Earlybird Europe deals: How to score the best price

WANT to know the trick that scored a traveller a flight to London from Australia for $370? These expert tips are set to save you big bucks.

PICTURE the scene: you’re on the back of a vintage Vespa, zipping through the cobbled streets of Rome under a clear blue sky; or perhaps lounging on the deck of a catamaran, island-hopping around Croatia, stopping for occasional dips in the Adriatic Sea.

Whatever your fancy, the dream of a European summer break is one that’s shared by many. Unfortunately, given its popularity, a sunny sojourn on the Continent usually comes with an appropriately large price tag. But it doesn’t have to.

Enter early-bird season. The travel industry equivalent of Black Friday or the Boxing Day sales, during September and October, travellers can bag a bargain as major airlines and tour operators release their best value fares for the year ahead.

“Early-bird season is your opportunity to nab the best value of the year when it comes to European fares,” Flight Centre head of leisure travel Tom Walley says.

“We’ve tracked flight affordability comparative to income levels and, based on today’s average weekly full-time wage in Australia, you should be able to pick up an early-bird fare for travel in 2018 for about one week’s wage – the most affordable it has ever been.”

To cut through the sales jargon and make your holiday budget go further, read these 12 expert tips and tricks.

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Croatia is so hot right now.

HAVE YOUR FINGER ON THE PENNY PINCHER PULSE

No one likes a cluttered inbox, but if you want to be the first to know when sale fares are released, signing up for e-newsletters from airlines and search engines is the way to go.

“What you can also do is set price alerts,” Scoot country manager Jared Simcox says. “This is a system where you’ll get an email when an awesome fare is available for your travel dates.”

You can cut back on the deluge of never-ending deals (and the deluge in your email account) by monitoring the playing field via social media.

Airlines and agents will often announce deals through their socials first. It can pay dividends to be eagle-eyed as many of these flash fares are only available for 24 hours, which means if you aren’t always checking then you might miss out. Also, while early-bird season is just beginning, be aware that some airlines have already announced their deals outside of the traditional period. For example, China Southern released theirs last month, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled year-round.

KNOW THE BEST TIME TO BOOK

It’s definitely sooner rather than later – especially with more popular destinations where space fills up fast.

Booking as far in advance as possible not only gives you the chance to get the dates you want, but also extra savings. “Key to securing the best deal is booking early with some flexibility on your travel dates,” Flight Centre’s Tom Walley says.

“The most popular and competitive fares will sell out quickly so get your fares locked in asap. Most of the fares we have on offer now will expire before the end of this year.”

According to research from Skyscanner, bookings are cheapest from late August to early September the year before. And while saving cash is your mantra during early-bird season, if it’s a bucket-list trip then don’t linger, advises Uniworld and U by Uniworld managing director Fiona Dalton. “Don’t wait, as you can’t guarantee what you want down the track will be available, and if it is, usually it won’t be cheaper.”

The Rijksmuseum museum in Amsterdam is a popular tourist destination Picture: Istock

BE FLEXIBLE

Ultimately, when finding affordable airfares, the key is flexibility and this starts with dates. You may long to wander the balmy streets of Paris under a starry sky, but so does everyone else; if you’re going to fly when everyone else is, then be prepared to pay for it.

To make your dollar go a lot further, Wotif.com travel expert Amanda Behre suggests avoiding the peak season (June to August) and travelling in the shoulder months.

“Our data shows some of the best months of the year to travel to Europe – in terms of weather and value for money – are the shoulder months, specifically, April, May, September and October.”

Bang for your travel buck aside, there’s the bonus of far less crowds compared to those in summer.

Another consideration is that the seasons in Europe are changing – according to reports, summers in Europe are arriving 10 days ahead of schedule and they’re lasting longer.

In 2017, for example, the UK had its hottest day of the year in September. So a warm autumn is becoming a likely prospect.

PICK YOUR DAYS

Being adaptable about the day of the week you fly could save you money.

Supply and demand means prices are higher when flying on popular days and many airlines will add weekend surcharges.

“Besides booking well in advance and picking non-peak periods, travellers looking for real savings should consider flying between Monday and Wednesday,” Qatar Airways Australasia senior manager Adam Radwanski says.

Most data shows that Tuesday can be the cheapest of all and for extra flight booking savviness, Contiki managing director Katrina Barry suggests considering the time you fly too. “Between 6am and 9am, and 4pm and 7pm are the cheapest departure times,” she says.

 

Make your dreams of swimming in the Med a cheap reality.

SHOP AROUND

Rather than juggling countless airline websites and getting lost in a Google vortex, let meta-search engines do the job for you.

“Comparison sites help make the travel booking process simpler and faster,” says Robyn Lee, senior growth manager at Skyscanner.

“We get prices directly from over 1200 airlines and the fares will match the prices shown on the vendors’ site.

“With the use of filters such as preferred departure times, airlines and frequent flyer groups, number of stops and journey duration, travellers can find the best and preferred flight deals in seconds.”

Scoot’s Jared Simcox agrees: “You can do all your research in one place and see it all displayed for comparison, rather than jumping back and forth between multiple websites. However, some are better than others and there’s sometimes additional fees involved in booking that the airline won’t charge if you booked directly.”

CONSIDER TURNING LEFT

If you’ve always gazed longingly at those making a left turn while boarding, then early-bird season could just be the time to turn your fantasy into a reality. Given the stellar deals, it’s a great time to splash out on an upgrade to business, or at least premium economy, for a lot less.

“Consider buying a business-class seat outright during the early-birds, since the savings will bring business-class fares much closer to the cost of a normal economy seat than it would at other times of the year,” says Europe Holidays and iFly.net.au managing director Chip Popescu.

Scoot had amazing cheap airfares to Athens this year.

USE AN AGENT

Often disregarded these days in favour of online booking sites, travel agents are actually a great resource when it comes to snagging a low fare.

Not only will they do all the planning and time-consuming research, they’re also usually the first to know when deals are released and may have access to deals unavailable to the general public.

“Having a great relationship with your agent is a good move,” says Collette general manager in Australia, Alison Mead.

“They’re usually the first to know when discounts or specials hit the market, so make sure you’re speaking with them regularly.”

Their usefulness doesn’t end with securing great fares, adds Andrew Geils, director at Inflight Travel, Toorak, who believes an agent’s knowledge can be invaluable. “A good agent can and will point out the pros and cons of each deal,” he says.

“Remember, price is only one part of the value equation.”

BE AIRPORT SAVVY

If you’re able to, bypassing the usual go-to hubs such as London and Paris in favour of flying into a less popular airport means there’s less demand and thus a more affordable fare.

“It’s an instant money-saving tactic,” Expedia managing director Michael Pearson says.

“Our insights show flying to Stockholm or Copenhagen are both 20 per cent cheaper and Rome is 15 per cent cheaper.”

Dublin, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Istanbul are all destinations to be considered and data released from Wotif shows that Munich, Zurich, Rome and Split are all wallet-friendly, with an average airfare of less than$1200 return.

Even if you do need to hit one of the old-guard airports, you can easily get there via one of the array of budget airline options that are popular on the Continent, or via the amazing European rail system (see raileurope.com.au).

Scandinavia will nab you some cheap deals.

CHOOSE AN UP-AND-COMING DESTINATION

In a similar vein, by forgoing pricey cities, you’ll also likely be able to explore destinations that are getting serious buzz.

Some of the best-value places to fly to in the year ahead are in Scandinavia, in particular Stockholm, alongside Ireland which is even more accessible thanks to Qatar Airways’ new Dublin route.

“Destinations to keep an eye on in 2018 include Ireland and Scandinavia,” says Matthew Cameron-Smith, Trafalgar Australia managing director.

Undoubtedly partly fuelled by the newly launched Scoot route – a route that saw fares of just under $800 return – Athens is also a hot pick as a Europe gateway. “In the past 12 months, we’ve seen a huge spike in Aussies searching flights for Greece,” says Webjet country manager David Galt. “Specifically, a 37.5 per cent search increase for Athens. It’s one of the hottest cities at the moment.”

CONSIDER A STOPOVER

There aren’t hard and fast rules, but booking a flight with a stopover or two is generally going to help lower the fare – sometimes dramatically.

“Our data revealed that travellers managed to get great savings on two-stop flights,” Skyscanner’s Robyn Lee says. “One Sydneysider recently managed to grab a phenomenal deal to London Heathrow for $370 with stopovers at Abu Dhabi and Dubai!”

Money-saving benefits aside, a stopover could even be a nice little add-on trip to your holiday. As well as being able to explore a different destination, airlines are often incentivised by local tourism boards to offer free transfers and tours.

New flights into Ireland have made it an affordable destination.

CHECK TOUR OPERATORS

Just like internet and phone bundles, combining flights and accommodation into one package can often save you hundreds – even thousands – as tour operators offer special deals that aren’t usually available when booking hotel and flights separately.

“We regularly partner with premium airlines,” explains Insight Vacations & Luxury Gold managing director Alexandra O’Connor.

“In fact, at the moment we have an incredible flight deal offering $599 return flights to Europe across all of our 2018 Europe and Britain trips.”

KNOW THAT CHEAPER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER

On the surface, a low-cost airfare may look like a great get, but in the end it might not be as cheap as you think.

“Cheap deals are enticing,” says Wotif’s Amanda Behre.

“But they can often mean arriving at your destination at 3am and having to pay for an extra night’s accommodation, or waiting all day for your room.

“Likewise, if there is more than one stopover, you are going to extend your travel time and therefore spend money on food, beverage and shopping while waiting for your connection.”

Consider the pros and cons of flying a full-service airline (think additional luggage, complimentary food and, of course, potential earning of frequent flyer points) and make sure you know exactly what you’re willing to put up with, and what you’re not.

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