Any tips for cheaper flight tickets?

Hi there,

Do you know any tricks for traveling on a budget? With flight prices constantly rising, it’s a real lifesaver!

Hi, For a trip planned well in advance (which isn’t always possible), I buy my tickets 5 months ahead and usually at the start of the week (Monday or Tuesday). That’s when I find them the cheapest. Fred

Interesting! Thanks a bunch!

Most airlines use "yield management"—also known as "dynamic pricing"—which means flight ticket prices constantly change based on a variety of factors, particularly how full the plane is. So, it’s extremely difficult to pinpoint the best time to book, especially if you have fixed travel dates. I’ve got quite a bit of experience with Ryanair flights to and from Charleroi, usually without fixed travel dates. My first tip is to check their website regularly, since prices fluctuate constantly—both up and down. Book when the price works for you, without waiting for it to drop further, as it might not happen... Generally, I’ve found the best prices are offered between two months and one month before the flight date—but there are plenty of exceptions. Unfortunately, there’s no hard-and-fast rule; it’d be too easy otherwise!

hi there, yes, you’ve got to consider the Yield Management system. But don’t forget geopolitical tensions and their impact on oil barrel prices. If there’s a lot of geopolitical unrest, oil prices tend to rise, and airlines are forced to pass the increase on to flight ticket prices. Not to mention local airport taxes.

Hi there, That’s exactly right. I’ve never seen the point in booking too far in advance. The best prices usually come between one and two months ahead. Just make sure to avoid school holiday periods and August.

This is the first time I’ve heard of this technique. What does it involve? Thanks in advance! Yield management, on the other hand, is well known.

Hey Douglas, you're welcome! If you're looking for cheaper flight tickets, I think you should avoid certain periods:

- Weekends and departures on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, or even Mondays. From what I know, Air France flights on Mondays are full of business-class passengers, especially on Paris-NY routes—that’s how the airline makes its profit. Or passengers traveling for work reasons. So, fewer seats in economy means higher fares. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are weekend departures/returns, so planes are packed.

- Mediterranean destinations like Italy, Greece, Spain, and Croatia in the summer. Airlines tend to inflate prices for these routes too.

- Destinations like Florida, Mexico, or even the Caribbean in April. As I’ve mentioned before on this forum, it’s spring break in the U.S., and lots of students head to Mexico.

- Destinations like Mexico or Cuba in winter because they’re popular with Canadian snowbirds.

Good evening,

I know a much more advantageous technique called "payment circuit." I use it often and I’m thrilled with it

Your messages smell like an imminent promotion for some trick, or even potential advertising. Could you reveal your magic trick quickly so we can understand what it’s about?

Michel

Hi there,

There’s no magic trick for prices—it all depends on how full the plane is, outside of school holidays, of course. You can sometimes find prices that drop sharply 15 to 8 days before departure if tickets aren’t selling well. That happened to me last November. As for the price you think is fair, just buy them. 😉

Hi, Like you, I’m waiting for the ‘drop’ because our new member has quickly stirred things up: first, a little message to ‘lure’ us in: With flight prices constantly rising, it’s a steal! Then they reveal a bit more: ‘A nd what if I told you that a technique really exists and that it’s not just a pipe dream, what would you say?’ 😄

What? There’s a technique to beat Yield Management, something no one’s cracked the code on... and it’s called ‘Payment Circuit’.

Quick, quick, we want to know because unfortunately, my friend Google is silent when I search for ‘Payment CIrcuit’!

We can’t wait for the product reveal so we can potentially report the member since this forum doesn’t allow any ads in posts:

No advertising, promotion, product sales, or service offers are allowed in this forum. Thank you for respecting this rule.

Anyway, Yield Management still has a bright future ahead, in my opinion!

Hi there!

My technique is simple: I spend time on it 😉 I start well in advance (between 7 and 8 months before departure) and the key is not having fixed dates. I use a search engine that doesn’t charge commission, like Skyscanner, for example, where I run the following simulations: Departing from several cities in France (or Barcelona since I’m nearby) to various airports in the destination country. I try every day of the week in my preferred month, same for the return. Next, next, next... Previous, previous, previous. Oh yeah, it’s time-consuming! But that’s how I found a Lufthansa flight from Toulouse to Delhi last year for 450 € in January with decent schedules. Right now, I’m looking for a flight to Bangkok in January 2026. I just found a Barcelona/Bangkok flight for 300 €! I haven’t booked it yet because I’m not sure about my dates... 😕

a Barcelona to Bangkok flight for 300 €... I'm skeptical. There are definitely tons of hidden fees to get to that price. How many kg of checked baggage are we allowed without extra charges?

If I weren’t so lazy, I’d look it up for you! No checked baggage (don’t care, I travel with carry-on only). I didn’t check the extra fee—maybe around fifty euros? A slightly long layover in Frankfurt on the way back that might put some people off—6 or 7 hours, I think.

For my part, I’ll share a tip to avoid paying more. As you track a flight, cookies build up on your computer and signal that you’re getting more and more interested in that flight. As a result, some airlines take advantage of this and increase the price with each visit. So, you should clear your cache to avoid seeing prices adjusted upward.

Hi,

Like you, I’m waiting for the ‘drop’ since our new member really kicked things off: first a little message to ‘lure’ us in: With flight prices constantly rising, it’s a steal !

I’m disappointed—I was also waiting for the scoop that would prove me wrong 😉

Anyway, Yield Management still has a bright future ahead, in my opinion!!

Oh yeah

@Kate

Same strategy often works with great deals for Barcelona, given how many airlines serve it. For long-haul flights, booking 9–10 months in advance is common, and sometimes there are minor schedule adjustments.

Hi,

I’m revisiting the topic of your Bangkok ticket for 300 €, which still seems a bit mysterious. Norse is currently offering round trips from Stockholm ARN for 560 €. That’s already pretty remarkable.

Michel

Hi,

It was a limited-time deal with Shenzhen Airlines and Air China, and there were other Asian destinations at around **350 €** in those fares. You can find similar prices for departures from Budapest with Chinese airlines, of course. I bought a CDG/Chongqing round trip and an Osaka/CDG return with Xiamen Airlines for **480 €** (I’m there now), rated 5 stars by Apex. You just have to catch it at the right time.

Hello,

I’m revisiting the topic of your Bangkok ticket for 300 euros, which still seems a bit mysterious. Norse is currently offering round trips from Stockholm ARN for 560 euros. That’s already pretty remarkable.

Michel

Hi,

I’ll never be able to prove it since I can’t find it online anymore. However, I did recover a screenshot I sent to my travel companions last year. Our Toulouse–Chennai flight for 450 € was already raising some serious doubts...

Hi there, Maybe the simplest thing: check the minimum price for the destination you're interested in, start looking 8 or 9 months in advance, and set up a price alert (with Momondo, for example, or another site).