How to find the best deals on airfares

WE look at flight comparison sites and agency sites such as Expedia and Webjet to give you the best tips for finding flight deals.

Flight booking saving escape

WE look at flight comparison sites and agency sites such as Expedia and Webjet to give you the best tips for finding flight deals.

Who flies where

Before attempting to book flights, you'll need to know where airlines fly and from which airport.

The best site for this is getflight.com.au, which provides an encyclopedic overview of airline destinations. Maps are used, which is much easier than scrolling through lists.

By clicking on the drop-down menu, you can choose the Australian airport you wish to fly from. The choice of worldwide destinations will be displayed on a map, but you can also choose the region to where you are intending to fly. A useful and time-saving website.

Comparing prices

Price comparison websites are the best ways to find deals.

As an example, I looked at a return flight on the Brisbane to Sydney route, departing on a Thursday and returning a week later. All the flight comparison sites came up with Tiger Airways as the cheapest, at $134.90.

On the three travel agency sites I looked at, the best-value flight was $175.None of these prices included any hold luggage. Tiger Airways charges $15 for 15kg and $17.50 for 20kg, while Jetstar is $13.50 for 15kg and $16 for 20kg. 

Flight comparison sites included all the airlines that fly to Sydney. Agency sites were less comprehensive and had only some of the airlines.

skyscanner.net

This is a popular, well laid-out site. and gives you the option to search for hotels and car hire. It compares prices, times and airlines.

The option of flying out with one airline and flying back with another is available. If you don't like flying with a particular airline, you can de-select it from the search options and choose your preferred airlines to compare. The site displayed a Tiger fare for $134.90.

It also has a smartphone application so you can search for the cheapest fare on the move.

momondo.com

A well-organised website, recently upgraded, that gives a graph of the cheapest times of the year to travel.

The best price is displayed first.

The skyscanner.net site shows the price you will pay once all the airline charges have been added on. Momondo quotes $120 with Tiger Airways however, once directed to the Tiger Airways site, the price goes up to $134.90.

The lesson is to check what's included in the quoted price.

kayak.com

Easy to use with an uncluttered design.

Comparing agencies is a feature on this site. By clicking on the sites you want to compare, it opens up a new window for direct bookings. The choices are Expedia, Travelocity, Cheapoair and OneTravel.

It gives you the option to refine your search to the airlines that share flights, such as Oneworld, Star Alliance and Sky Team. This is useful, as you can look for flights that will enable you to gain points on frequent flyer accounts.

Like the Momondo site, it gives you the basic price without add-ons you would have to pay more once you transferred to Tiger Airways.

It also quoted a more expensive price for a Virgin Australia flight from Brisbane to Sydney on Kayak.com it was $236 but the airline's site quoted only $227.

Agency sites

Unlike flight comparison sites, you can book directly on agency sites.

Sites such as these can be useful as they can put together packages including hotels and car hire. Many offer holiday insurance, which can save time if you are booking a last-minute holiday package. When booking through these sites, be careful to look for the add-ons, as they can be quite expensive.

expedia.com.au

One of the best-known online agencies, Expedia has an array of search options, such as flights, hotels, car hire and activities. Once you choose the flight, you can add hotels and car hire to your package. Like some of the flight comparison sites, the price quoted at the start is not the same as what you pay.

As with many of the agency sites, it has add-ons with taxes and fees. The initial price on Jetstar was $158 but it went up to $175 with add-ons. The option to add bus tours, surfing lessons and other adventures is available, which will all be charged under one payment.

A good comprehensive site but it is let down by the add-ons.

zuji.com.au

Compared with others, this site looks messy. The endless advertisements are a distraction.

After searching your designated flight route, the cheapest deal comes up at the top in a separate box. This site has a limited selection of airlines (Virgin Australia and Qantas) for this route, with Jetstar and Tiger Airways not listed.

The cheapest price on Brisbane-Sydney return was $218 (Virgin Australia) including all taxes and fees. Overall it was a bit disappointing. Getting to the payment page can take a long time, as it gives you options on separate pages for hotels and car hire.

webjet.com.au

Another site that fails to give the full and final pricing initially. The fare for the Jetstar flight was $196.85 that is $28.85 more than it cost to buy direct from Jetstar. Agency sites are good for package holidays but when looking for flights only, use flight comparison sites to find the best deals.

Other tips

Fly off-peak

Travel midweek, out of school holidays or during unsociable hours and the price of flights falls considerably.

Book ahead

The closer you get to the departure date, the more expensive the flight. However, quiet times can see prices drop to entice bookings. Register with your intended airlines to keep up to date.

Hand luggage

All the prices quoted have been without hold luggage. Almost all budget airlines charge for hold luggage. So travelling with hand luggage only can save you money. If you do take hold luggage, check the airline's charges for breaching weight limits.

Hidden costs

Many agency sites have hidden costs and some try to add holiday insurance without you asking for it.