Can you get cheap flights at 3 a.m.? 10 myths about buying airline tickets

By Rita

Travel enthusiasts would never deny that “buying the right flight” is an art. There are no formal courses to teach this, and the only way to achieve it is to look around more, compare more, and do more research. The U.S. HuffPost dedicated afeature, and while it discusses the American experience, many of the issues raised are long-standing misconceptions for many people. Travelers may want to take note and be more cautious the next time they book a flight, so they can secure a reasonably priced ticket.

▲ Beware of these 10 myths about buying airline tickets (Image / Darzhi / Illustration)

1. Booking at the “mystery time” gets you the best price
It’s widely believed that “3 a.m.” is the best time to get cheap flights, but this is actually a big misconception. Flight prices change every day and every minute. It is true that if you depart on a Tuesday or Wednesday, you might get the lowest fare—but that doesn’t mean you should book on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

2. Last-minute bookings are always the most expensive
Yes, this is mostly the case, but not always. For example, some international routes in the U.S. actually lower their fares in the last few minutes. The best approach is to track Google.com/flights/explore.

3. Airlines set their prices the same as their competitors
Not true. Some airlines offer specific routes that are “hundreds of dollars” cheaper than others.

4. Travel agencies can’t help you find cheap flights
Travel agencies have some automated websites with tricks you might not know about. It’s worth asking them first.

5. Non-refundable tickets can never be refunded
Not necessarily. If a flight is canceled, severely delayed, or the airline changes the schedule before departure, a refund may be possible.

6. Buying round-trip tickets or avoiding Saturdays gets you better prices
This used to be true, but now many airlines offer one-way tickets at half the price of round-trip tickets.

7. Clearing your browsing history
There is absolutely no evidence to support this rumor.

8. Bereavement, senior, and child discounts
Most airlines have done away with these, and any that remain are often laughably minimal.

9. Toddlers who can’t walk yet can fly for free
This is true for domestic flights in the U.S., but for international flights, you must pay 10% of the adult fare. And remember, if you get a free business class ticket as a reward, you’ll still have to pay 10% of that seat’s fare for your child.

10. Booking directly from a single comparison site
No comparison site consistently offers the best prices. It’s best to compare multiple sites.

★The image is a copyrighted photo provided exclusively to ETtoday Eastday News Cloud by Darzhi Images. No website, newspaper, or TV station may reproduce part or all of it without permission from Darzhi Images.