Choosing a trip destination is hard enough, especially if there are no direct flights from airports near you. Add a couple of connecting flights from different carriers in the mix and you have on your hands a complicated travel itinerary.
Be it international trips or long cross-country trips, you cannot escape connecting flights.
This is why we have put together the ultimate guide to finding the best flight routes and connections no matter where you are flying from and flying to.
But before we get into that, it is important to understand what exactly qualifies as a connecting flight.
What Is A Connecting Flight?
The concept of connecting flights is exactly what it sounds like. They serve as a connection between your origin and your connecting destination and then from your connecting destination to your final destination.
For instance, if you are looking to fly from Raleigh, North Carolina to Las Vegas, Nevada, you might need to take a flight to a bigger airport hub such as Atlanta, Georgia from Raleigh first.
Then you can fly from Atlanta to Las Vegas directly, thus, making Atlanta your connecting destination and your flight a connecting flight.
Now that we have established what a connecting flight route could look like and why connecting flights are useful, it is time to explore the best options for booking these flights.
How To Book The Best Flight Route To Your Destination?
Thanks to technology, amazing tools exist to simplify your search for different flight paths that lead to your final destination. All you need to do is add the location you are flying from and the destination you are looking to go to and Flight Routes will handle the rest.
When you search for a route, the tool will first give you an overview of how many flight routes are available for your searched destination as well as mention some other details such as the number of airlines that operate these routes and the shortest possible flight time.
Additionally, the website will also show you a list of each airline’s usual schedule and the alternative routes you can take.
If you are not a fan of lists and prefer a more visual approach, you will even find an interactive map on the website that can help you better understand your route option
If you have ever used FlightsFrom.com which has been around since 2017 and has gained quite a bit of attention for being the ultimate place to view all scheduled flights from every airport globally, then you can rest assured you’ll get the same ease of use and accuracy on FlightRoutes.com too.
The team behind FlightsFrom.com is the same team simplifying your vacation planning even more having created FlightRoutes.com too.
While these are all great options and features, the question remains:
How can this tool help me find a cheap connecting flight and how would I even start this search?
How To Search For The Cheapest Connecting Flights?
There are many ways you can secure the cheapest flights and route options while using FlightRoutes.
The best way to find the cheapest prices is to get a headstart on your trip planning. The moment you decide that you want to take a trip somewhere, start looking for flight options on FlightRoutes.
The farther away your trip date is, the cheaper your flight costs can be even in high-traffic seasons such as the holidays.
The general rule of thumb is to book an international flight 4-6 months before departure. As far as domestic flights are concerned, 1-2 months before departure will put you in the perfect sweet spot.
So, do not wait to get closer to the date you leave and book your flights as soon as possible.
Another way to secure a cheap flight is by comparing the same airlines across multiple routes. For example, when flying from Raleigh to Las Vegas, you have the option to stop in Atlanta or Denver. However, the one with a stop in Atlanta is almost 2x cheaper than the one in Denver even though they are both operated by Frontier.
Furthermore, you can also compare the same flight over the course of different days during the week or even different weeks in the same month. By using the “I have no dates” feature, you can choose to see flights for flexible dates.
This feature can come in handy if you do not have a set date that you need to leave on and have some flexibility in case a cheaper option is available.
Since airlines service the same routes multiple times in the same week, you are sure to find a cheap option around your departure dates.
However, if you do have a set date that you need to leave on or a specific location as your connection, there are still other ways to ensure that you are getting a great deal.
The combination of incognito windows and the best times to book a flight is a well-kept secret of many pro-travelers. Since most airlines use a dynamic pricing system, the prices change based on a number of factors.
These factors can be anything from seat availability to the number of people looking at the flight online at the same time, and even the time of the day.
This is why you should also have a couple of these tricks up your sleeves when it comes to booking your flight.
Check for the latest data to know the best day to book a flight. For example, based on the data from 2022 and 2023, the best day to fly cheap is Wednesday.
This is in part due to traffic being low in the middle of the week when people are less likely to take leaves from jobs and school. Accordingly, the worst time to book a flight is anytime on a Friday whereas booking on a Sunday has proven to be way more economical for domestic and international travelers alike.
Now, if you have no choice but to book a flight on Friday, your incognito browser window will come into play. Airline websites are designed in such a way that they track how often you are looking for a flight.
Since searching to see the prices across different websites for the same route can signal to an airline that you are looking to make a purchase, they are more likely to increase prices.
To prevent this tracking and high prices, you can use an incognito window to check any details about your flight route and the different price points. There is some speculation on whether this is true, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
Some travelers even recommend using a VPN so you can get regional prices depending on the different locations that you can set your VPN to. However, this might not be the most economical option if you don’t already have access to a VPN.
Now that we know some tricks when it comes to booking flights, it is important to highlight the factors that you should consider when comparing airlines.
Factors To Consider While Comparing Airlines
If being cheap is your one and only criterion then comparing airlines is not a hard task as you can just choose the first cheapest option.
However, if you remotely care about anything else such as comfort, time, and in-flight services then you should spend some more time comparing different carriers.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you are taking a connecting flight, you need to make sure that you have enough of a layover to accommodate the rest of your itinerary.
For example, the cheapest flight might only offer an hour-long layover whereas your best option would be to have at least two hours to navigate a new airport and accommodate any delays.
Similarly, the cheapest option again might not be the best when it comes to international flight connections and baggage allowances.
For instance, if you are looking to fly from South Asia to a smaller city in the United States, you will have the option to choose between a layover in Europe or a layover in a bigger city in the US.
It makes sense to take a layover in Europe instead of an American city because your domestic flight within the US might not allow the excess baggage you are allowed on international flights.
Therefore, you should not sacrifice everything just to get a cheap flight as it may end up costing you more once you depart whether that is in the form of excess baggage fees, overpriced in-flight food, or even missing your flight due to layover times.
Conclusion
With so many tools at your disposal, it would be foolish to not use amazing platforms like FlightRoutes to find the best and cheapest flights.
Just remember to search and book on the right days so you can get guaranteed low prices. Set an alert to be notified when prices are at their lowest and make quick decisions before prices rise once again.
Think about your comfort and your overall experience before you book a journey that leaves you tired and exhausted. Experiment with different routes, airlines, and destinations to find your perfect match. However, do not sacrifice your ability to enjoy the journey just to get the cheapest option possible.
All in all, many decisions go into creating the perfect itinerary as well as booking the right tickets. As long as you keep these tips and tricks in mind, you can travel with satisfaction knowing that you are taking the most cost-effective trip possible.
The post The Ultimate Guide To Finding The Best Flight Routes and Connections appeared first on Travel Experta - Travel, Lifestyle, Freedom.
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By: Marina 'Travel Experta'
Title: The Ultimate Guide To Finding The Best Flight Routes and Connections
Sourced From: travelexperta.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-finding-the-best-flight-routes-and-connections/
Published Date: Wed, 17 May 2023 21:14:37 +0000
