Sneaky hacks airlines don’t want you to know about

OUTSMARTING the airlines to get cheap international plane tickets is easy if you know these travel hacks. Bon voyage.

If a flight to Paris with a stopover in Hong Kong is cheaper than a flight to Hong Kong, just don’t get back on the plane. Simple.

BOOKING flights is easily one of the least fun parts of planning a holiday.

It’s expensive (especially for Aussies), tedious and it’s tough to know if you’re getting a good deal — or if you’re being massively ripped off.

But luckily, there are a growing number of tricks savvy travellers are using which are almost guaranteed to make booking a flight cheaper and easier.

Here are some of the best.

1. THE HIDDEN CITY HACK

My partner and I discovered this one by accident recently. While planning a trip to South America, we noticed that flights from Sydney to Santiago, Chile were quite expensive, while flights from Sydney to São Paulo, Brazil (with a stopover in Santiago) were much cheaper.

In a light bulb moment, we wondered what would happen if we simply didn’t board our flight from Santiago to São Paulo — and the answer is nothing, because it’s actually a little-known but long-established traveller’s trick known as the Hidden City hack.

Either way you get to Santiago — Just don’t check your luggage through the Sao Paulo!

If you are planning on using this hack though, do it sparingly — it’s not illegal, but it is frowned upon by airlines. Extra tip: make sure your bags get off the plane with you, and note that any further flights on the same booking will be cancelled by the airline as soon as you’re a no-show.

2. BUY A FLEXI FARE

These days, some airlines won’t let you board your flight without proof of an onward flight. That’s fine when all you are doing is flying into a country and then flying out again at the end of your trip, but what about those of us who haven’t booked our next flight yet, or people planning to travel between countries overland or via ferries?

Enter the Flexi Fare hack. Many airlines have developed a flexible, fully-refundable ticket option which lets you reserve an onward flight under your name. You can then cancel it whenever you want, free of charge — but make sure you check the terms and conditions carefully.

3. USE HACKER FARES

The term “hacker fares” means purchasing two or more separate one-way flights from different airlines to complete your journey, instead of buying one roundtrip from the same company — which is sometimes much more expensive.

If that sounds like too much hard work, check out a website like Kayak.com.au. They’ll track down the hacker fares for you, in the same time it takes for you to do a normal flight search.

4. TRAVEL ON THE RIGHT DAYS

Flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are often cheaper because they may mean travellers are wasting precious annual leave. If you’re willing and able to travel midweek, you can save serious coin as it’s in the airline’s best interest to drop fares to fill seats during off-peak periods.

Travel on a busy day and not only will your fare be more expensive, you risk getting put in the middle seat. Ugh.

5. BOOK FROM A FAKE LOCATION

The cost of the same flight can vary depending on what country you are booking from — so using a fake “point of sale” can be a smart option. You can do this easily by using an airline’s local site instead of the Australian version, or by faking your IP address to make it look like you are a local resident of another country.

These easy hacks will help you outsmart the airlines and save you a wad of cash — which can then be spent on cocktails and souvenir shopping once you arrive.

Bon voyage.

Alexis Carey is currently travelling the word for a year with her fiance. You can follow her travels on Instagram @the_gap_year