Expert Tips to Save Money on Flights

4. What’s your best tip to save money on flights overall?

I’m less about saving money and more about the best value. I tend to like premium cabins, so I don’t look for the cheapest fare, I look for the best value fare. I’ll pay a little more for an experience that includes checked and carry-on bags, lounge access, and extra legroom. I also like airlines with seatback entertainment – far less difficult than worrying about whether my device is charged and has content downloaded.

The yardstick I use is that a First Class or Business Class cabin is worth (to me) roughly $75 per hour of flight time. If the upgrade or fare difference is less, I’ll buy it – if it’s more, I’ll usually skip it. Of course, I’ve made exceptions if it’s something I’m really interested in (I spent a lot more than that on a recent last-minute upgrade to First Class on SWISS, and it was completely worth it, just for the memories alone).

5. Is it worth saving money to fly discount airlines?

Discount airlines can be great when everything is on time, but when they’re not, they quickly turn into a nightmare. Most of them won’t rebook on other airlines, and if the delay stretches out or they can’t rebook you onto one of their own flights, you might be waiting for days on end.

If I really need to get where I’m going, I avoid them in favour of network carriers (basically, any airline large enough to be part of a global airline alliance like Star Alliance or SkyTeam) because they’re usually more helpful during delays.