10 Tips for Getting Cheap Flights in the Summer

When it comes to putting together an amazing trip, everyone’s always on the lookout for great flight deals. Plane tickets can take up a huge chunk of your travel budget if you haven’t done a little planning beforehand. Thankfully, we’ve got some pointers on how you can keep your airfare from soaring. Here are 10 ways for you to get cheap flights in the summer.

Also read: 12 Things You Should Never Wear on a Plane

Your guide to finding cheap summer airfare

1. Be flexible with your destination

Here’s an unavoidable fact: some destinations cost more to fly to than others. This can be due to a number of different reasons. You might be flying somewhere with a stronger currency, your destination might be really far away, or you’re travelling during peak season. Being flexible with where you’d like to travel can help you skip some of these issues to enjoy cheap summer flights.

For example, you’re looking to escape to a tropical paradise. A flight from Singapore to the Maldives would definitely take a big bite out of your wallet when compared to somewhere closer — such as the Philippines. Both places have stunning beaches for the perfect summer vacation, but one will be markedly cheaper than the other.

Also read: 15 Best Beaches in Asia for Summer Travel

2. Go for budget airlines

If you’re someone who isn’t overly concerned about a luxe flying experience, then budget airlines are a godsend when it comes to scoring cheap summer flights. No matter where you’re flying from, it’s highly likely that your country has its own budget airline service. These flights are usually no-frills, and might not come with all the comforts of a standard airline. But they’re still a safe, reliable, and budget-friendly way of reaching your destination without breaking the bank.

Here are five examples of budget airlines besides AirAsia and Scoot:

1. Norwegian Air Shuttle
2. Jetstar Asia
3. Flynas
4. EasyJet
5. IndiGo

3. Use flight aggregators

You may have heard about the fact that booking a flight on certain days will get you cheaper fares compared to other days. While this is marginally true, it’s not exactly a reliable method. What you can use, however, are flight aggregators. These websites will help compile the cheap summer flights you need, and compare them to get you the cheapest one of all.

So, if you’ve been manually checking your airfares this entire time, here’s a useful shortcut. One of the more popular flight aggregators is Google Flights, but you can also use SkyScanner, Kayak, or Momondo. These websites will allow you to set your desired price range, the number of layovers you’re willing to accept, your choice of connecting airports, and more.

Another useful feature of flight aggregators to help you find cheap summer airfare is the fact that you can use these to set price alerts. These alerts will come in handy especially if you’re planning a summer vacation that’s rather far away in the future.

4. Don’t always fly direct

On average, airfares for flights with layovers are cheaper when compared to non-stop flights. This is mostly because of demand. Travellers tend to prefer flying non-stop because it gets them to their destination faster, and disruptions are less likely. So, if you’re looking for cheap travel this summer, then a non-direct flight is the way to go.

With a little cursory research on Google Flights, I found that a nonstop flight from Singapore to London costs around S$3,300. After making some adjustments and including layovers in the search filter, I found another flight with a layover of slightly over an hour. However, the price was drastically reduced to just S$1,570. Of course, this is just an example to show you that non-direct flying can indeed result in cheaper ticket prices.

5. Use points or miles

Pretty much every airline in the world will offer you some form of miles or travel points. For all your frequent fliers out there, this is yet another way to enjoy cheap summer flights. Not only can points be used to earn free flights (if you have enough), but certain airline companies also let you use them for hotel bookings and rideshare credits.

So, even if you don’t fly very often, it’s always better to sign up for that rewards program. You never know when you might need it in a pinch.

6. Search for ticket prices as individual travellers

Are you planning to travel in a group with family, or friends? There’s another useful tip for getting cheap summer flights, and it’s a pretty simple one too: Avoid searching for or buying all your tickets within a single purchase.

Airlines have plenty of different price points for their ticket purchases. Most of them want to sell tickets in the highest fare bucket possible. Imagine yourself buying tickets for five people. Out of the five seats you need, let’s say the most expensive one is S$100. If you’re booking those five seats together, the airline will pin all five seats to the highest price point, which is S$100, even if the remaining four seats cost less. 

If you add up the difference, that’ll be a lot of extra money spent just because you’ve made a group purchase. Always search for and purchase tickets as an individual traveller. Once the checkout process is complete, you can pick your seats to be with your family or friends. And even if you can’t sit together, you’ve still saved a good amount of money.

7. Bypass main airports

Here’s another tip you can try for cheap travel this summer. When you’re booking those flight tickets, try selecting a secondary airport as your landing destination. Most countries in the world have a single airport that’s considered to be the nation’s “main” airport. 

This is most often the largest, fanciest flying establishment that’s present. For the sake of discussion, let’s say you’re planning to spend your summer vacation in Tokyo. Tokyo’s most popular, and busiest airport is Haneda Airport. However, you can also land at Narita Airport, which is the second-busiest. 

Now, there may not be a drastic difference in airfare, or any at all. But this is another strategy that you can add to your cheap summer flights playbook, and attempt it when possible.

8. Consider land travel (when applicable)

If time is on your side, consider a little land travel instead of flying all the way. There are a few destinations around the world where this tip is perfectly applicable, especially if you’re planning to visit Europe. Let’s say you’d like to spend your summer in London.

Don’t fly there directly. Book a ticket to Paris instead. Once you’re there, take the train to London instead. Since you can travel pretty quickly and easily between most of Europe by rail, you could get cheaper tickets by flying to a nearer location, and then travelling by land to your chosen destination.

Also read: 10 Best European Countries That Won’t Break the Bank

9. Book two one-way tickets

Believe it or not, it’s actually a little cheaper to book two one-way tickets when you’re travelling, instead of booking a return trip as well. Sometimes, booking a one-way flight can save you a little money. Again, just remember that airlines can have a very specific way of pricing things, so there’s no harm in trying your luck with this method to get cheap summer flights.

Also read: This Airplane Seating Tool Lets You Pick the Best Plane Seats

10. Try booking in a foreign currency

This final method for cheap summer flights is a little more on the edge. But in the right circumstances, it just might work. Most airline or aggregator sites prefer that you pay for tickets in your own currency or an international currency that’s accepted at your destination of choice.

However, if the country you’re planning on visiting has a weaker currency than your own, it’s worth trying to find out if you can book your flight tickets in said foreign currency. That way, you’ll be able to get significantly cheaper airfare. Remember, you’ll need a credit card to try out this method.

Also read: Real-Life Flight Attendants Share Their Top Pet Peeves About Fliers

The mercurial nature of airfares during the summer season means that no one particular method might work. Instead, try using as many of them as possible at the same time. That’s right, if you combine all these tips, you’ll have much better odds of scoring cheaper airfare for your next big summer trip. But, don’t just take my word for it. Give it a try! 

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