If there is one fundamental difference between the cost of domestic flights and international flights it is the fact that far too many customers end up paying too much for the latter, despite the obvious point that you are paying to travel further.
There are plenty of smart ways to try and bring down the cost of flights such as using resources like Goibibo coupons and knowing how to use some savvy tactics to try and get a sensible price and enjoy a hefty discount off the standard airfare.
Location matters
The cost of international airfares can vary dramatically depending on where you book your flight from, which means that in order to access a cheap fare you might have to try a few tricks.
The price can often go up or down based on where you are booking your flight from, so if you are planning on taking an internal flight when you get to another country, you will probably find that the price quoted is much lower if the system thinks you are booking an internal flight from within the country itself rather than booking from where your original starting point elsewhere in the world.
Choose the city where you are first headed to as your sales city and then see how the price often drops for a domestic flight sale compared to booking the flight from your country of origin.
You could also try booking in the local currency as that can also sometimes trigger a discount if the sales system thinks you are a domestic customer rather than an international traveler.
Best time to book
This is not an exact science but it does seem that the optimum time for booking your ticket and getting the airfare is about six weeks before the departure date.
This window of opportunity makes sense as sooner and the airline knows you definitely want to book and doesn’t need to offer the steepest discount so soon before the departure date and any sooner, the same rules apply to a certain extent.
About 45 days before your intended flight date is generally considered the best time to book, so remember this strategy when trying to get a good deal.
Dynamic pricing
Browser cookies are helpful in many ways for saving you the effort of repeating yourself when making a search, but it seems that a strategy used by airlines called dynamic pricing, could mean that the cookies work against you.
This means that the price of the ticket can change based on demand and conditions, so refreshing the browser to check the rates could work against you because it is giving information to the airlines that could result in the price rising rather than falling.
The best way to avoid dynamic pricing working against you is to clear your search history and cookies regularly so that the airline treats you like a new customer and doesn’t know what you have searched for before, which it could use against you to create a price based on demand.
Other tips to consider include flying midweek, as Tuesdays and Wednesdays can often work out cheaper for flights, and if you are prepared to fly between 5 am and 7 am, you might be rewarded for your early start with a cheaper airfare.
Use some of these smart ways to book your flights and you should be able to keep your costs under the radar.
Teresa P. Gallagher has many years of experience in the travel industry. She is pleased to offer her insights to a wider audience online. Her previous postings can be located on a number of websites.