The US-Israel attack on Iran has meant this is the summer of last-minute trips. Even if you weren’t planning on visiting the Gulf region, or flying through it on your way to Asia or Africa, soaring jet fuel prices are affecting everyone.
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That doesn’t necessarily mean your trip is going to be more expensive – as long as you’re savvy when booking your flights.
Luckily for us, Skyscanner, the flight comparison website, has just revealed seven top tips for nabbing a cheap last-minute flight this summer.
An obvious one, but the first tip is to shop around and to check out budget airlines like Ryanair, easyJet, Vueling, Norwegian, Wizz Air and Jet2.
You also need to be flexible around when you fly – moving your trip by a day or two can completely change the prices. If you know where you want to go, you can select “whole month” when searching for flights to see the cheapest dates to travel.
Earlier this year, Skyscanner revealed the cheapest day to travel is on a Friday.
If you don’t know where you’re going, you can also use the “Everywhere” search, which will show the cheapest destinations to fly to on the dates you want to travel.
It might not be the cheapest option to book return flights with one airline – you might get a better deal with two single tickets.
You can also look around to see if flying into or from a different airport is cheaper.
Skyscanner also recommends booking all of your flights in one go to ensure you get the best price. You can look for flights from different cities by using the multi-city search.
If you’re willing to wait to jump on the best deal, you can set up price alerts that will inform you when the price goes down (or up…).
Lastly, Skyscanner’s final tip is to fly with hand luggage only as checking in baggage can be expensive, particularly if you’re flying with a budget airline.
Just make sure you read up on what the hand luggage inclusion is on the airline in question so you don’t get caught out by a sizer at the check-in desk or departure gate.