There was a time when a group discount for airline travel could be availed only if a group comprised ten or more members. But there is a new trend now. Airlines are willing to extend group discounts to groups that comprise less than ten members.
However, to avail such a discount you have to plan your travel carefully. The first thing you need to do is to plan your trip in advance. This gives the airlines the flexibility to offer you low fare tickets before they are sold out.
The second is you must avoid festive or holiday seasons. At this time most airlines run full; some of them even raise their fares to take advantage of the holiday rush. Off season travel has one more advantage. There is less rush at airports, and you can enjoy your trip more.
It is equally important to avoid the busy days. The lean days for most airlines are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. So plan your get together or getaway on one of these three days. You will find the fare more reasonable as compared to the busy days.
Even here you should be flexible. Don't insist that all of you should be put on the same flight. You may be able to get a better deal if you don't mind taking different flights on the same day. It may be a slight inconvenience as you will land at different times of the day but such flexibility can bring in good savings.
Another good policy is to consider multiple destinations instead of a single destination. Of course, for this there has to be an agreement within the group. But this gives the airlines a choice to put you on a flight where the fare is really low. It also helps if your destination is serviced by several flights.
The same holds true of flying from different airports. This can be especially useful if your group members are coming from different cities. Of course, this may not apply to two families living in the same neighborhood. But it can work well with an extended family or for an old boys' reunion where different members are coming from different parts of the US.
You can even explore the possibility of taking a connecting flight. Such flights can be cheaper than point to point flights. Of course, they will take longer than direct flights, and you will have to suffer the inconvenience of changing flights. But if you are a light traveler and your group doesn't mind changing flights then you can end up making substantial savings.
There is one more advantage in booking group tickets. You need not pay the full amount upfront. You are given a certain time to make the full payment. Of course, you need to look at the refund policies of the airlines to make sure you don't lose the money in case you call off the trip.
Finally, you must try more than one airline while making a booking. You never know where you may get the best discount and the best flights to take.
Andrew Wang lives in Seattle area. He manages the following blogs: Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_A_Wang |
Sphere: Related Content
0 comments
Post a Comment