Scheduled and Charter airlines
When booking a flight, you have two options: scheduled or chartered. Scheduled flights are the regular, big name airlines, such as British Airways, Quantas, Air France, easyJet, etc. They all have a regular flight schedule, which are readily available online. Chartered flights, however, are those that are scheduled by tour operators, such as First Choice and Thomson, who lease or charter a plane directly from the airline. These are generally scheduled during the summer for summer holidays, or winter, for skiing destinations. To get the best deals, it is worth taking into account whether you are flying on a chartered or scheduled flight.
Schedule
The earlier you book, the better as airlines invariably raise their prices as the flight date approaches, punishing last-minute travellers. When booking a scheduled flight, you can afford to be flexible. Travelling on a weekday will often be cheaper than booking a weekend flight, as will avoiding the peak seasons, such as summer, Easter and Christmas holidays.
With scheduled flights, it is also easy and advisable to compare one airline with another. Pay attention to hidden/extra charges before booking, and find out whether meals or allocated seats are included in the price. You should also check the airports that the chosen flight departs from and arrives at, because if it is not a primary airport, you may have to take transport costs into account before booking. It is also worth noting that not all travel agents do a comprehensive search for the cheapest flights on any given date. They may often disregard the lowest-fare airlines.
Charter
With charter flights, there is less flexibility in the flight date because the tour operators plan around tourist surges. In this case, booking as late as possible – however risky – may be to your wallet’s benefit as the operators generally lower the prices of leftover seats a couple of days prior to the flight so as not to have empty seats and lose money.
It is important however, to do plenty of research on the company you are flying with before paying. Perhaps checking customer testimonials on the operator’s website is a worthwhile pursuit. Also make sure to find out exactly what you are getting for your money; whether meals will be provided, if there any hidden costs, taxes or credit card fees, or if the destination airport is a major hub or an isolated airport that will require extra planning for transport to and from the destination. Often charter flights depart from and arrive at smaller airports, and will provide a shuttle or bus to the nearest city, but it is important to check whether you qualify for this.
