fly away ..... if you can afford to

Airline travel.
Always costs an arm and a leg unless you -

a)  log on at the right time - tricky
b) find a sale and want to travel within 3 weeks - always sold out
c) want to travel before 5am and after 9pm on any day of the week that does not have a "Y" in it and only if you want to fly half the route and walk the other half
d) don't want to go there or return on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday
e) have a gazillion Voyager miles
f) book 3 decades in advance

or actually don't want to go at all. 

Having a daughter living in CT means that I and she are regularly perusing the airline pages - Nic has been down to see her, I am going tomorrow and she has been up and down twice.  

To find the best price is not, contrary to what they let you believe, clicking on the "when would you like to leave and return" button and waiting trustingly for the best price.  You have to take into consideration school holidays, public holidays, the moon's position, the MD's mood and much more. 

I am all for free trading and I completely get the supply and demand thing, however what I do not get is the reason why the price can be R699 all day on a Monday and then on Tuesday because the schools closed it is R2100.  These are one way prices.  I know perfectly well what a "lost leader" item is in marketing, but you do not have your lost leader of R699 to R849 running all the time and then BAM.  It is insane.  Milking the consumer are we?

I have also discovered that sometimes you need to mix it up ... go with one airline and return with another.  And be flexible to travel very early or very late.  And be prepared to spend 2 hours hunting for best prices.  Also be aware that Travel sites offering the "lowest prices by searching across all airlines" ... not always so. 

You are lucky if you are one of those people who simply just book.  Log on .. put in dates ... book. BAM - costs what it costs.  

For me and my bestie to visit my chefgirl was a whole logistical exercise involving 1 laptop and 2 cellphones as we went back and forward.  So by flying at 5am we managed to get sorted, but have to come home 12 hours later on the day we want to, due to pricing.

Please also remember that when you get the best price be very sure about the extras ... I know the pitfalls but not all do ..... don't get to the checkout and find that you have to add on R100 for your luggage each way ...... One airline does this and so another one cleverly made their tag line "we take your luggage for free" ... 

Wonderboom Airport is right near my house ... as opposed to ORT which is 40 mins away.  Wonderboom introducted flights to CT and back.  YAY I thought.  Bleh. 

I am going with SafAir for R1750 return .... the cheapest flight via Wonderboom with SA Airlink is R3400 return currently.  I called and checked.  Brilliant marketing ..... lets make flights from Wonderboom and then lets charge so much that only people whose companies are paying can afford to fly from there. 

So shop smartly fellow flyers ........ else you may just have to stay at home. 

till soon 

K x