Top tips for bagging the best flight bargains

Looking to bag a flight bargain? Look no further, Cheapflights.co.uk have given us their philosophy on finding the best fares on the web.

1. Shop around - Naturally, Cheapflights.co.uk is a good, independent place to start with more than one million deals compiled from both online and offline travel agents, meta-search engines, consolidators and airlines.

2. Flexibility is key - If you can keep your options open, you’ll often get a better deal. If you can book early you can often get cheaper fares. If you are willing to go anywhere – then book late and you’ll always find a great destination to fly to!

3. Don’t suffer misconceptions – Surprisingly, going directly to the airline won’t always afford you the best price! Smaller regional operators may have a seat allocation on the same plane that they can offer you for a better rate. Similarly specialist tour operators aren’t always more expensive Journey Latin America and Canadian Affair can often source you the best deals due to their extensive contact base.

4. Don’t rule out the traditional carriers either - The raft of low-cost airlines out there has forced traditional airlines to become competitive. Several traditional airlines still offer benefits such as allocated seating, in-flight service and more flexible flying times.

5. Compare apples with apples – Some airlines display prices inclusive of taxes and surcharges while others add them in at the end, although many are now being more transparent with their pricing. Also, consider what else is included – benefits such as choosing your seat and in-flight meals may be more attractive to some than a rock-bottom price.

6. Don’t be traditional with your airports - Consider flying to or from a nearby or secondary airport to save money.

7. Patience – we all know how frustrating searching can be but the savings could be worth it.

In addition to our great tips on bagging a bargain we have lots of useful tools on the cheapflights.co.uk site to help you further such as our handpicked deals page.

The blog site (news.cheapflights.co.uk) is updated several times a day with essential travel news, seat sales and special offers.

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Happy hunting!