Flying to Thailand from Europe, the States or South America is not always cheap but there are a couple of things to look out for and a few useful hacks worth knowing to keep that airfare as low as possible.
Here are my 5 key tips that will save you time, frustration and most importantly money when booking your next flight.
Flying to Thailand from Europe, the States or South America is not always cheap but there are a couple of things to look out for and a few useful hacks worth knowing to keep that airfare as low as possible.
Here are my 5 key tips that will save you time, frustration and most importantly money when booking your next flight.
1 Flexibility is the key
2. Forget about the urban myths
3. Set a price drop alert
4. The unicorn of an Error flight
5. FlY to Bangkok
1 Flexibility is the key
It’s not rocket science knowing that being flexible with your departure date is the biggest factor in being able to find that super cheap flight and save a load of cash. Airline ticket prices vary greatly depending on the day of the week or time of the year. There can be a huge price difference for the same flights from one day to another.
Just recently I was booking a flight for my customers and there was over 6000THB (around $200) price difference on the exact same flight between Monday and Wednesday of the same week.
1. Flexibility is the key
It’s not rocket science knowing that being flexible with your departure date is the biggest factor in being able to find that super cheap flight and save a load of cash. Airline ticket prices vary greatly depending on the day of the week or time of the year. There can be a huge price difference for the same flights from one day to another.
Just recently I was booking a flight for my customers and there was over 6000THB (around $200) price difference on the exact same flight between Monday and Wednesday of the same week.
Always use search engines such as Kiwi.com, Skyscanner or CheapAir.com and make the most of their search tools such as the price calendar. You can view flight prices for the whole month of your choice to see what date offers the cheapest rates.
Generally, prices rocket high during any holidays, especially NYE and Christmas and also at the beginning of the European summer holiday.
Everyone wants to go somewhere warm in the winter or travel when the kids are out of school. If you are going to fly during this time your flight will probably cost you more.
Flying to Thailand in spring or autumn time is generally a good idea if you want to find the cheapest flight.
Always use search engines such as Kiwi.com, Skyscanner or CheapAir.com and make the most of their search tools such as the price calendar. You can view flight prices for the whole month of your choice to see what date offers the cheapest rates.
Generally, prices rocket high during any holidays, especially NYE and Christmas and also at the beginning of the European summer holiday. Everyone wants to go somewhere warm in the winter or travel when the kids are out of school. If you are going to fly during this time your flight will probably cost you more.
Flying to Thailand in spring or autumn time is generally a good idea if you want to find the cheapest flight.
2. Forget about the urban myths
There are many myths when it comes to searching for cheap flights and most of them are just complete lies or don’t apply anymore.
Airlines have changed the way they work over the years, nowadays they use advanced price algorithms and systems which check and adjust prices constantly depending on passenger demand, weather, holidays, time of the year and other aspects.
The time when last-minute flights were cheap is long gone. Years ago airline companies would sell unsold tickets last minute for next to nothing, well, that is not the case nowadays. The pricing algorithm has changed and if you decide to wait till last minute you are very likely to pay much more for your flight.
Also coming to the airport without flight and hoping for last minute deal is the worst idea you can have if you want to save some cash.
Lots of studies suggest that the best time to book your flights is 6-weeks before you travel. I usually book my international flights about 2-3 months before.
2. Forget about the urban myths
There are many myths when it comes to searching for cheap flights and most of them are just complete lies or don’t apply anymore.
Airlines have changed the way they work over the years, nowadays they use advanced price algorithms and systems which check and adjust prices constantly depending on passenger demand, weather, holidays, time of the year and other aspects.
The time when last-minute flights were cheap is long gone. Years ago airline companies would sell unsold tickets last minute for next to nothing, well, that is not the case in 2020. The pricing algorithm has changed and if you decide to wait till last minute you are very likely to pay much more for your flight.
Also coming to the airport without flight and hoping for last minute deal is the worst idea you can have if you want to save some cash.
Lots of studies suggest that the best time to book your flights is 6-weeks before you travel. I usually book about 3 months before.
The most well-known myth is being told to clear your browser history and search ”incognito” to avoid the price increase for the flight you search.
There have been numerous studies on this subject and none of them shown any signs of airline companies using cookies to increase fare prices. If you are paranoid or superstitious then do what you have to do, but the sudden price increase has most likely nothing to do with your search history.
Either way most search engines such as Skyscanner, do your search anonymously, meaning travel agents and airlines don’t know it’s the same person making the searches through their site, and they can’t jack up the prices for you, cookies or not.
Just forget about what you’ve heard and book your flight early.
The most well-known myth is being told to clear your browser history and search ”incognito” to avoid the price increase for the flight you search. There have been numerous studies on this subject and none of them shown any signs of airline companies using cookies to increase fare prices. If you are paranoid or superstitious then do what you have to do, but the sudden price increase has most likely nothing to do with your search history.
Either way most search engines such as Skyscanner, do your search anonymously, meaning travel agents and airlines don’t know it’s the same person making the searches through their site, and they can’t jack up the prices for you, cookies or not.
Just forget about what you’ve heard and book your flight early.
3. Set a price drop alert
All good search engines use a clever alert system which you can use. Simply set up a fare alert from your departure airport to Thailand. They’ll watch that flight for you and notify you when the prices drops.
Also it is a good idea to sign up for a mailing list, I know it’s annoying to get your email box filled up with airline promotions but it might be worth it and you can unsubscribe at any time.
By signing up for mailing lists from airlines and search engines, you’ll be able to get updates about all the last-minute or special deals that are happening. Many times, the cheap flights are only available for 24 hours, so if you are not glued to your laptop or phone all day you might miss that sweet deal.
3. Set a price drop alert
All good search engines use a clever alert system which you can use. Simply set up a fare alert from your departure airport to Thailand. They’ll watch that flight for you and notify you when the prices drops.
Also it is a good idea to sign up for a mailing list, I know it’s annoying to get your email box filled up with airline promotions but it might be worth it and you can unsubscribe at any time.
By signing up for mailing lists from airlines and search engines, you’ll be able to get updates about all the last-minute or special deals that are happening. Many times, the cheap flights are only available for 24 hours, so if you are not glued to your laptop or phone all day you might miss that sweet deal.
4. The unicorn of an Error flight
Error flights are extremely low fares of airline tickets and are often the result of computer errors that airlines fail to detect in time. I haven’t been that lucky yet to book such a fight but I know people who have.
There are some amazing deals to be found if you are flexible and fast as these computer glitches usually only last couple go hours or less. Last month I saw a return flight from New York to Bangkok for $226 (around 7300THB) !!!
The best websites to find error flights are Scott’s Cheap Flights, Secret Flying and Airfare Watchdog.
4. The unicorn of an Error flight
Error flights are extremely low fares of airline tickets and are often the result of computer errors that airlines fail to detect in time. I haven’t been that lucky yet to book such a fight but I know people who have.
There are some amazing deals to be found if you are flexible and fast as these computer glitches usually only last couple go hours or less. Last month I saw a return flight from New York to Bangkok for $226 (around 7300THB) !!!
The best websites to find error flights are Scott’s Cheap Flights, Secret Flying and Airfare Watchdog.
5. Fly to Bangkok
When looking for your cheap flights to Thailand, set Bangkok to be your destination airport.
Bangkok’s international airport, Suvarnabhumi, is the cheapest airport in Thailand to fly into. On average, its found to be about 4000THB (around $120) cheaper to fly into Bangkok than it is to fly into Phuket or Krabi.
If you want to save money you can always find cheap domestic flights to your final destination, and anyway it’s likely you will want to spend a few nights in Bangkok. Or even better, be adventurous and take a train which will help your budget even more.
I hope some of this was helpful, good luck in finding that steal deal and wish to see you soon in Thailand!
5. Fly to Bangkok
When looking for your cheap flights to Thailand, set Bangkok to be your destination airport.
Bangkok’s international airport, Suvarnabhumi, is the cheapest airport in Thailand to fly into. On average, its found to be about 4000THB (around $120) cheaper to fly into Bangkok than it is to fly into Phuket or Krabi.
If you want to save money you can always find cheap domestic flights to your final destination, and anyway it’s likely you will want to spend a few nights in Bangkok. Or even better, be adventurous and take a train which will help your budget even more.
I hope some of this was helpful, good luck in finding that steal deal and wish to see you soon in Thailand!
