Travelling during the holidays can be quite expensive. From airfare to accommodation, almost everything gets a few times more expensive during the peak season. This can be especially troubling for budget travellers and bigger families, as even a small increase in the price of flight tickets can pretty much disrupt their entire plan – and we already know ticket prices can increase at the drop of a hat, particularly international carriers. However, as frustrating as it may sound, you shouldn’t let this small inconvenience ruin your plan. Although most people fail to realise this, you can actually save money on plane tickets in Pakistan by following a few simple tips.
How to Save Money on Plane Tickets in Pakistan
If you’re planning to travel abroad and are looking for cheap flights from Pakistan, here are some ways you can save money on airfare by being a little proactive and planning ahead.
- Buy your ticket 6 to 8 weeks in advance
- Don’t buy tickets on a weekend
- Always use an incognito window for online ticket booking in Pakistan
- Compare prices
- Set email alerts for cheap flights and look for last minute flight deals
- Connecting flights with long layovers cost less
- Get a frequent flyer card
Let’s take off and discuss each of these tips to save money on plane tickets in Pakistan!
Buy Your Ticket 6 to 8 Weeks in Advance
Airline ticket rates in Pakistan vary with different carriers. However, ticket prices for international flights usually skyrocket during the holiday season. This is because a large number of people, especially families with kids, prefer to travel during the winter and/or summer vacations.
As some may have already experienced this, flight rates can be quite fickle during the peak travel season. You can calculate your entire travel budget in the night only to find out the prices have increased the next day. This usually happens with locations that are in high demand among Pakistani travellers, such as the United States, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Thailand, and Sri Lanka, to name a few.
However, if you want to find the cheapest tickets from Pakistan, you need to get your timing right and plan weeks, if not months, in advance. Flight tickets are usually at their all-time high during two to three weeks before the departure date, which is why you must book your flights and make the payment around 6 to 8 weeks before you are supposed to fly out.
According to experts, buying your airline ticket 43 to 47 days in advance can save you a good amount of money.
Don’t Buy Tickets on a Weekend
Avoid shopping for flights on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Sure, the weekend is when you’ve got the most time to browse through different flight packages and choose the one that’s the most suitable. But do remember that all other travellers must be thinking along the same lines.
Unless you are on a tight schedule or there is only a limited number of seats available for the date you want to fly out, it is recommended that you wait until the middle of the week to book a flight. It is one of the simplest ways to save money or plane tickets in Pakistan. By holding out until Tuesday or Wednesday, you can actually get cheap air tickets from Pakistan to your travel destination.
Always Use an Incognito Window
Have you ever noticed the price of a certain flight changing every single time you open its webpage on your browser? Well, the good news is that you’re not imagining things. The bad news, on the other hand, is that your browser history and cookies are the reason you are seeing the increased prices.
The cookies in your browser record your browsing activity and store information about the routes you are repeatedly searching for. Since ticket prices tend to rise when a particular flight is searched frequently, you see an inflated rate every time you search for the booking information.
The simplest way to deal with this and save money on plane tickets in Pakistan is to switch to incognito mode while shopping for flights. Also known as private browsing, this window keeps the cookies from storing your browsing activity, thus providing you with a clean slate for every flight search.
Pro tip: Once you’ve decided on the flight you want and are ready to make the payment, close all the incognito windows and open a new one to complete the transaction.
Compare Prices
Wondering how to find cheap international flights? Well, you need to compare and choose.
Finding cheap international flights from Pakistan can be a bit of a hassle, as prices can skyrocket with even small inflation in the dollar rate. However, you can save money on airfare by comparing different air carriers. There are quite a lot of websites that allow users to check out every possible airline option and the ticket prices for the days they are planning to travel, including the layover duration and number of connecting flights.
This will give you a fair idea on which flight or carrier fits your budget the best. It is also suggested to check the ticket prices for other days by moving around your travel dates a little bit. Who knows, you might come across an even cheaper option this way.
Moreover, as per the experts, Thursday and Saturday are usually the cheapest days to fly anywhere. So, if your travel plans are flexible, make sure to check out flight rates for these days as well.
Set Email Alerts and Look for Discount Offers
Setting up email alerts for cheap flights is an excellent way to save money on plane tickets in Pakistan. It will also help you keep an eye on the changing price trends and grab the cheapest flight as soon as the rates drop. For instance, if you set up an alert for ‘cheap flights from Pakistan to Dubai,’ you will receive an email notification every time there is a price drop.
Apart from subscribing to the newsletters of domestic and international carriers, you should also keep a lookout for last minute flight deals. Depending on the airline, you can actually get a good discount on your airfare through their limited-time deals. Usually, the catch with such offers is that you either have to book flight months in advance or just a few hours before the departure time. More often than not, these routes also include long layovers. Though whatever the case may be, if you are a budget traveller, such an opportunity can help you save a good amount of money, which you can then put towards some other use.
Connecting Flights with Long Layovers Cost Less
Generally, direct flights are way more expensive than connecting ones. Not to mention, booking a flight with a relatively long layover – approx. 4 to 6 hours – can actually cost you significantly lesser than booking an airplane ticket for a non-stop flight with no stops in between. This is because one-stop flights are hassle-free and don’t require you to hop planes at different airports.
Prolonged layovers that exceed 10 to 12-hour mark are considered stopovers. Depending on the transit visa requirements of the country where you are stopping over, you can even use this opportunity to explore a new place without buying another ticket. However, this needs to be planned out in advance.
Another hack to save money on tickets while travelling abroad is to book two (or more) connecting flights separately with different carriers. Now, this may not work out if you are on a tight schedule or are accompanied by young children. But with a few hours of gap between each flight and adequate planning, you can actually use this trick to save money on airfare.
Get a Frequent Flyer Card
A number of domestic and international airlines offer frequent flyer programs, which enable their passengers to earn miles for every flight they take. Once you have accumulated enough points, you can actually use them to buy a flight.
Now, if you book your flight through a travel agent, there is a good chance you won’t be able to avail this service, which is why it is always better to save money and buy your own tickets.
In case you’re wondering how to go about it, the process of applying for these cards is pretty simple. Once you’ve chosen the airline you’ll be travelling with, you simply need to visit their website and signup for their frequent flyer program. However, please note that the name of the program might vary with each carrier. Moreover, make sure to read the terms and conditions carefully before requesting a card.
For those who travel often, whether for work or leisure, using frequent flyer cards can be extremely helpful in the long run.
So, these were our tips on how to save money on plane tickets in Pakistan. If you have any queries or suggestions regarding the topic, you can get in touch with us at blog@zameen.com.
Moreover, if you are still undecided about your next travel destination, here is a list of countries that allow visa-free travel for Pakistani passport holders. You can also check out our comprehensive guide on travelling to Dubai from Pakistan or check out how to plan the perfect vacation in Turkey.
Meanwhile, if you are looking to travel within the country, don’t forget to take a look at our pick of best winter holiday destinations in Pakistan that are straight out of a fairytale.
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