How to Book Flights Online with Travelstart

Flight prices tend to increase one to two weeks before departure, so time is of the essence. During holiday and peak seasons, it is advisable to book your airfares six weeks in advance to avoid any unnecessary cost. When booking international flights, to avoid disappointment, it’s best to book flights even earlier, up to 6 months in advance. Airlines also lower the flight prices during months where destinations see a lower volume of visitors.

However, if you’re more flexible in your travel, you can secure discounted flight prices at the last minute, if the airlines have not filled up their flights.

It is believed that the best time to book flights is in the morning. Opt for flights that depart in the morning as this is the time of day that attracts the best deals among the airlines. Also, the first flight of the day is usually one of the cheapest flights of the day. The next most affordable time to fly is during or after lunch. On weekends, flights scheduled to depart on a Saturday afternoon or evening are relatively cheaper than other flight tickets.

When it comes to booking flights, after midnight many airlines also tend to reload discounted flights that have been reserved for people who were unable to pay for them within the necessary time frame, so you may come across some great deals searching and booking your flights late at night.

It has been said that the best time to book cheap flights is on a Tuesday, as this is the day that airlines tend to launch airfare sales which end on a Thursday.

To secure the cheapest domestic flights at affordable prices, it is advisable to refrain from booking flights that depart on Friday and Sunday as these in-demand flights are often expensive. Flights are least full on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays so you can expect airfares to be relatively lower and you have the added advantage of escaping the busyness of the crowd at the airport.

If you choose to travel for a full week, your best bet is to book flights from Tuesday to Tuesday or Wednesday to Wednesday. Moreover, avoid booking flights before public holidays and before the start and end of school holidays. It is also good to note that August is the cheapest month to book flights online.

If you are searching for cheap flights to your dream holiday destination, then you should consider booking holiday packages. With a holiday package, you save big by taking advantage of the all-inclusive deals which includes hotel and flights. Travelstart offers a wide range of holiday packages to stunning destinations and our travel experts are waiting to jet you off to your dream vacation.

Contact our Travel experts to find out more about our flight and holiday packages or simply check out our holiday packages page.

One way of keeping updated on cheap domestic and international flights is by following Travelstart on our different social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. By doing so, you will be the first to hear about latest sales on flights and ensure that you grab the best airline tickets before anyone else. Another advantage of befriending us is that you will be in the know when it comes to airline tickets to new routes. Furthermore, you will be updated on flight specials around holidays and special occasions like Christmas, Valentine’s day and even Halloween. Travelstart aims to build a relationship with our customers so we will also run competitions to your favourite holiday destinations, both domestic and international.

Alternatively, subscribe to Travelstart’s newsletter where you will get the weekly emails on cheap flights as Travelstart have rights to exclusive flight deals, new routes and holiday packages to exciting destinations like Zanzibar, Mauritius, Thailand and more. Furthermore, receive helpful travel tips from our travel expert ensuring you book the cheapest flights.

The best practice is to plan your travel beforehand. This includes choosing the perfect destination, confirming a travel date and whether you want to book flights or a package deal. While this is the wiser option, if you’re looking to secure the cheapest flights, it would be best to be flexible. The more flexible you are with your travel plans, you are more likely to secure the cheap flights. By being flexible with your travel plans, you can save money by adjusting your travel dates to special flight deals and promotions.

Travelstart offers two search options, especially designed for flexible travellers. Travelstart allows you to search for return international flights within the range of 3 days, before and after your selected date.

1. Enter your departure city, arrival destination, and travel dates and search.
2. Select the ±3 days feature in the drop down and “Search”.
3. View all route options. The cheapest fares are displayed with green dates.

For a little bit extra, Travelstart also offers a product which gives you the freedom to make one date change up to 24 hours prior to the departure of your original ticket. Read more about how to book flights with more flexibility here.

When you book flights for a group there is a misconception that there would be a group discount on flight. This is extremely rare. It’s always good to compare prices. When travelling with a group, ensure that there are enough seats for everyone on the flight. There are multiple fare classes on any flight, so if there are only two of the cheapest seats left and you are looking to book for six passengers, you will be forced to buy all six seats in a more expensive class. You will find in most cases that the airfares for single passengers or very small groups are cheaper that booking for a large group together, so consider making a few bookings for your group for the same flight.

This ensures that at least some of the flight tickets are purchased at a lower price. It can take some time, but you will be saving big on flight tickets.

To improve the chances of securing the cheapest flights, it’s best to keep your options open in terms of airports, airlines and travel dates. You have a great opportunity to save big by opting for flights departing from smaller airports. Don’t limit your search to big major airports like Dubai International, Los Angeles International or the OR Tambo International airport. Travelstart offers flights to most of the airports around the world. Simply enter in the destination of choice and you will be provided with a choice of airports in the desired destination.

At the same time, it’s worthwhile having a look at the smaller local airlines for cheaper flight prices. When booking domestic flights, check out the budget carriers like Mango and kulula, as well as the full-service carriers like SAA and British Airways. Budget airlines offer passengers cheaper flight prices than full service airlines. The only disadvantage is that you might have marginally less leg room and no complimentary food on board the flight. It is also a good idea to consider flying with the smaller airlines like FlySafair, as they can offer flights at cheaper prices, but charge for extras like checked luggage. Travelstart allows you to mix and match your airline and airports to secure the cheapest flights. You can save by flying out and back with different airlines. Find out more on how to book flights with multiple airlines.

Travelstart also offers the option to book flights to multiple cities with the Multi City option. Multi-city tickets refer to a journey which is broken for longer than 24 hours in more than one point on the trip. E.g. Joburg to London via Dubai with 3 days in Dubai and a week in London. Multi-city tickets often work out cheaper than making multiple round trip journeys to different destinations. However, with each break in the journey the airline may charge you a stop-over fee. This is most evident on flight tickets via the UK, where a break in the journey in London adds extra fees to the ticket price. Should you be travelling on a flight such as this one, it’s usually cheaper to break the journey than to make separate trips to each of the cities.