Choosing the Best Flights

Ok, so you've picked where you want to go, but how do you know what flight is best? There are so many airlines out there & so many options when traveling. There are a plethora of factors to consider when choosing what flight is "best" for you. The following steps are aimed to help you narrow down your options & pick the flight(s) that will be the most beneficial for your destination, wallet, & enjoyment.

Step 1: Budget

The biggest factor in choosing your flight is your budget. While we'd all love to fly Emirates First Class on every trip, dropping $17,000 for ONE WAY is just not in the cards for most of us (like 99.9% of us). Making a budget (with room to spare for unknowns) is essential for most travelers. You don't want to drop thousands of dollars on an amazing flight & then not have enough money for activities once at your destination or for accommodations that are above 1 star. So first off, decide what your budget for your trip is & then determine what percentage of that budget is for travel. Once you know what you have to spend on flights, start your research!

Step 2: Research

There are countless travel booking websites, so you need to prepare yourself to do some research before booking your flight. Most often, your destination will narrow your options for airlines since not all airlines travel the same routes. Personally, I always start with Kayak.com & then go from there. If I find a good deal on Kayak.com, I will then go directly to the airline's website & perform a search for the same flight. Many times, the airline will have a similar or better price. I find it safer to book directly through the airline if the price is the same (or within $10-$20) because you have more remedies with the airline in the event of a cancellation, schedule change, etc. than you will if you booked through a third party.

I also follow Secret Flying on social media. They are a great resource for flight deals! They have daily posts that show incredible deals. Many times they will post "error fare" deals in which they find flights where there is an error in price, but if you book quick enough, you score! I flew round trip to Lisbon, Portugal for $361 thanks to one of their posts. You can visit their website at www.secretflying.com.

In the event there are multiple options for roughly the same price, it pays to research the airline, the actual plane you'll be flying, & their baggage policies, on-board services, & on-board comfort. There are hundreds of travel bloggers like myself who offer tips/suggestions, but my go-to sites for reviews are The Points Guy & One Mile at a Time. Both sites offer great reviews on the physical aircraft, the services, comfort level, & the airline's policies. It's always helpful to read first-hand knowledge & see traveler's pictures for a full understanding of what you're booking.

Step 3: Round-Trip vs. Two One-Way Tickets

When booking your flight it is typical to just search for a round-trip ticket to and from your destination. Most times this will give you the best deal. However, I recommend always doing an additional search for two one-way flights. Often times you can find two individual one-way tickets on different airlines that will be cheaper overall than the round-trip ticket on the same airline. Kayak will often do this for you when showing you their results.

If you're using points/miles to book your flights (more on that in future post), you may find you don't have enough points/miles for a round-trip on one airline. You may find that you have enough points/miles for a one-way ticket on one airline and enough points/miles for a one-way ticket on another airline. If this is the case, book two separate flights. All that matters is getting to and from your destination, it doesn't matter what airline. Not to mention, this is a great way to try out different airlines and experience different products.

Step 4: Picking the Right Airport

In many big cities in both the United States & internationally, there are multiple airports from which to choose. In cities like New York & Washington, DC, there are 3 airports within the metropolitan area. In places like London & Paris you will also see multiple airports, but it is crucial to pay attention to where each is located. For example, when flying to Washington, DC, you might see a great price to fly into BWI. However, it is worth noting that BWI is 45 miles from downtown DC. Taxis or other car services can add up quickly if your airport is far from your hotel. There may be public transportation as an option, so always check before booking.

Step 5: Schedules

Picking the best flight often means picking the best flight schedule. Most hotels & Airbnb locations do not allow check-in until 3:00 pm (sometimes earlier if you request ahead of time). So if you're landing at 9:00 am but you can't check into your hotel for 6 hours, you might find yourself dragging around luggage or fighting to stay awake if you didn't get sleep on the flight. If you are renting a car in your destination, this is an easy solution to the problem. However, if you're in a destination in which you're relying solely on public transportation/taxis, you might not want 6 hours of wait time. Likewise, most hotels have a check-out time of 12:00 pm, so if your flight doesn't leave until 10:00 pm, you will need to plan accordingly.

Step 6: In-flight Experience

I hate to say it, but US carriers do not really hold up against most foreign carriers. Just one example: I flew economy on Bangkok Airways from Bangkok, Thailand to Siem Reap, Cambodia, which was a 35 minute flight. On that 35 minute flight, we received a FULL MEAL! In the US, a 35 minute flight barely gets you a drink. You don't even get a full meal on cross-country flights in the US & those are 5-6 hours long.

In-flight experience can turn a flight from basic to amazing & can go from good to horrible very easily. If you are spending your money (or miles/points) & going to be sitting in a metal tube for several hours, you want to enjoy it as much as you can. The little things on board can make all the difference. From the width of the seat, the amount of leg room, wifi, food/beverage options, & amenity kits, your in-flight experience is very important when choosing your flight. Seat back TV screens as opposed to the drop down screen every few rows can make a world of difference on a long flight. It's much better to choose your own movie than be stuck with what the plane plays!

Step 7: How to Pay

You may read that & think "Ummmm with money?" Yes, money is the most common way to book flights, but there are other options! Using miles or points is a great way to book travel & save money to use at your destination. Not only can you save actual cash for spending on other aspects of your trip, but many times the value of the miles/points used ends up being cheaper than paying cash for the flight. You no longer have to fly like crazy to earn miles, you can earn miles & points with everyday purchases through credit cards. If every single dollar spent gets you an equal amount of miles/points why wouldn't you take advantage of that?! If you're spending cash & not getting anything in return, you're essentially losing cash.

***I'll be sharing a post soon with more information on how to earn miles/points through everyday spending.

Step 8: Booking

The standard rule of thumb (when paying cash) is 6 weeks prior to departure for domestic flights & 11 weeks prior to departure for international flights. Why this is the rule, I don't know, but it has been proven that these time frames will result in the best prices. So be sure to mark your calendar for 6 or 11 weeks prior & when the time comes, book it!

Obviously if you're out of the time frame or you find a great deal you can't pass up, then such is life. But following the steps above will help you find the "best" flight for you.

TIP: Be flexible! If you're willing to fly super early/late, you may find even better deals.