How long does it take to sell plane tickets? When is the best time to buy air tickets? You might also be interested
(Peter Greenberg). Based on personal experience, he formulated several tips regarding the day and time of purchasing air tickets, which may help you save a couple of tens of dollars.
When?
Air tickets usually go on sale 330 days before departure. According to many travelers, it is best to book tickets 8 weeks – 2 months before your trip.
Greenberg believes that the optimal time to buy an air ticket is 45 days. Six weeks. And that's why:
The number one mistake many tourists make is taking too much... early booking. If your trip does not fall on high passenger days, such as Christmas, then you have a much better chance of saving if you buy tickets 45 days (for domestic flights) and 60 days (for international flights) before departure.
Outside the 45-day window, airline computer programs cannot calculate the current cost, but form it based on last year's passenger traffic. If a year ago the flight was full, then this year the price will be high. But this year there may be a price collapse (there is unrest in Bangkok - people are not going to Thailand), so by booking tickets more than 45 days in advance, you risk overpaying for last year's forecasts.
In addition, Greenberg notes how important it is to “play around” with departure dates. If you are not strictly tied to a certain number, then you can save a significant amount of money. Peter advises flying in the middle of the week, when most flights, except for business destinations, are practically empty, which means their tickets are cheap.
At what time?
As for the ideal time and day of the week to buy an air ticket, Greenberg calls - Wednesday, 1 am.
If you want to buy cheap air tickets, then there is an hour for this. This is Wednesday, 1:00 (one in the morning). But it is important to monitor the time zone of the place where the airline is located - exactly an hour must pass from the moment the day changes according to their time.
Why exactly the night from Tuesday to Wednesday? Greenberg explains: Most airlines offer discounts on tickets between Sunday evening and Monday evening. This means that passengers have a day to redeem them. On Tuesday, at midnight, tickets booked but not redeemed are again entered into the airlines' computer systems.
However, Peter Greenberg warns that to use this trick, you should call the carrier and book a ticket over the phone, not over the Internet.
You will learn even more about the tricks of airlines, as well as hotel booking services, in the article by Lifehacker editor Slava Baransky -.
How many days in advance does ticket sales begin?
Why buy train tickets months in advance? The earlier the ticket is purchased, the lower its cost will be. The difference between the price on the opening day of sales and before the departure of the train can reach up to 50%.
The depth of railway ticket sales is constantly increasing: if previously it was possible to buy a ticket a maximum of 45 days in advance, now tickets for some trains can be purchased in 120 days. However, most tickets are available for sale 90 days before the travel date.
Tickets that sell 90 days in advance
From December 10, 2017, railway tickets for most trains long distance within Russia and from Russia to Abkhazia can be purchased 90 days before departure. For example, on September 13 you can buy a ticket for December 12. These terms apply to all types of cars, including high-speed Sapsan trains.
Including tickets for sale 90 days in advance trains to Kaliningrad. Unfortunately, they cannot be purchased on the Tutu.ru website, but only at the ticket office at the station or on the carrier’s website, since when purchasing you need to issue a simplified travel document(UPD Railway).
Tickets that sell out 120 days in advance
From April 1, 2019, the depth of ticket sales for fast trains No. 1/2 "Red Arrow" Moscow - St. Petersburg and No. 3/4 "Express" Moscow - St. Petersburg has been increased to 120 days.
Also temporarily, from April 1 to August 31, 2019, 120 days before the trip, tickets for the following trains are available:
- No. 5/6 “Ocean” Khabarovsk - Vladivostok;
- No. 101/102 “Premium” Moscow - Adler;
- No. 747/748 “Nevsky Express” Moscow - St. Petersburg;
- all Sapsan trains running between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
International train ticket sales dates
For trains departing across Russian borders, different start dates for ticket sales apply:
- CIS and Baltic countries - within 45 days. If the train travels through Moscow - 60 days.
- Far abroad (train Moscow - Paris, etc.) - 60 days.
- Ukraine and Moldova - within 30 days. If the train travels through Moscow - 45 days.
What time in the morning does ticket sales start?
The opening time of sales depends on whether the train departure station belongs to a certain railway. Sales at the box office and online begin simultaneously. This is from 7 to 12 am local time. For example, ticket sales in Novosibirsk start at 7 am local time and 4 am Moscow time.
As a rule, sales open at 8 am Moscow time in the European part of Russia, at 6 am Moscow time in the Urals, at 4 am Moscow time in Siberia and Far East. See this table for more details.
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Train departure region
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Sales opening |
Sales opening |
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Moscow railway |
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Samara Region |
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Ulyanovsk region |
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Saratov region |
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Bashkiria (republic) |
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Orenburg region |
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Chelyabinsk region |
||
|
Gorkovskaya railway |
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Udmurt republic |
||
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Privolzhskaya railway |
||
|
Astrakhan region |
||
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North Caucasus railway |
||
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South-Eastern railway |
||
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Oktyabrskaya railway |
||
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Kaliningrad railway |
||
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Northern |
||
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Kharp and Labytnangi |
||
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Sverdlovsk railway |
||
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South Ural railway |
||
|
Orenburg region |
||
|
Chelyabinsk region |
||
|
East Siberian railway |
||
|
Novosibirsk region |
A penny saves a ruble - this rule allows you to save money a large number of Money. With the right approach, you can also save a lot on purchasing air tickets, the main thing is to know where, when and for what time to buy the required ticket.
For the same flight in the same class, you can purchase a ticket for either 100 dollars or a thousand. Why is there such a difference? The answer is simple: you need to know how to buy.
Sometimes a moment of ordinary luck comes into play; periodically, personal acquaintance with the employees of airline ticket offices or travel agencies will give you the opportunity to purchase a ticket at a lower price.
When to look for a cheap flight ticket?
The final cost of the air ticket also depends on the date of purchase. There is one easy rule - the earlier, the cheaper. If you have the opportunity to plan your trip in advance, then buy air tickets in advance, at least a month before the date of the intended trip. Ideally, this period should be increased to 2 months.
The cheapest prices can be 6 months before the departure date, but not everyone can book their seats on the flight so far in advance.
The fewer empty seats on a flight, the more expensive they are! This rule applies only to regular flights; with charter flights, the situation is exactly the opposite. The closer the departure date, the cheaper the ticket.
However, when purchasing charter tickets there are some nuances:
- It is not always possible to purchase tickets in advance for charters., because tour operators do not arrange them earlier than a few days before departure (there are exceptions).
- The second disadvantage of charters is the limited travel options, because planes fly only to popular tourist resorts and everyone has their own season.
- Tickets for charter flights are usually not sold at ticket offices., you should go to a travel agency to get them. For example, a charter flight Moscow-Antalya-Moscow will cost about $200, while on a regular flight the price will be twice as high, and the flight itself will have a transfer.
How to find the cheapest air ticket?
There are several ways to find cheap flights:
- independent search on the Internet;
- acquaintances who work at airline ticket offices or travel agencies.
When searching the Internet on your own, it is recommended to open several sites and enter the desired dates, and the search engine will find all sorts of options. The price may vary on different Internet portals, so it is recommended to compare. 
There is also a price calendar that will show the optimal cost of a flight within a certain date range.
By contacting ticket offices or travel agencies, you can also save money, because airline auction offers are not always available in search engines.
Get travel health insurance
What are promotional air tickets?
Various airlines regularly organize promotions, using which you can fly to anywhere in the world at a fairly economical price. For example, a flight Moscow - New York - Moscow can cost about 400 dollars .
Promotional prices are most often available several months before the expected travel date, in the off-season, and also in the low season.
What do you need to know to start looking for an inexpensive ticket?
There are also several ways to fly cheaply, using which you will save a lot:
Method 1 – Fly with transfers
Often the airline offers an option with a transfer that is much cheaper than a direct flight, the main thing is to pay attention to the total duration of the flight and the duration of the connection.
As a rule, the longer the connection, the cheaper. This option is not always convenient, but significantly reduces the cost. For connecting flights, baggage must be checked in until the final destination.
Method 2 – Low-cost airlines
Low-cost carriers are low-cost airlines that, by reducing the range of services, provide the cheapest possible cost of flight.
In particular, you can save on luggage, since it is not included in the price of the flight, so it is best to take with you a minimum of things that can fit in hand luggage.
Low-cost airlines also save on check-in costs – you can check-in for a flight online for free; this service will be paid at the airport. Also, these airlines do not have food on board. Each country has its own low-cost airlines, in particular, WizzAir and RyanAir planes fly to Russia.
Method 3 – booking speed
When searching for a cheap air ticket, there is always the possibility of missing a suitable option, as the cost of a ticket in online systems can change very quickly. Accordingly, if you find a suitable option, then book it, because in 10-20 minutes it may become more expensive.
Method 4 – always buy a round trip ticket
When buying an RT ticket, the price for both directions will be an order of magnitude lower than the price for which you buy tickets for both directions separately.
Where to buy cheap air tickets?
The easiest way to search for cheap air tickets is on Internet portals that combine offers from hundreds of air carriers. It is worth remembering that when buying tickets at airline ticket offices or at travel agency offices, the price also includes the agency’s income, employee salaries, etc.
On which days are plane tickets cheaper?
The difference in airfare may also depend on the day of booking, time of day, as well as the day of departure. In most cases, it is cheapest to book tickets at night or early in the morning; at this time of day the price will decrease. 
Also, cheap tickets can be for Monday at lunchtime, since business trips start in the morning; on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the price will also be cheaper.
The most expensive times to fly are on Saturdays, as well as on weekends and holidays.
In search of the best price, you should also count on luck, because finding cheap air tickets is like a lottery, so luck can come to everyone.
Tickets for most trains within Russia begin to be sold 90 days before departure. In general, sales for different trains can open 30 or 45 days in advance.
On commuter trains“Express” in some cases, you can also buy tickets online (and at long-distance ticket offices at train stations). They are numbered in the format 7xxx, and ticket sales for them open 10 days before the departure date.
Below - general rules, for which trains when the sale opens. There may be exceptions to these when schedules are re-coordinated, when repair work is scheduled or international agreements change. In these cases, ticket sales for a certain direction are closed for some time and opened as soon as a new schedule is agreed upon. In most cases, everything works fine.
Ticket sales 90 days in advance (most Russian trains)
Selling tickets for almost everything Russian trains(formation of FPK, DOSS and TKS) via the Internet opens 90 days before the travel date. Tickets can be purchased starting from 8:00 Moscow time. Local time may differ, please take this into account.
Ticket sales for 60 (Finland) and 45 days (Belarus, Baltics and Asia)
Finland. Ticket sales for all trains Allegro St. Petersburg - Helsinki and Lev Tolstoy Moscow - Helsinki open 60 days before departure. On additional trains to Finland - when appointed.
For trains from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan ticket sales in winter open at 9:00 Moscow time, in summer (more precisely, when these countries switch to summer time; Russia does not cross) - at 8:00.
For some trains to these countries, tickets begin to be sold 60 days in advance:
On trains from Kazakhstan (except Petropavlovsk) and Kyrgyzstan sale opens at 07:00 local time or 04:00 Moscow time.
Sale of tickets for 30 days (Ukraine and Moldova)
For trains from Ukraine and Moldova, ticket sales open at 9:00 Moscow time in winter, and at 8:00 in summer.
Tickets for individual trains from these countries begin to be sold 45 days in advance:
Train tickets from Abkhazia can be purchased 60 days before the trip, sales open at 8:00 Moscow time.
The information is for reference only and may change depending on the situation on the railway. If necessary, check with Russian Railways.
Have a nice trip!
Hi all! In this article I will talk about how to fly around the world as cheaply as possible, knowing a variety of tricks and techniques. The article has been prepared for a very long time and has finally been published! All advice is based on our personal experience or the experiences of our traveling friends.
This post begins a series of articles dedicated to traveling by plane. Material is being prepared for release on a comparison of all leading ticket search engines and on the basic rules largest airlines, as well as instructions for searching and booking tickets on the Internet.
Well! Go!
Basic knowledge about booking airline tickets
1.
The most profitable way to buy air tickets is through metasearch engines. They collect information from hundreds of airlines and offer you a choice at different price points and with different conditions. The most popular search engines today are and. We use Skyscanner. Competition among search engines is very high, so each service tries to offer some unique services.
For example, Skyscanner allows flexible searches. To do this, it is not necessary to indicate the country of arrival and any specific dates. You can view advantageous offers in all directions.
You can view ticket prices for a whole month or even a year.
Aviasales offers another interesting feature - ““, which has many interesting filters for selecting the most successful and suitable tickets.
Aviasales also has a pleasant and convenient service ““. Here you can search using flexible parameters. Among other things, you can specify such criteria as: availability of a visa, length of stay, budget.
To be honest, Aviasales has never found tickets cheaper than Skyscanner, but to be sure, it’s worth checking tickets in different search engines. Search engines do not charge a commission for their services, so you can book through them calmly and without putting extra strain on your budget.
2.
It is believed that the best price for air tickets occurs two months (50-60 days) before the flight departs. The fewer empty seats on the plane, the higher their cost. However, companies often organize various promotions and sales, so there is no clear pattern in terms of timing. Sometimes we see that tickets become cheaper closer to the date.
In general, we can highlight three periods to buy the cheapest tickets: a year in advance, two to three months in advance, a few days in advance (last minute offers). The last option is suitable for those who are ready for adventures, surprises and adventures, because... In this case, there is no 100% guarantee that tickets will appear at all.
3.
Buying tickets There and back again often cheaper than a one-way ticket. It would seem that this is very strange and completely illogical, but it is so. Therefore, many people buy a round-trip ticket just to save money, and simply throw away the return ticket. With all the charm of this fact, it is worth noting that the most low cost airlines This opportunity is not always offered. Also, this scheme does not always work over very long distances.
4.
As a rule, buying a plane ticket for Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday is cheaper than for others days of the week. Flights are the most expensive on weekends. There is also a nuance regarding time: it is believed that prices for morning and night flights are cheaper. Therefore, when searching for tickets, look at different things departure time. Moreover, there is a dependence on the time at which you are looking for tickets! For example, booking air tickets at night or early in the morning before the start of the working day will cost less. Often, ticket prices at this time are lower and there is more choice.
5.
One more thing about dates. If you don't have an ironclad deadline, be sure to look at the offers on different dates. It often happens that even on neighboring dates the ticket price is twice as different!
6.
The same applies to cities of departure and arrival. For example, many international flights much cheaper when flying from Moscow rather than from St. Petersburg. Often people living in St. Petersburg buy air tickets from Helsinki, and then get there by land transport. This is not very profitable in terms of time, but it can significantly reduce transportation costs on your trip. Try looking for flights from cities neighboring yours.
7.
Today flights are very developed on low-cost airlines- low-cost airlines. Unlike regular airlines, they have many restrictions (for example, on baggage allowance), on-board service is not included in the ticket price, and it is almost impossible to return or exchange the ticket. But the main thing is that flying on low-cost airlines is really very cheap! In Europe, sometimes prices start from one euro! So, tickets cost up to 10 euros between some European cities The airline almost always has it. Known for its stunning prices and...
For longer flights you need to look at different companies. Full list All low-cost airlines in the world on each continent can be found. Next, you need to look for tickets on the airline’s website.
8.
Also in some cases you can fly on charter flights. Charter flights- these are the flights that are booked travel agencies for your tours. If there are empty seats on the plane, agencies begin to sell plane tickets separately from tours. As a rule, this happens shortly before departure, which is why such tickets are called “last minute”. Charter flights do not fly to all destinations, but only to popular ones. But a flight on such a flight will cost many times cheaper than on a regular regular one.
You can find a suitable flight on one of the sites:
- Charter flights from the Oneaero-GoCharter alliance (I use this site)
- Air tickets for charter and regular flights
- CHARTERPAN Company
- Avia-mir company
- All charters
- Internet project "Charterbilet.ru"
- Professional travel portal (section “Exchange”)
9.
The price of air tickets depends very much on " seasonality". As a rule, in the summer, during the holidays, on new year holidays, for May and November holidays(for the Russian Federation) flights are more expensive! But this primarily concerns popular destinations. Unpopular destinations are more expensive at any time of the year due to their low demand.
10.
Don’t take a lot of things with you, and limit yourself if possible hand luggage. Behind baggage allowance some airlines charge extra. Exceeding the limit can also cost money. Before departure, be sure to check your airline's rules to avoid getting into trouble.
Advanced knowledge of airline reservations
11.
If you have time and are preparing for your trip in advance, good way save on flights - subscribe to news about price reductions for your chosen destinations. The search engine has this functionality. To do this, you first need to search in the desired direction, then, along with the search results, a window will appear with a subscription to a price reduction.
12.
In general, experienced travelers subscribe to a wide variety of mailings from airlines and search engines. Such mailings are usually dedicated to discounts and promotions. This way you can be the first to know about really cheap tickets and book them right away. Go through the websites of airlines that fly to the regions you need and leave your e-mail. One family we know flies all over Europe this way for pennies. As soon as a promotion appears, they immediately book tickets. And if suddenly it is not possible to fly on these dates, the tickets are simply thrown away. The ticket price of a few euros allows this.
At the same time, this method of saving has a significant disadvantage. Often, airlines, under the auspices of promotional tickets, send letters with regular prices. Because The average traveler is unlikely to have a good understanding of prices and cannot determine whether the price of a given promotion is really reduced. That is why all prices must be double-checked. We advise you not to subscribe to all newsletters in a row, but only to verified ones.
- Subscription to sales is available on the search engine website.
- Many of the coolest promotions on air tickets can be found in the group “ Cheap tickets and ways to fly for almost free ».
- Interesting and real promotions are often posted in the group “ Take a trip ».
- If you know any other cool resources, please share in the comments.
13.
Under this mystical number I want to tell you about one thing mysterious reception, which is used by a variety of websites to search for air tickets. They say that this method of extracting money from buyers has not yet reached the Russian online market, but it is still better to be on the alert. This is called “separate pricing” or in other words “different prices for the same product for people with different incomes.”
The price of an air ticket can be inflated in several cases:
1. You see prices again to those areas that have already been studied. There is a cache on your computer from most of the sites you visit. This information is used by ticket search sites. They see that you have already looked at these tickets, but have not purchased them. This means that you are slow in making a decision, and we need to hurry you up. Therefore, with each subsequent search, tickets to the same destinations are more expensive. You start to panic and buy tickets at a premium.
To avoid this, view prices through the "Incognito" mode, which can be easily activated in any browser. Or clear the cache yourself after searching for tickets.
2. You Apple product owner. A shocking fact, but sites are able to determine from which device and operating system you are accessing the Internet. If you use a MacBook, which is a high-end product, then you are rich, and the ticket price can be increased for you. This technique is used all the time abroad, and many owners of Apple devices are indignant when they see real ticket prices. This has not yet been seen on the Russian-language Internet. I don’t have an iPhone to check, so if necessary, you can test this item and write to us about the current situation.
To avoid this ridiculous situation, look for tickets from a computer/smartphone from another manufacturer.
3. You book a ticket from a rich country. For people with an IP address in the USA, Switzerland, Australia and other countries where the standard of living is very high, ticket prices will be higher. While in a prosperous but wealthy Germany, prices will be adequate, because... Germans are known for their excessive rationality. Internet marketing is a serious thing that has long ago learned how to work with an online audience.
A good option to hide your data on the global network is an anonymizer. This is a special service that allows you to maintain anonymity on the Internet. There are a lot of sites with anonymizers, one of them is . To work in anonymous mode, you need to go to any of these sites and enter into a special form the site that you want to visit undetected.
In addition, some sites use such marketing techniques, like flashing bright buttons with the words “two tickets left” or “this is the most low price" Don't believe it and don't panic. This is just a trick, look for your tickets calmly.
14.
If you are planning a trip during the next holidays, try using a good service from a search engine. This site has a section " Fly away for the holidays", where the aggregator displays a list of the cheapest tickets for certain holiday weekends.
15.
Most airlines have their own bonus systems for regular customers. This usually involves accumulating “miles” - virtual currency for flights you have already taken. The miles remain virtual until you earn enough to convert them into a real plane ticket. So, if you fly frequently on the same airline, sooner or later you will be able to get absolutely free ticket or even several tickets just from the bonuses you have accumulated. This is the same as any other savings scheme that is often offered to us in supermarkets, brand stores, and so on.
How it works? An example from personal experience
I was a member for a long time. For each flight on Aeroflot and its partners, virtual miles were credited to my bonus account. I also received miles for purchases I made with my City Bank card, because... my card was linked to this bonus account. Many banks cooperate with Aeroflot. However, all major airlines have many partner banks.
In two years of such accumulation, I accumulated 14,700 miles. At the same time, the most cheap flight in Russia it cost 17,000 miles. I thought that it would be a long time before I accumulated the missing 3,000, and miles also have an expiration date. Therefore, I transferred all my miles to the Gift of Life charity organization. Such a transfer is very easy to carry out directly in your personal account on the bonus program website. The foundation uses these miles to fly sick children who need surgery in another country.
But I know several people who were more successful in this bonus program and flew absolutely free several times. This is a great way to save on flights if you can organize everything correctly.
Often, such programs have many pitfalls, so it is worth carefully studying the rules when joining any program. For example, in order to receive bonuses, you need to register your ticket in the system within a certain period from the moment of the flight, and so on. At the same time, there are also pleasant little things. Thus, some programs allow you to spend your miles not only on flights within the company, but also on various purchases in stores that are partners of the airline, on hotel reservations or renting a car.
16.
It is cheaper to fly to many countries not directly, but with transit transfer. This option can also be used if you want to see many cities in a short time.
If you fly via Singapore from long term transit connection, you can use free excursions around the city, which Singapore Airport provides for those waiting for their flight.
You can choose very interesting transit options. The main thing is to be sure that you do not need a transit visa for the selected countries. When purchasing tickets online, the longest transit transfers can take up to one to one and a half days. During this time, you can have a good look around the new city and see the main attractions.
To increase the transit time, you can use a stopover. Stopover- this is the same transit stop, but extended for up to three days. Many airlines provide stopover service free of charge, while others charge an additional fee. With proper planning, you can make several flights in a row with stopovers. It will be like a kind of air tour.
17.
Another way to save is to dividing the flight into two stages: international and domestic. By the way, this works not only with airplanes, but also with all other types of transport. The bottom line is that from your starting point you need to fly to any city in the destination country where there are the most cheap tickets. And within the country you can already get to your desired destination either on domestic airlines (this is always cheaper than international flights, you can also use local low-cost airlines), or by bus/train/hitchhiking. Practice shows that tickets even to neighboring cities can vary greatly in price, although the distance between them can be quickly and cheaply covered by a local bus.
18.
Going to big cities, give preference secondary airport(Luton in London or Gironde in Barcelona). Smaller airports often have government subsidies and serve low-cost airlines at good prices, which also affects the cost of tickets. Such airports, as a rule, have good transport support, and getting from them to the city is not difficult. Although sometimes it can be quite difficult and expensive. It’s worth thinking about how you will get from the airport to the city in advance.
19.
As you know, usually a direct flight costs more than transfer flight. You can play on this if you know some tricks. Let's look at an example. You want to fly from Rio de Janeiro to La Paz. A direct flight costs $500. A flight from Rio de Janeiro to Lima, with a transfer in La Paz, costs $400. You buy a ticket to Lima, but get off in La Paz. The main thing is to register a ticket not to the final destination, but to the transfer point. Also keep in mind that if you miss any part of the flight, you will cancel this ticket. Therefore, if you bought a round-trip plane ticket and missed a segment on the flight there, then you will not fly back using this ticket.
20.
Before booking, check which permanent promotions The airline has it. Many companies offer discounts to students, pensioners and other categories of citizens. Often, to receive a discount, you need to indicate some special code or your individual discount number.
