Are tickets cheaper? How to buy cheap flights. When to look for a cheap flight

June 10, 2016

Yuri Belousikov

Prices for passenger transportation have not been encouraging lately, however, if you need to travel somewhere far, most often there is not much choice. But you can not overpay and buy tickets cheaper. In any case, the railway - for sure! Here are some of the most effective ways to save on train tickets.

Consider the time of ticket purchase

The cheapest train tickets can be purchased in the fall, as well as during the May holidays, and specifically - on Victory Day, when you can save up to twice as much as the regular price. But the prices for railway tickets on other holidays are not particularly encouraging. We strongly advise against buying train tickets two days before and two days after March 8, at the very beginning of November, as well as the week preceding the New Year, and all New Year holidays. Also during the summer and the first two weeks of September, ticket prices usually increase by 15%. The only type of tickets whose prices do not depend on seasonal fluctuations is a suite, but, of course, there is no question of any savings here. If we express the overall picture in numbers, then we can present it in the form of a table:

So the best way to save money is do not ride trains on holidays and pre-holiday days(with the exception of May 8 and 9 - these are just the most profitable days), in summer and at the very beginning of autumn.

Buy tickets in advance

This method is good for purchasing compartment tickets. When buying in advance (up to 45 days for long-distance routes and up to 60 days for international routes), the ticket price is significantly reduced. For some destinations under this scheme, you can purchase tickets at a price of up to 40% cheaper than the standard one. The rule here is simple - the closer the train departure date, the more expensive the ticket, so the best solution is to plan your trip in advance and buy tickets some time after they go on sale. But on the day the sales start, you should not buy tickets - at least for popular destinations: the price in this case will be higher than the one that will be set on the second or third day. But do not overdo it and try to buy a ticket at least a month before departure - in this case, you can count on additional discounts (usually 20%) on the upper shelves in compartment cars. You should also remember that you can only save money if you buy at least 10 days in advance and no less, because if you order a ticket closer to the departure date, you will also be charged a processing fee, which is not available with an advance purchase.

Take advantage of discounts

For almost every destination in a given period of time, you can buy tickets at a discount. Discounts can be due to various reasons (seasonality, lack of demand, etc.) - it is only important for us to know that they exist. First of all, we advise you subscribe to news about various promotions, arranged . This can be done on the official website of the company, all current offers are also available there:.

For example, due to discounts, it often happens that compartment tickets are cheaper than reserved seats(including thanks to discounts on places on the upper shelves, which we have already talked about). And if you want to travel even cheaper in a compartment, then remember that from November 16 to December 24 inclusive there is a special offer under which you can buy seats on the upper shelves at a discount of no longer 20% (as you can do when buying a ticket in advance) , and as much as 35%.

Another way is that if you are driving to a stop that is not far from the train's arrival point, it is best to buy a ticket to the final because the discounts usually cover the whole route and you can overpay even though the distance is shorter. The same applies to the opposite situation, when the passenger needs to board the train at the nearest stations following the departure - in this case it is more profitable to buy a ticket from the train departure station. Please note that an additional discount can often be obtained when buying a round-trip (round-trip) train ticket.

There are also cumulative discounts on bonus cards(according to the Russian Railways Bonus program and the VTB-24 Russian Railways card).

You can also use a card with the Cashback option - in this case, part of the money after the purchase will be returned to your card. And don't forget the kids tickets! So, children under 5 years old can travel free of charge accompanied by adults, though without providing a separate seat. If there are two children, then the second child can get a ticket with a discount of 50% (the size of the discount may be different, and details can be found on the Russian Railways website or by phone). The benefits apply to all children under the age of 14 - just remember to bring your birth certificate with you.

Book tickets online

To date, there are already many sites that compete with each other to attract as many buyers as possible. Accordingly, ticket prices when buying on the website may turn out to be cheaper than if you buy them at the Russian Railways box office. At first glance, this is surprising, but here it should be taken into account that Russian Railways, under a cooperation agreement, provides significant discounts to its partners, due to which the latter can set more favorable prices. By the way, on the Russian Railways website itself, tickets are also cheaper than at the box office (no need to rent a room, pay for the work of cashiers, etc.).

One of the alternative sites where you can buy train tickets:

Save on insurance

By default, insurance fees are necessarily included in the cost of almost any ticket. However, by refusing insurance, you may well save a couple of hundred rubles. By the way, few people know about it, but you can refuse insurance just before the train's departure (more precisely, no less than 30 minutes before departure). Of course, it's nice to feel protected, but the likelihood that something will happen to you along the way is extremely small, and you can save money here too. By the way, the full amount of insurance in the event of an insured event is paid only to disabled people of the 1st group, as well as to disabled children.

Travel long distances with transfers

This rule, which is usually given as an example when talking about air tickets, also applies to train tickets. If you have to spend a day or two or even longer on the road, develop a route with one or two transfers. With proper route planning, the duration of the trip will not much exceed the travel time of a direct train, and you can save quite a bit on this. Some sites already offer a special service for selecting tickets with transfers.

If you are going abroad, then it will be more profitable to buy two tickets: the first - from your station to the nearest border station on the territory of a neighboring state, and the second - already to the destination station (for example, Moscow - Brest can be divided into two segments Moscow - Orsha and Orsha - Brest). In this way, you can save quite a lot on international tariffs.

Buy non-refundable tickets

As the name implies, a non-refundable ticket cannot be returned if for some reason you change your mind about going. Exception: force majeure. However, if you are sure that you will go, then the cost of such a ticket may be significantly lower than the cost of a regular one.

In my opinion, it's no secret to anyone that tickets bought in advance always differ in price. It happened more than once in my life when I looked through tickets to my hometown for several months and the price was much lower than, for example, for a month. At the same time, friends often asked me why I take a ticket in advance, because there is still so much time before departure. There is only one answer, if you want to save money, this is the best option.

There are several factors to consider when booking an air ticket in advance. First, you must know for sure that you can fly. I always plan my vacation a year in advance, and at work I notify about it.

As a result, I already know exactly what dates I need to look for a ticket for. It helps me cut costs. But if you cannot know for sure whether you can fly at this time, then you should not take a ticket in advance. When you return a ticket, a fee is charged, and this is an extra waste of money.

Secondly, it is worth remembering that tickets for holidays and seasons will be much higher in price. Therefore, it is worth taking them no earlier than 2 months in advance. Thirdly, I bought a ticket to Europe in advance, but I didn’t have a visa yet. And this is a risk, so you should take it into account.

I found out that sales start about a year before departure, but it also depends on the airlines. The most reasonable would be to make a purchase for eight to two months.

Booking for air tickets is also provided if you find a convenient date and a low price for the flight. Here, too, there are limitations, the reservation lasts from several hours to several days, everything again depends on the air carrier.

When I plan to fly somewhere profitably, I not only focus on the season and direction, but also try to get a ticket before the hype starts. It makes no sense to pull, because you don’t have to run anywhere to buy it. You can take a loan or installment plan, as well as pay by card.

By buying a ticket in advance for a plane, you can track all kinds of promotions, special offers from the airline. Thus, without overpaying for your trip.

22.04.2016, 09:13

Due to the fact that the price of a flight depends on the load of airline flights, the cost of plane tickets is constantly changing. Often it is not easy to understand the logic of these fluctuations. But still, some patterns still exist, and we will help find the answer to the question, when plane tickets are cheaper?

1. How many days before is it better to buy plane tickets in order to buy them cheaper

Usually, all airlines start selling tickets about 330 days before departure. But buying air tickets more than six months in advance is often unprofitable - over time, they become half the price.

Buying plane tickets on the last day is also not worth it - the price for them usually rises. Although it also happens that if a sufficient number of passengers are not recruited, immediately before departure, air tickets may become cheaper.

But hoping for this and postponing the purchase of air tickets for the last day is still very risky, especially if you are going to fly to a resort destination during the season.

In our opinion, the best and least risky option is to buy air tickets about 2-4 months before departure. It is at this time that airlines start selling air tickets, offer promotions and discounts, stimulating sales, so you will have the highest chance to buy a ticket at a low price.

2. What day of the week is it more profitable to buy plane tickets

Most often, plane tickets are cheaper on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. There are usually no discounts on flights on Friday and Sunday, and their prices reach their peak. Airline discounts are most often provided on Thursdays.

3. For what time of departure are plane tickets cheaper

Night flights, as well as flights between 17:00 and 20:00, are usually the cheapest.

4. The cheapest time to buy tickets

Usually the best time to buy cheap plane tickets is 1 am from Tuesday to Wednesday (the time zone of the city where the airline's head office is located).

Since ticket prices often fluctuate unpredictably, and airlines have different

A penny saves a ruble - this rule allows you to save a large amount of money. With the right approach, you can also save a lot on purchasing air tickets, the main thing is to know where, when and for how long to take the necessary ticket.

For the same flight in the same class, you can purchase a ticket for both $100 and $1,000. Why such a difference? The answer is simple: you need to be able to buy.

Sometimes a moment of ordinary luck works, periodically a personal acquaintance with employees of air ticket offices or travel agencies will give you the opportunity to purchase a ticket at a lower price.

When to look for a cheap air ticket?

The final cost of the ticket also depends on the date of purchase. There is one easy rule - the sooner, the cheaper. If you have the opportunity to plan your trip in advance, then buy tickets in advance, too, at least a month before the date of the intended trip. Ideally, this period should be extended to 2 months.

The cheapest prices can be 6 months before the date of departure, however, not everyone can book their seats on the flight so far in advance.

The fewer free seats on the flight, the more expensive they are! This rule applies only to regular flights, with charter flights the situation is exactly the opposite. The closer the departure date, the cheaper the ticket.

However, when buying tickets for a charter there are some nuances:

• It is not always possible to purchase tickets for charters in advance., because tour operators do not break them earlier than a few days before departure (there are exceptions).
• The second disadvantage of charters is the limited travel options., because planes fly only to popular tourist resorts and each has its own season.
• Tickets for charter flights are usually not sold at ticket offices, they should go to the travel agency. For example, a charter flight Moscow-Antalya-Moscow will cost about 200 dollars, and on a regular flight the price will be twice as high, and the flight itself will be with a transfer.

How to find the cheapest flight ticket?

There are several ways to find cheap flights:

• independent search on the Internet;
• acquaintances who work in ticket offices or travel agencies.

With an independent search on the Internet, it is recommended to open several sites and enter the desired dates, and the search engine will find all kinds of options. On different Internet portals, the price may differ, so it is recommended to compare.

There is also a price calendar that will show you the optimal cost of a flight within a certain date range.

By contacting air ticket offices or travel agencies, you can also save money, because airline auction offers are not always available in search engines.

Get travel medical insurance

What are promo tickets?

A variety of airlines regularly arrange promotions, using which you can fly to anywhere in the world at a fairly economical price. For example, a flight Moscow - New York - Moscow can cost about $400 .

Promotional prices are most often available a few months before the intended date of travel, during the off-season, as well as during the low season.

What you need to know to start looking for a cheap ticket?

There are also several ways of cheap flights, using which you will save a lot:

Method 1 - Fly with transfers

Often, an airline offers an option with a transfer much cheaper than a direct flight, the main thing is to pay attention to the total duration of the flight and the duration of the connection.

As a rule, the longer the connection, the cheaper. This option is not always convenient, but significantly reduces the cost. When flying with transfers, you should check in your baggage to the end point of the route.

Method 2 - Low cost

Low-cost airlines are low-cost carriers that, by reducing the range of services, provide the cheapest possible cost of a flight.

In particular, you can save on luggage, because it is not included in the cost of the flight, so it is best to take with you a minimum of things that can fit in hand luggage.

Low-cost airlines also save on check-in - you can check in for a flight via the Internet for free, at the airport this service will be paid. Also, these airlines do not have meals on board. Each country has its own low-cost airlines, in particular, WizzAir and RyanAir planes fly to Russia.

Method 3 - booking speed

When looking for a cheap air ticket, there is always the possibility of missing out on a suitable option, since the cost of a ticket in online systems can change very quickly. Accordingly, if you have found a suitable option, then book it, because in 10-20 minutes it may rise in price.

Method 4 - always buy a return ticket

When buying an RT ticket, those in both directions will not be an order of magnitude lower than the one for which you take tickets in both directions separately.

Where to buy cheap flights?

The easiest way to search for cheap flights is on Internet portals that combine offers from hundreds of air carriers. It is worth remembering that when buying tickets at air ticket offices or at the office of travel agencies, the cost also includes agency income, employee salaries, etc.

What days are plane tickets cheaper?

The difference in airfare may also depend on the day of booking, time of day, as well as the day of departure. In most cases, it is cheapest to book tickets at night or early in the morning, at this time of day the price will decrease.

Also, cheap tickets can be on Monday at lunchtime, because business trips start in the morning, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the price will also be cheaper.

It is most expensive to fly on Saturdays, as well as on weekends and holidays.

In search of the best price, you should also rely on luck, because the search for cheap air tickets is like a lottery, so luck can visit everyone.

Good afternoon my readers! Any independent travel begins with the purchase of air tickets. Today I will tell you how to save as much as possible and what tricks you can use to buy a cheap air ticket.

I have been traveling on my own without the help of travel agencies for almost 10 years and always try to buy tickets abroad at low prices, which I look for on the Internet on various sites.

There were times when I accidentally found myself in very interesting countries and cities thanks to the cheap air tickets I bought.

Do you want to fly to different countries just as often and cheaply? I will reveal all my secrets and teach you the tricks of getting cheap tickets.

Where to buy cheap tickets?

It is most convenient to buy cheap air tickets via the Internet in the following ways:

• on the official websites of the airlines,
• on the charter exchange
• on search aggregators.

To purchase cheap tickets on the website of a certain airline, you need to subscribe to their mailing list and receive news about promotions and discounts.

Several times a year, large companies hold very profitable promotions with discounts up to 50%, follow the newsletters and buy much cheaper than the standard price. Most often, airlines hold promotions and ticket sales during the off-season - in February-March and October-November.

A great way to save money is to buy a cheap ticket on the charter airline exchange, where travel agencies throw off their unsold offers.

Charters are non-scheduled flights with departures on certain days and can sometimes be rescheduled or canceled, you need to be prepared for this.

Look for flight tickets on the sites:

• chartex.ru,
• aviacharters.ru,
• tourdom.ru.

On search aggregator sites, you can see all the offers of airlines and compare their prices. To choose the most suitable and cheapest option, you can subscribe to the direction you are interested in or connect several options: find a low cost, buy cheap flights, use the map and price calendar.

The best services for finding cheap flights are:

• Momondo,

To keep abreast of new budget tickets for the destination you are interested in, you can subscribe to one of these sites by leaving your email.

Buying tickets online is much more convenient and saves you time and money. You do not need to go to the office, you can be anywhere in the world and pay for it via the Internet. You will receive all information about the flight and an electronic ticket by mail, you just have to print it and arrive at the airport with it and your passport.

When to buy tickets?

Plan your trip and buy tickets in advance if you want to buy them at a bargain price. Usually the price increases every day for the last two weeks before departure, and when buying 2-3 months before, there is a chance to save 30% of the cost of the flight. If you are planning a summer vacation in advance, then it is more profitable to buy tickets in December.

In rare cases, you may be lucky and you will get an inexpensive ticket a day or a few days before departure. If you are not strongly tied to specific numbers, always look at the price for the next date, it can be 20% cheaper.

A very important point is the choice of the day of the week and the time of departure. At the lowest cost, tickets are usually sold for morning and evening flights and in the middle of the week (from Tuesday to Thursday). Prices go up on weekends for obvious reasons. Also, during the holiday season and holidays, air tickets are more expensive, and in the off-season they can be bought much cheaper.

Do not forget to take round-trip tickets, it will be cheaper by 20 - 30% than if you take it separately in each direction.

When choosing a city of departure or arrival, compare the prices for air travel in neighboring cities, they can be much cheaper and can be reached by land transport (by train or bus).

For example, flights from Moscow are cheaper than from St. Petersburg. It's the same in Europe - you can fly cheap to Brussels and from there take a bus to Paris in a couple of hours or fly to Girona and get to neighboring Barcelona by bus.

The purchase itself is best done at night or in the morning before the start of the working day - at this time there is more choice of flights and prices are lower.

It is most advantageous to buy a ticket on Wednesday at one in the morning. This is due to the fact that many airlines post discounts and special offers on Sunday or Monday evenings, you can redeem them by booking within a day, and after that on Wednesday tickets appear again at a low cost (if they are not redeemed).

Map and calendar of low prices

For the convenience of searching and booking cheap flights on aggregator sites, there is a convenient low price calendar function where you can see all offers by month and choose the cheapest option for specific dates. With the help of filters, you can exclude inappropriate options and find out information about interesting events, events and holidays in certain months.

Another convenient and original feature is the low price map. It will help you find all inexpensive options on the world map according to the specified parameters. By specifying the dates of the trip, a specific or approximate range, the desired budget for air tickets, turning on the visa filter, you will see all the most budget prices for flights to different countries.

A price map and a low price calendar are available on the Skyscanner and Aviasales websites.

What are lowcosters?

A low-cost airline is a budget airline with minimal service. The low cost of a flight from low-cost airlines is set due to the lack of additional services and opportunities: non-refundable tickets, a minimum amount of luggage, paid meals during the flight.

Air tickets for flights of low-cost airlines cost from 10 euros if you buy them in advance or for a promotion. But in order to fly at a really low price and not face unforeseen surcharges at the airport, you need to carefully study all the rules of the low-cost airline and follow them.

First of all, this applies to baggage. You can only take hand luggage on board with a total weight of 10 kg and your suitcase or bag should not exceed 55 x 40 x 20 cm. Additional baggage is paid separately and is quite expensive. Therefore, think over this issue in advance and it is better to pay for baggage on the site online than to face this requirement at the airport itself and pay a much larger amount.

It is impossible to return tickets for low-cost airlines, and for changing the date you will be asked to pay a fine, that is, in case of changes in plans, it will be much easier to buy a new one.

Also pay attention to the location of the airport you are flying into. For example, when flying to Milan, Düsseldorf, Munich, you do not arrive in the city itself, but in a neighboring suburb, which can be 50 km away.

In this case, you will have the opportunity to see a new city and save on housing, which will cost much cheaper than neighboring tourist Milan.

If there is no time and desire for this, then find out in advance how to get by train or bus to the city you need and check the schedule so that you do not have to pay for an expensive taxi.

Low-cost airlines flying from Russia to Europe:

• Victory,
• EasyJet,
• Wizz Air,
• AirBaltic.

Low-cost airlines with flights within Europe:

• ryanair,
• EasyJet,
• germanwings,
• Wizz Air,
• Air Italy,
• AirBaltic.

You can find a full list of other low cost airlines in our next article.

The cheapest flights

The cheapest flights on search aggregator sites can be found by choosing a flight with transit or stopover. Transfer at the airport can be from several hours to several days, which will give you an additional opportunity to visit another country.

You can choose a long transfer from a day using a stopover (stopover), connecting it for free or for a fee, depending on the number of transit days.

Not all airlines provide this service, for this, when booking, you must select "multiple or complex route" or the "multiple destinations" / "multicity" buttons. If you need an additional transit visa, the airline will help you get it, as well as provide a transfer and a discount on hotel accommodation.

Most often, transfers and stopovers are used for trips with long flights to countries and destinations such as the USA, Canada, Southeast Asia, Latin America with transfers in Istanbul, Dubai, Doha, Singapore, New York, Bangkok, etc. This service of long transfers is most often carried out by large airlines, for example, Turkish Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airlines, Etihad Airways.

Buying air tickets with transit or stopover not only reduces their cost, but also allows you to take a break from long flights and see another country for the same money.

How to use airline miles?

If you often fly with the same airline, then earn miles and buy cheaper tickets. A mile is the distance you travel. Accordingly, the further you fly, the more bonus miles you will receive.

The most popular loyalty programs for buying air tickets:

• Aeroflot Bonus,
• Lufthansa Miles & More,
• S7 priority,
• Panorama Club.

With the accumulated miles, you can get new tickets, use business class instead of economy class, or receive nice gifts from partners in the form of a discount to a restaurant or spa.

Large banks cooperate with many airlines (Sberbank, Raiffeisenbank and others) and have a joint loyalty program (for example, Aeroflot Bonus together with Sberbank). By making purchases using their joint partner card, you will also be able to receive bonuses, which you can then spend on buying a ticket.

Now let's take a closer look at how to earn miles and use them correctly:

1. It is necessary to register in the loyalty program and subscribe to the newsletter in order to receive all news about promotions for tickets, partner programs and all changes in the bonus program.
2. Earn miles in flight. To do this, during online check-in or at the airport, enter your card number in the loyalty program.
3. Earn miles without traveling. Use cards for payment and get bonuses. You can view the entire list of loyalty program partners on the site and use their services. It can be not only banks and their cards, but also hotels, restaurants, travel agencies, etc.
4. Make the most of all the benefits of participating in the loyalty program - you can spend time in the business class lounge, skip the boarding line, take extra baggage for free.
5. Keep up to date with the latest sales and promotions to make the most of your miles. You can redeem your miles for airfare and fuel surcharges or just airfare and pay fees separately. Or take the opportunity to fly long distance business class. If you are a Miles & More member, you can spend the miles you have earned on purchases at the Miles & More Shop or pay for hotels.

How to return part of the money from the purchased tickets?

Recently, it is very popular to return part of the purchase price using an affiliate program. The same goes for air tickets.

To do this, you need to register in an affiliate program on one of the sites, go through a special referral link, purchase a ticket and receive compensation for the purchase in the amount of several percent. The larger the purchase amount or the number of flights, the more money you can get back.

This is a great savings option. From each ticket you can return 0.5 - 3% of the cost. This will be more noticeable if you fly frequently.

You can get cashback on the following sites:

• Momondo,
• anyway,
• AirBaltic.com,
• qatarairways.com,
• city.travel,
• Travelplanet24.com.

The most important tricks when buying airline tickets

With each purchase or search, the computer remembers all your actions, and with your next call, you already see prices with an increased cost.

To avoid this and outwit the system, while saving a lot, I have a few tips:

1. Turn on incognito mode so that the browser shows new data each time and does not remember your past requests. To do this, use the keys Ctrl + Shift + N in the Google Chrome browser, Ctrl + Shift + P in the Internet Explorer browser, and in the Opera browser, select "Tabs and Windows" and "Create Private Window".
2. Clear the "cache" in the computer - this is necessary to clear your browsing history. If you have already searched for low-cost flights, then when you repeat the same request “Buy cheap tickets”, the system remembers your data and gives you limited results.
3. Use anonymizers (hideme.ru, hideguard.ru, hidemyass.com or others) to hide your location.
4. Don't use a MacBook when booking or buying flights - many airlines are tailored to a specific laptop model, and when you buy with a MacBook, you will be shown the most expensive options.
5. When booking on special search sites, use complex (compound) itineraries. By choosing several cities for a trip, you can save a lot.

I hope my article was useful for you, and my tips will help you travel more often and inexpensively. If you also know some tricky ways to buy cheap flights, write in the comments and share your experience.