7 Flight Booking Hacks

Bad news guys. DCA planned to increase 10 times from the current fees, Malaysia air tickets expected to increase, A LOT, in the near future. And here’s some solutions to it. (It is also useful even if the price does not hike. Bookmark this page now!)

1. Book Your Ticket Months Before 

It’s better to book your air tickets 3 to 4 months in advance to get the better price. So, you should understand your schedule very well before booking an air ticket.
What you can do: As soon as you enrolled to a class, you will have an academic calendar. Bring forward the calendar and ask your lecturer before you book a flight back to hometown. In that case, the lecturer will know about your schedule and be more lenient if you missed a sudden event that day. PS: YOU MUST ATTEND FINAL EXAM!

2. The Best Day To Fly

We all know Fridays and Sundays are the most popular days to fly. The less popular days are actually Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays, because, for most people, they have to sacrifice their vacation days. As a student, you have a benefit of having flexibility in choosing the departure date. Choose the one that you are more comfortable with. ;)
What you can do: Check when are the final exam ends and schedule it AFTER the final exam. Double check if there are any festivals happening during that period of time.

3. The Best Time To Depart

Best time to fly is between 5am and 7am or after 8pm. Not many people want to sacrifice their morning sleeping time and they don’t want to reach the destination late either.
What you can do: Calculate your flight hour and choose between waking up early in the morning or reach the destination late at night. Make sure you have ways to reach the airport on time for your departure and you have someone to pick you up from the airport!

4. Clear Your Browser’s Cookies Before Booking

I know some of you might bookmark a page and keep refreshing it every time, hoping the price will drop someday. DON’T! It’ll actually make it more expensive! Airline websites use a technique called “dynamic pricing” to help track your search. The prices change based on demand and conditions, whereby you keep refreshing it, you’ll create more demand to the destination and hence, it’ll increase the price.
What you can do: Go to “incognito mode,” or best, clear your search history and your cookies every time you browse or to check air ticket.

5. Compare Different Airlines

With the advancement of the internet, it’s easier to check and book for air tickets from different airlines. Check and compare different pricing at different websites. You might get a better pricing and better departure time other than the one you usually go for.
What you can do: Go to Google Flight (https://www.google.com.my/flights/) or ITA Software Matrix (http://matrix.itasoftware.com/) to check all the flight websites at a glance.

6. Try The One-Stop Flight

A non-stop flight is the most convenient, hence more expensive. If it’s not too long, try to look for flights with at least one stop in between. It might not be very convenient, but it does help you to save more!
What you can do: Cut it loose when you are applying the filter, open to more flight options and check for the cheapest.

7. Subscribe/Follow Airlines’ Social Media Account

Airlines release their promotions at their social media account. Get notification every time they are planning to have a promotion! Sign-up to their website for free and enjoy the member privilege.

What you can do: Subscribe their newsletter and follow them on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LINE, Snapchat etc. Create an account and be their member. :)

Do you have other tips to share? Comment below!

Disclaimer:

1. These tips are only for your reference. DO NOT force yourself to get the cheapest deal if it’s not convenient for you at all.
2. It is important that you should attend your class activities and most importantly, the FINAL EXAM. Having cheap air ticket on your exam day is never an excuse to miss the exam.