With the increase in travel among Indians, especially air travel, the one question that everyone has is to minimise their spends on flight tickets. Flight tickets are notoriously priced, with a spike in searches, leading to an increase in prices. There are several portals that aid with booking tickets and each of these portals have a different price for air tickets. By comparing prices for your chosen flights on different destinations, you can find the best flight deal.
You can find out the best deal for your flight tickets by comparing rates across different portals. These portals act as aggregators and find the cheapest flight price across different websites. You can then choose the website which offers you the best deal and book your tickets.
Comparing flights takes a little bit of skill, but once you know how to compare flights, you can plan vacations with ease. Here is a checklist of how to compare flight prices.
- Find a trusted aggregator website. Examples of some aggregators are Google Flights, IRCTC Air, Momondo, SmartBuy by HDFC, Kayak, etc.
- Decide on your travel dates. Keep your travel dates flexible by 2 or 3 days. Sometimes the best deal can be found by slightly changing your dates. For example, travelling on Monday morning is more expensive than on Sunday evening. Booking a midweek flight can be much cheaper than a Friday flight.
- Flight aggregators usually give an option of different websites with the prices charged on those. You can compare flight rates and pick out the best website. Sometimes, directly booking from the airline’s website will give you the best deal. Some travel websites for flights picked up by aggregators are Yatra, MakeMyTrip, ClearTrip, Expedia, etc.
- Be sure to consider the convenience fee charged by different websites and portals. The convenience fee charged depends upon each website. For example, airlines usually charge Rs. 200-Rs. 300 per ticket, per sector as convenience fees. Private websites, on the other hand, charge a higher rate. IRCTC Air, owned by the Railways, charges 60 as convenience fee per transaction. Not every aggregator will show you the ticket prices with the convenience fees. However, SmartBuy by HDFC shows a ticket price charged by the airline and the convenience fees charged by the portal so you can make an informed choice.
- Different websites tie up with different banks to offer discounts on flight bookings. Factor in these discounts when you compare flights. Sometimes the final price can be lowered because of coupons. Some aggregators already apply coupons while checking out, for example, SmartBuy by HDFC automatically applies any coupon related to HDFC Bank.
Want to know the best platforms to compare flights? Click here to know.
So, the next time you are planning a vacation, use this checklist to compare flight prices for different airlines and snag the best deal.
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* Terms and conditions apply. The information provided in this article is generic in nature and for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for specific advice in your own circumstances.
