Traveling is an unavoidable thing in today's times, especially since most of our friends and relatives would invariably migrate to places outside the state and even national borders. There will be certainly some visits to be made to your close ones who are staying far. And if you have a well-rooted business that has started sending out branches to foreign shores, then, well... do we really have to discuss how much you will have to travel in that case? Anyway, an average person must be flying once every six months (no citations here, this is purely my guess, and I am sure I am not way off my mark, either!)
But the point is made. Flying is inevitable, whether national or international. You might just as well sit back and enjoy the clouds. But your enjoyment will not be undiluted for sure, because there will be a hefty thought at the back of your mind. And that thought is - how much did the whole trip cost? Certainly, the cost is the most important factor that we need to keep in mind here. If it were not for the costs, we would have been flying forever, but then the high costs of flying (economical costs!) do pull us down a huge way.
Why are flying costs so unearthly high (no pun intended)? Does flying really deserve the four figure ticket fares? Is there any way to reduce these monstrously high airline ticket fares? Let's seek out these answers one by one.
Why Are They So High?
Quite simply put, airline ticket fares are high because they are running big costs in flying you from one place to another. The fuel burnt in three hours of flying would be enough to fuel all the cars on New York's busiest street for a day. And then there is the regular maintenance of the airplane, which is a huge cost in itself. There are the assorted people who will take you safely through the flight who need to be paid well so that they remain happy and perform good work. There's really a motley crew of people who help you fly - right from the ticket issuing staff to the people who check your baggage to the stewards, the pilots and the pretty air hostesses. They need payment too, and good payment at that.
You must not forget the pampering also that you get on a flight. Whether you need to be pampered or not, when you are on a flight, you are an esteemed person and you will get the royal treatment. But remember, it is paid royal treatment. The price comes from your airline ticket fare. Each and every amenity that you see in the plane requires money, and that's where the payment goes so high.
And finally, we need to mention that flight carriers do maintain their lan. Even the most economic of economy flights will want to take you up in style. Needless to say, the money for this added flair comes from your credit card.
Do They Deserve To Be So High?
Ahem, ahem! I will surely be ruffling some airline tail feathers here. But the truth is evident, so it's not much of a trespass. The truth is that most airlines, even some of the biggest names in the business, charge rates that are obscenely high to the costs that they are bearing. Agreed they are flying you in style with almost regal luxury and bearing huge costs for fuel and crew, but they are also taking anywhere between 200 and 500 passengers up at one go. Sometimes even more than that! So, the airlines are definitely covering their costs.
And they are earning much more. Most of the high-priced airline ticket fares would do a neat profit for the carrier even if the ticket prices of the airlines were slashed by half. Or, if they flew a flight with only half the number of passengers of their full capacity, still they would make a profit. This is not true of all airlines though. The starting out flight carriers that are just starting out hardly make anything more than what they spend. But even then, do not get a sorry picture of the airlines. The ones who have established their names are certainly making barrelfuls of money with each flight.
How To Bring Them Down
Yes, airline ticket fares are exorbitantly high, we all know that. But what is the more important part of the education is the method to get tickets for cheap rates. Is there an option for that? Luckily there is! The following are some simple points that might help you get tickets at cheap rates:
- Ever heard of an air miles credit card? If you are a frequent flier, buy it. This is a normal credit card with much the same features as regular credit cards, but with better savings if you spend on buying airline tickets. Whenever you book a ticket with this card, you get points. You can redeem the points at a later date when you buy another ticket. Typically, you might get one ticket almost free after every six to eight tickets that you buy at full price.
- Speaking of being a frequent flier, join the frequent flier program of your airlines. These will give you better rewards. Your airline will give you points each time you make a ticket purchase which you can redeem later on. Just think, if you are enrolled in a frequent flier program of your airline and also have an air miles credit card, you are saving a lot on your flying.
- Keep watching for promotional offers that come on airline websites. Sometimes new carriers enter the business with promotional offers; and sometimes already established carrier services might be entering a new market. This depends on how lucky you are, though. There must be a promotional offer for the destination you want to go. But you can check out travel operators' websites. Since these websites list a lot of flight carriers, you will stand a better chance to find some promotional offers up your alley.
- Try waiting for last minute tickets. Most airlines have last minute tickets, because of cancellations or simply because some tickets remain unsold. Certainly, airlines would not want to hang on to these tickets. More important than the loss, they will have to bear damage to their reputation when their airplanes fly below full capacity. That is why they will want to sell them to the first person who comes asking for them. If you turn up a couple of hours before scheduled flights at the airport, and specifically ask the ticketing agents for last minute tickets, you will get them if there are any. You can even negotiate for prices if the time is too short for the departure. Sometimes, even airline websites will put up the last minute tickets they have left. If you find them, make a call to the airport office and reserve your ticket. Then leave for the airport, pay the reduced airline ticket fare, and get the ticket.
0 comments:
Post a Comment