in the morning. Also those who don’t want to arrive to their destination late in the day close to bedtime.

6. Compare single passenger rates with group/family rates:

Hah! Love this one.

Now go on out there and stick it to the airlines folks!

Come on back and leave a comment when one of these tips helps you save some extra cash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The airlines use data collection and clever trend analysis to take your hard-earned savings. Learn how to hack their system and save tons of cash on your next holiday or business flight!