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The advantage of booking flight tickets way in advance

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yolanda-saayman in Botswana,, Kenya,, Lesotho,, Malawi,, Mauritius,, Mozambique,, Namibia,, Other,, Rwanda,, Seychelles,, South Africa,, Swaziland,, Tanzania,, Uganda,, Zambia,, Zimbabwe,, Travel Tips,,
August 23rd, 2011 at 11:16am
Tags: Budget,, Flights,

A recent article in the Travel Mole (10 August) pointed out that last minute air travelers pay twice as much than those who book well in advance.   

This is one fact I can confirm as booking flight tickets in advance, has always paid off for me. 

In February this year I monitored the flight availability on Virgin Atlantic for a trip I am planning to Cuba in 2012.  As soon as the flights opened, I booked my seats - 330 days in advance.  Those fares have never been available again.  In fact since I booked my seats, airfares and airport taxes have increased dramatically.

Ever wondered why those rock bottom cheapies never seem to be available when you want to book them?  Maybe you were holding out for that "possible" seat sale or just maybe waited too long to secure them.  Airlines need to make money, so they only allocate a few seats at those rock bottom fares.  The term they use is "yield management."  So they cannot, according to their budget and forecasts, release more seats at those fares.

The moral of the story:  Seat Sales are great, but they cannot be guaranteed.  Book well in advance to secure what you see on television, in the news papers and on-line.  That way, you will never be disappointed.

 

 

  

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Recent Comments

  • 1: 

    Thank you for this helpful information…. smile

    Professional Expert
    ashley
    August 23rd, 2011 at 11:29am

  • 2: 

    Thank you Yolanda, for correcting the misconception that it’s better less costly to wait as long as possible to flights, that a last minute flight booking special/deal will apply.

    Professional Expert
    monique
    August 23rd, 2011 at 12:24pm

  • 3: 

    Apologies - I see I’ve typed too fast & my pc could not keep up with me - LOL! I meant to say:
    “Thank you Yolanda, for correcting the misconception that it’s better AND less costly to wait as long as possible to BOOK flights, HOPING that a last minute flight booking special/deal will apply.”

    Professional Expert
    monique
    August 23rd, 2011 at 12:27pm

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