Is that flight deal actually a good deal?
Continuing our series of travel booking tips, we’re teaching how to know if the flight deal you found is actually a good deal. Many sites out there blast you with so-called “deals” but unless you know your way around the ins-and-outs of flight pricing, you can easily get fooled. Today, we cover that scenario with some helpful tips.
Know average pricing before booking a flight deal
It’s always a good rule of thumb to know what an average flight costs. Many of the travel deal sites out there are blasting you with “crazy” deals to exotic international locations, but without context you can get excited about what is actually just a regular price. Here’s a short list of what we consider “good” prices from the US for economy cabins. Keep in mind, the “great” deals are even less than this!
- Mexico — $250 or less
- Caribbean — $350 or less
- Europe — $600 or less
- Australia — $1,000 or less
- Asia — $1,000 or less
- Hawaii — $500 or less
Think about seasonality when booking a flight deal
Do you want to be in Thailand during monsoon season, even if you can get a flight deal for $400? We personally would avoid it, but you should absolutely double-check seasonality for any flight deal. Here are a few things to think about before you book.
- Weather — monsoons, hot temps, or freezing your butt off could be on your itinerary if you aren’t careful.
- Crowds — do you want to be stuck on the beach with 100s of others because it’s spring break?
- Safety — check trusted news sources or government websites for safety levels at each exotic location.
Watch out for low-cost carriers and their fees on flight deals
Airlines like Norwegian and WOW are making headlines with their discount rates to get to Europe. You can consistently find deals under $500, sometimes under $300, to Europe from the US. However, they’re similar to our domestic airlines Spirit and Frontier with their pricing structure and add-on fees for just about everything. If you’re not careful, you’ll quickly add on a ton of extra fees and erase your deal.
Here are some examples of fees with WOW Airlines. A $350 flight deal could easily rise to $512 if you want to pick a seat and take bags.
- Seat assignment fee — $3 or more — you have to pay to even pick a seat!
- Carry-on bag fee — $29 or more — you have to pay to take a bag on board, and you can only take ONE!
- Checked bag fee — $49 or more — watch out, because you can only take one bag on board.
Be sure to add the total cost of fees for baggage and seat selection if you plan to use these features on your flight. If you’re willing to travel without many bags or sit in a random seat, then these deals can be an excellent way to get to your favorite destination at a great price.
Let Simple Trips super power your trip
We hope you find these tips for finding great flights valuable. If you find a flight deal and you want to see if it’s the best price out there, get in touch with us. If you need help planning and booking the rest of your trip, Simple Trips is here for you. Alternatively, if you want us to find a few flight deals for you — let us know.
We want everyone to be able to have the best experience when it comes to planning trips, booking travel, and having support during your trip. Simple Trips makes that easy. Get in touch with us to learn how Simple Trips can make a difference for you.
