Are you planning a trip? One of your priorities here would be to get yourself amazing flight prices. A great way to save money for flight deals is to book it well in advance. But, many times, you do not have the convenience to book the flights right away. In case, you are also stuck with last-minute flight deals, or if you are traveling due to a family emergency.
Here are some tricks to keep in mind. With these, you can find the best of cheap last-minute flight deals and then travel for a family emergency. Here is what you should do:
Last-Minute Flight Deals
1. First Things First, Get a Flight Map to Help you!
The best way to look for competitor prices is by logging onto a platform that has all the options consolidated. Right from Skyscanner to Google Flights, many options help you find flights based on the price filter. For people whose destination is fixed, these maps are particularly helpful.
You can use this map to compare all the fares for airports near your goal as well. It is quite possible to get a cheaper deal by flying into an airport nearby and then renting a car or getting a train ticket to get to your exact final stop.
In many cases, you can try more tricks if you have an open-ended destination in mind. For instance, anywhere with mountains may be your option. In such a case, use a map to find out the most convenient options. Select the nearest home airports, and then scan your plan to find out the most affordable flights.
Google flights may even present you with potential destinations; all you would need to do is choose your travel interests as well as dates. Once you are done categorizing this, then you are sure to find a shortlist with the best options.
2. Call Your Preferred Airline To Get The Best Deals
There are plenty of airlines that still offer many last-minute flight deals. These could help in ensuring that you do not end up paying a handsome amount on the name of last-minute airfare. These deals apply for travel that is scheduled for seven to fourteen days from the date you book.
All you need to do is call the airlines, book the flight you need and opt for your discount. Remember to provide the name of the family member that has passed away in case you are citing death as a reason.
If you consider the case of Alaska Airlines, for instance, it will give you a straight ten percent discount in case you are traveling due to the demise of a close family member. You can make use of this feature even though Virgin Airlines who now come under the Alaska Air Group. Air Canada and Delta Air Lines on the other hand offer slashed down rates for family members who are traveling due to an immediate family member’s death.
However, don’t worry about finding cheaper deals. Compare the slashed down rates with the regular fare provided by other airlines. There are plenty of sites like Last Minute flight booking and Kayak that provide you with this option.
3. Compromise On The Time You Fly
Most people prefer a decent time for traveling. They like to reach their destinations and board the flight at a time where their minds are working. So, we can recommend you go for the earliest flight or the latest flight you get. Most of these flights are not booked, and the discounts on the unfilled seats can help you get your job done.
They tend to be a lot lesser cost than midday flights. You must have heard of the term red-eye trip. A red-eye flight, for example from Washington D.C to San Diego, would cost you about 130 USD lesser than most of the other options on this route.
4. Use your Rewards to the Fullest
In today’s day and age, there are plenty of rewards and travel plans that can help you get some of the best deals at the last minute. For people who are not able to skip a trip or find affordable prices, redeeming credit card rewards is an alternative. This can help you to subsidize the flight.
5. Compare Between Cash and Rewards
There is a certain formula for ensuring that you can compare between cash and rewards. You can use the following formula for evaluating your flight.
(Ticket price-fees as well as taxes) / cost of rewards
Once you get the answer, you can simply multiply it by 100 to figure out the actual value of the rewards.
For instance, a flight will cost you 250 USD out of which 20 USD goes in fees and taxes. On the other hand, 25,000 miles would be equivalent to 0.92 cents when you calculate the value of each mile. That is a lot lesser than the average costs of miles and rewards. So, it is best to use cash in such situations.
But, just in case the same flight cost you about 500 USD of which the base price was 530 USD. In such a case, if the flight costs you 25,000 miles, then it would come about 1.92 cents as the cost of each mile. That is definitely a brilliant way to redeem all of your miles as it can help in exceeding the value of most of the reward programs.
6. Follow Pages of Top and your Favorite Airlines
Another great way to bag yourself an amazing deal is by following some of the Twitter accounts or Instagram handles. You can check out the following pages to get yourself great deals:
- American Airlines goes by the name of @AmericanAir
- Delta Airlines goes by the name of @Delta
- Alaska Airlines goes by the handle @AlaskaAir
- Frontier Airlines goes by the handle of @FlyFrontier
With the aforementioned tricks, you can ensure that you do not have to burn a hole in your pocket due to a flying emergency. Ensure that you get the best last-minute offers and you are able to fly hassle-free.
Read More:
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I always find cheap flights and after getting this blog, I think this will be very helpful to me for money saving.
Really appreciate you sharing this blog post!