Discounted Flights In Off-season

Discussion in Travel started by HappyKoi • Sep 29, 2016.

  1. HappyKoi

    HappyKoiNew Member

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2016
    Threads:
    4
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    1
    I'm planning to fly out and visit a friend, but I don't want to spend too much on tickets. Are plane tickets usually cheaper in the off-season, like January or February? I know it helps to buy as far in advance as you can, but I don't know what months are best. Does anyone have any suggestions?
     
  2. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2012
    Threads:
    740
    Messages:
    4,313
    Likes Received:
    315
    I don't have that much experience with this as I am not usually the one buying tickets but I have gone on a good amount of trips and generally what happens for me is I buy the tickets a year or so in advance. Sometimes the gap is just a few months like six or so, and if I'm not mistaken I think different countries have different peak seasons so it might be different for all of them, but generally just buying tickets in advance and making sure you are not going at peak season for that specific country is enough to ensure a good amount of savings.
     
  3. Alexandoy

    AlexandoyWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2016
    Threads:
    250
    Messages:
    1,459
    Likes Received:
    415
    We have been traveling frequently since 2011 and all our tickets were purchased online. One airline here - Cebu Pacific Air - has regular sales and all we have to do is to check on their website for the current offer. Sometimes we are lucky to get 50% discount on plane tickets to Asian countries. We have also tried Cathay Pacific although the discount is not that much, just around 20% but still it's a discount. And I guess most discounted tickets are sold during the off season.

    PS. It's been a year already that we were hunting for discounted plane to tickets for Manila - Siem Reap (Cambodia). No luck yet.
     
  4. Ray1

    Ray1Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2016
    Threads:
    34
    Messages:
    1,405
    Likes Received:
    354
    Unfortunately I could never take advantage of any such deals because the places they chose for such discounts are in odd seasons or the places are out of my area of interest besides the offers are not as cheap as they make them look like. There are so many hidden agendas that if you went for any of those you will regret your decision after finishing your trip.
     
  5. pwarbi

    pwarbiActive Member

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2015
    Threads:
    14
    Messages:
    327
    Likes Received:
    87
    The price of holidays and flights at different times of the year is currently a hot topic here in the UK, as many parents who book their holidays are told they have to do it when the children aren't at school. That's fair enough of course but what's happened is that the airlines know this and so put their prices up accordingly, often charging double.

    Booking in the off-season as always been a little cheaper but these days you'll find that booking a fight in August for example instead of October, your going to be paying a lot more and I'm not sure how long they are going to be able to get away with holding people to ransom like they effectively are doing.
     
  6. Ray1

    Ray1Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2016
    Threads:
    34
    Messages:
    1,405
    Likes Received:
    354
    Actually the prices of the tickets are always lesser than what they charge in the name of Fuel surcharge, airport tax, etc. Besides most of the offers come in off season especially when no one is interested due to rainy weather in that particular area or children not free from schools.
     
  7. tonyb

    tonybActive Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2016
    Threads:
    36
    Messages:
    901
    Likes Received:
    152
    It's not really clear what time is off season and on season when it comes speculating to get cheap flights. I don't think they are cheaper around January or February as you mentioned. From my little experience flight seems to be cheaper when it's not school starting seasons or religious activities time. Also you may have to book way ahead of time to be sure of a cheap.
     
  8. pwarbi

    pwarbiActive Member

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2015
    Threads:
    14
    Messages:
    327
    Likes Received:
    87
    No matter which way we look at it, the airline and travel companies know that they have got people over a barrel to a certain extent, and if people want to go to a destination, no matter how much it is, they will end up paying it but that's where the problem lies.

    If people stopped flying in the so called peak season or refused to use certain airlines because of the cost, they would start to lose a lot of money and we'd soon see them making changes to the pricing structure they have in place. At the moment though, people complain about the price but still pay it anyway so the airlines are laughing all the way to the bank at the moment, and I can't see that changing anytime soon unfortunately.
     
  9. Theo

    TheoWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2014
    Threads:
    308
    Messages:
    2,880
    Likes Received:
    727
    It depends where you are and where your are flying to. Obviously ski resorts are in their peak season in January and February, and in Nepal March onwards is peak season for trekkers. Tourist areas will have seasons and you are best looking at when their off-peak season is or when the end of the season is. For example in Maine it is off-peak in winter because the weather is bad, but picks up for Christmas, but in Vermont, that's the peak season in ski areas.

    If you tell us where you are wishing to go, then perhaps people can give you more specific advice?
     
  10. Ray1

    Ray1Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2016
    Threads:
    34
    Messages:
    1,405
    Likes Received:
    354
    @tonyb@tonyb The rainy season and just after the summer vacations is supposed to be the off season in our country when the traffic to tourists center is minimum. No one wants to go to a hill resort during a rainy season to spend all day sitting in their hotel room waiting for rain to stop. Also no one wants to go to the best of beaches in May or June when the temperature is in the range of 30-40 degree C with humidity reading at 80-90.