How to score yourself cheap international airfare deals
JETSETTERS planning their overseas jaunts can save hundreds of dollars on airfares by carefully choosing their first travel destination.
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JETSETTERS planning overseas European jaunts can save hundreds of dollars on airfares by carefully choosing their first arrival point into the popular continent.
Exclusive new research compiled by travel website Expedia found travellers looking to cut their airfares costs need to buck the trend and choose less popular airports to fly into.
And with many people looking to plan European trips in 2017, airlines are hungry for new bookings.
Rather than doing what most travellers do and fly straight into London, their analysis shows Aussies are better off kickstarting their holidays in other major cities to save money.
For an adult return economy fare into London the average cost is $2218, for Frankfurt it’s $2020, Paris it’s $2120 and Amsterdam it’s $2208.
Instead of choosing London as the starting point of a holiday, jetsetters would be better making their first stop off in cities including Venice (this equates to saving of 12 per cent at $1980), Hamburg $1982, Milan $1957 and Budapest $1921.
These calculations are based on Australian flights for travel periods between January and September this year.
Expedia’s managing director of Australia and New Zealand, Michael Pearson, says with some careful planning you can make significant savings.
“The average flight is about $2200 but you can fly into some of these second-tier airports in mainland Europe for as little as $1600,’’ he says.
“One of the main reasons with the airlines managing their yields is that they look at the supply and demand from of all of the markets that feed their network.
“For Australians who are travelling quite a distance from Europe, the airlines will price differently and try and fill those seats up in advance.’’
Qantas executive manager of global sales development Stephen Limbrick says an easy way to save on travel costs is if you’re flexible with your itinerary.
“Booking well in advance of travel, selecting a flight that departs in the middle of the week and at an off-peak travel time are just some of the ways our customers can secure great fares for their next international or domestic flight,’’ he says.
“Travel agents also provide great advice ... they can share really good insights and talk to their personal experience getting the most out of seasonal periods, codeshare options and can also help find package deals that suit the type of travel that you want to do.”
Some of the most popular destinations in Europe for Aussie travellers include London, Paris, Rome, Athens, Dublin, Amsterdam, Manchester, Frankfurt and Barcelona.
Originally published as How to score yourself cheap international airfare deals
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