budget flights - The Family Holiday Guide

The 9 top tips to finding cheap flights for you and your family

by Victoria Pollitt | Nov 21, 2019 | Advice, Top Story

We reveal how to save money when flying

As families think about booking flights for 2020 trips, we share some top tips for bagging a cheap fare.

Secret Flying, which specialises in uncovering discounted plane tickets, has compiled its guide to saving money on a family holiday.

You will get a cheaper flight if you do the following:

1. Travel midweek

The cheapest days to fly are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

2. Book a round-trip/return trip on a long haul airline

Round trips will usually be cheaper than two one-way tickets if you are flying further than Europe.

3. Check one-way on budget carriers

Occasionally, two one-way tickets with separate budget carriers around Europe will cost less than a round-trip ticket. For example, you could fly out to Malaga with Ryanair but return with EasyJet.

4. Booking last minute can work with charter flights

Companies which specialise in flying package holidaymakers, like Tui, can be heavily discounted at the last minute.

This is because if the package holidays haven’t sold then there will be extra space on their planes which they want to fill with flight-only passengers. We have seen prices as low as £249 to Florida and £299 to the Caribbean.

5. Last minute is rarely cheaper with scheduled or budget airlines

Most long haul airlines like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic raise prices the closer you get to departure. It is the same with budget carriers. In these cases, it probably pays to book in advance.

6. Use Skyscanner ‘Everywhere’ to find a bargain

The SkyScanner website lets you search every departure from a specific airport. For example, you can search every flight from Manchester between May 23 and May 30 (half-term week) to see which destination is the cheapest option.

7. Stop over on a long haul flight

You can save on airfare taxes, which often make up the bulk of any long haul fare, by taking a short flight to a European destination and going long-haul from there.

For example, flying from Birmingham to Amsterdam and then going with KLM to the Far East or the USA can be cheaper than going directly from the UK. You must stay over for at least 24 hours in Amsterdam in this case to benefit from the tax saving.

8. Be flexible

The more flexibility with dates you have, the more your chances of saving money will be. This is tricky with school holiday dates but try searching midweek departures in the summer holidays or leave it until closer to September for cheaper flights.

9. How to get an upgrade

According to Secret Flying, the best ways to boost your chances of a free upgrade to business class is to be a member of the airline’s frequent flyer programme, dress smartly and only check in at the airport.

If you check in online, your seats will already be allocated and the airline is less likely to move you up a class.

Secret Flying is a free service for users who get daily flight deals to their inbox every evening. Alternatively there is a new app. For more information please visit www.secretflying.com

In-flight Wi-Fi and child discounts – we discover why Norwegian Air is good for family flights

by Victoria Pollitt | May 8, 2018 | Transport

We review a flight with Norwegian Air from Manchester to Malaga

The airline Norwegian is a relative newcomer to the short-haul market in the UK. But it is a big player worldwide, flying 500 routes.

From the UK, it now carries over five million passengers a year from London Gatwick, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester airports to 50 destinations worldwide.

We flew with the airline for the first time from Manchester to Malaga and were very impressed.

The booking process

The website and booking process is straightforward with the usual options on baggage.

The lowest fare tickets don’t include a checked bag but higher priced tickets do.

A Norwegian plane takes off – the airline flies 500 routes around the world

In-flight

This is where Norwegian shines. Most of its planes have free Wi-Fi as standard and also give passengers access to some free tv programmes.

There are enough free children’s shows to pass the time on a short-haul flight and there are also television screens above each row showing videos.

Family-friendly

Children aged between two and 11 get a 25 per cent discount on most fares. This is a handy reduction, which is rarely offered these days.

Hand luggage allowances are generous – one standard and one small bag weighing up to 10kgs.

The planes

Norwegian has some of the newest planes in the world with an average age of less than four years. They are clean and modern on board with decent legroom.

Staff at the airport

One of our flights was full and one fairly quiet so we experienced both extremes. It was a friendly and efficient service, with just a bit of a wait at the passenger boarding bridge to board on the busier flight.

In conclusion

We were really impressed with Norwegian. It didn’t feel like low-cost travel even though the price was good.

For more information visit Norwegian – fares from Manchester to Malaga start from £29.90 per person.

We flew at a discounted price with Norwegian for the purposes of this review. As always all opinions are our own.

/ TAG / BUDGET FLIGHTS