Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Booking Flights

When you’re booking flights, whether for business or pleasure, you want to get the best deal possible. With so many different booking sites, it can be overwhelming to figure out which ones will offer you the best price and are secure and reliable. Beyond just the booking sites, there are also a variety of airlines and routes you can take to get you from point A to point b.

With so many variables, it’s no wonder that mistakes are made that end up costing a lot of money. By understanding these mistakes, you can avoid them on your next flight booking.

Booking the cheapest fare

The cheapest airfare that is listed online might not be the cheapest. Many booking sites will list the base fare, without including baggage, carry-on luggage, flexible booking, seat choice, meals, etc. Airlines are now offering very basic economy fares to appeal to a broader audience, but these fares are bare-bones, with nothing included. Everything else is available as an add-on, and these add-ons will make your flight hundreds of dollars more.

Flights that include the extras in the price will help you to save money overall, plus give you peace of mind, so before making any flight booking make sure to read the fine print and check all the inclusions to see if you’re happy with it. If you are worried about the huge total cost that it will present you with, this is a problem which is easy to solve; for example, coupons can further lower the price. You can find a CheapOair promo code to help you save on flights, car bookings, or hotel bookings.

If you’re flying on your own, you might be ok with bringing your own meal and have no seating preference. If you are going for a short weekend trip, then you might not need baggage. That said, if you do need those extras, keep in mind that many booking sites will charge you extra for those things.

Booking the first flight you find

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when booking flights is choosing the first one you find. With so many options out there, it’s unlikely that the first flight you find will be the best one. It pays to shop around and see what flights are going to your destination.

Once you find a flight that suits you best, you can begin looking for that specific flight on different platforms to find the best deal.

Booking too early

It’s a common misconception that the earlier you book your flight, the cheaper it will be. It’s uncertain where this idea started, but it’s not accurate. Airlines typically open bookings for flights 11 months in advance, but the prices are set on the high-end of the spectrum. They won’t lower the costs until much closer to the date when they are in a rush to try to sell any extra seats that have yet to be booked.

Booking too late

On the flip side, waiting to book until the last minute can be risky, especially if you don’t have much flexibility in your flight date or time. Within the last two weeks leading up to the flight, the prices can jump back up, since airlines know that buyers are desperate to get on the flights. You can get the best rates by booking between three to seven weeks in advance.