 The Discount Airline Tickets
The ambitious traveller of yesteryear would often just arrive at an airport and jump on the next available flight. This was by far the best way to find both national & cheap international tickets. But of course, most people do not have the luxury of such a flexible timetable as the solitary, usually unattached, traveller. Alas, such opportunist methods of getting that cheap airticket have long gone since airlines have streamlined their businesses as rivalry increased tremendously over the years. There aren't many vacanct seats on today's flights, especially those low international airfares, which are usually booked up well ahead of departure date.
So the old saying that 'you only get what you pay for' certainly has no expectations in air travel unless you get a surprised free upgrade offered at check in, or a last minute cancellation has gotten you a real bargain. But for the rest of them, the cheap airticket will give you those no thrills cheap air fare deals, where you have to put up with the worst in air travel experience. For those of you trying to fly long haul on a shoestring, think again…
When I managed to secure a cheap airticket from South East Asia to London's Heathrow Airport, I couldn't believe my luck and thought I'd managed the art of digging out cheap air fare deals to a tee. Wrong! No, no wrong about the cheap part, but wrong about the deal. There was nothing 'deal' about this ticket at all, and one could even use the word torturous with some confidence.
First stop Calcutta India. All passengers were ordered off the plane and made to sit in a tiny hot room for 2 hours without as much as a glass of water or a fan between us. After take off, down again we came, this time in Abu Dhabi for 3 hours. Up and down we cam again, this time in Romania for 4 hours and a change of plane. After arriving at London's Heathrow (eventually), it was announced that all the luggage had gone missing en route.
That cheap airticket gave me a grand saving of £140 sterling on a long haul flight. In hindsight, which is always a wonderful thing, discounted seats with third rate airlines are not worth all the stress or the inconvenience, especially if you have the money and are just penny pinching for the sake of it. In future, the best way to get cheap air fare deals on long haul flight, is simply to book as far in advance as you can, because the less seats they have remaining, the higher the price goes.
Despite this economic recession of 2009 and probably beyond, there are now, and will continue to be, plenty of cheap air fare deals around and the cheap airticket is going nowhere. Having said that, it might require a little more work trying to dig them out. Short hall will always be less expensive than long haul flights, but as mentioned above, it's very possible to get some fantastic low international airfares when booked early. Not much help for the last minute opportunist traveler granted, but it’s the only way to play the long haul game.
It was only 7 or 8 years ago (pre 9/11), when budget travellers and bargain hunters could more or less take the cheap airticket for granted, be that for low international airfares of discounted seats on short haul flights. Then shortly after 911 tens of thousands of people were so afraid to fly, and we probably saw the cheap plane fare hit an all time low until folks begain confident enough to take to the skies once again.
Sadly, due to the financial crises this past 18 months or so, a lot of good budget airlines have gone out of business. Fewer airlines would normally mean less competition and consequently not such an abundance of heavily discounted seats on offer. But because every airline is struggling to fill its seats due to less people travelling, the cheap airticket continues to be promoted. Low international airfares are in abundance too, especially when booked well in advance. The downside to all of this of course, is that even with so many bargains to be had, many of us can't or won't travel due to a failing and uncertain global recession.
Who's to be your favourite booking agency for best airline deals in 2010? Booking with Thomas Cook still takes some beating in the UK who claim to offer cheap flights to worldwide destinations with all the favourite airlines, but there are others, and as mentioned earlier in this article, there is going to be even more competition as we pull out of this global economic recession. The gut feeling is that the latter part of 2010 is going to be a good year for discount airline tickets to all destinations.
So folks, let's summarise then. The cheap airticket is still around despite the current economic climate but with fewer airlines to choose from, it does take longer to find them. As always, the earlier you plan your trip, the better the bargains to be had, and although the last minute seats are still around guaranteeing low international airfares, it's more of a gamble holding on to the end than it was in the boom times. For some the finding that cheap plane fare is all part of the adventure, but for others securing cheap air fare deals means the difference between taking a trip, or not taking a trip. Happy travelling! |
