Claudia has discovered some hacks that will help you save hundreds of dollars when flying between Australia and the US. (Source: TikTok)
A young Australian living in New York City has revealed the hack he discovered to keep the cost of his flight home as cheap as possible. Depending on when you fly and the amount of notice, flying between the US and Australia can be expensive.
But Claudia Giblin said she was able to save more than $1,500 in round-trip costs by taking a few simple steps. She added that no special technology or software is required to achieve maximum savings.
“We noticed that people didn’t know how to book the cheapest flight tickets online,” she says. “When my friend was explaining this system to me the other day, I was shocked that she didn’t because I thought everyone knew about it.”
related
How to get the cheapest flight tickets
Does incognito mode actually work?
Giblin said the first port of call is to open an incognito browser window or tab. That’s because travel websites can’t track your activity and can’t increase the price of your ticket the next time you visit.
Since the site collects your cookies, it makes sense that your costs will go up if you don’t book a flight on your first visit.
However, this long-held hack doesn’t seem to be very effective in practice.
A study conducted last year by the University of Berkeley, Yale University, and the University of Chicago found that the main driver of price fluctuations was the overall booking of a particular flight, rather than specific personal interests.
“Your search behavior almost certainly has no effect,” said Kevin Williams, a Yale University economist who worked on the study.
“But if you book the last seat at the lowest price, that flight could impact everyone else.”
Google Flights vs Skyscanner
The Australian, who lives in New York City, advised travelers to sign up for both Skyscanner and Google Flights to ensure they get the best deals.
story continues
“I always find cheap flights on Google Flights. Flights through Skyscanner always seem to be a little more expensive. I don’t know why,” she said.
Yahoo Finance found that the price difference for the exact same flight from Sydney to Los Angeles was $24, and Google showed cheaper itineraries.
Don’t get too attached to your destination
Travel websites may automatically list airports for you, Giblin said, which can increase the price of your trip.
She said Google Flights shows you the closest airports to your actual destination when you select it, and there may be cheaper trips available.
However, keep in mind that you may have to pay more if you use a car or public transport to reach your final destination.
Book flights individually instead of as a package
The Australian gave the example of flying back to Melbourne. Typically, you just enter New York City as your starting point and the Victorian capital as your destination.
But she realized it was much cheaper to split it up, even if it took a little longer.
“We book separately,” she said.
“So I booked one flight from New York to LA, which I booked as one round trip, and then I booked another flight from LA to Melbourne, which saved me a whopping $1.50 on my flight. .”
She added that she also saved hundreds of dollars off her final bill by flying through Hawaii because she didn’t book multiple cities at once.
Yahoo Finance tested it and found significant savings. The cheapest flight was $613 when I booked from Sydney to Los Angeles, and then from Los Angeles to New York cost an additional $121.
However, when I tried to book a flight from Sydney to New York, the cheapest flight was $1,009. That’s a savings of $275.
Additional fees are determined based on convenience and reducing total waiting time at the airport between flights.
If you’re on the same airline all the way, you’ll have to grab your baggage and re-check it in each leg, which may not be worth the hassle for some travelers.
Australians are divided over advice
Despite the significant savings, not everyone was convinced.
“I don’t want the cheapest flight, I want the best,” writes one person who believes price should not be the only factor when traveling.
“I’m used to working in air travel, so it’s better to look at prices, call the airline, match the price, and then book directly,” said another.
“Airline customer service here. The only issue is that if there is a problem with your booking, they cannot help you with things like rebooking your flight as it is booked through a third party,” they added. .
“I would rather book directly. I don’t care about the lowest price. I want the most reliable,” another user commented.
Get the latest news from Yahoo Finance – follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
