By Chinelo Obogo
To lessen the financial burden on air travelers, an aviation consultant, Kingsley Ezenwa, has shared tips that can help passengers get flight tickets at more affordable rates. Speaking exclusively with Daily Sun, Ezenwa proffered practical advice for passengers with strategies ranging from social media engagement to loyalty programmes.
Follow airlines on social media
Ezenwa said it is important for passengers to monitor airlines’ social media channels and email updates because many promotional offers, including discounted or free tickets, are usually announced through these platforms.
“The first thing to do is for passengers to follow all the airlines on their social media channels to know what is going on because a lot of the promo they do for getting free or cheap tickets are usually announced through their social media channels or via emails. So, if you are a frequent flier and you want to get cheaper tickets, try and be intentional about checking their pages because sometimes you may not get to see some of those things but they would definitely announce them on social media,” he said.
Book early
He said booking your ticket ahead is crucial because prices increase as the travel date approaches especially during festive periods, when fares can skyrocket to as much as N400,000. “The worst time to book for a flight is on the same day you’re traveling. A lot of the airlines run what we describe as ‘progressive fare regime’. This means that the closer your travel date, the higher the fare. A lot of airlines want to sell of their seats immediately, so they are likely to release their lowest fare.
“Depending on the pressure on that flight, if you leave off booking your ticket till a day or two to that flight, the cost of the ticket would keep going up. If you aren’t lucky enough and it is a festive period, I assure you that you may just be buy your ticket at up to N400,000. So, it is always good to book far ahead because this is one of the best ways to get good fares. They may not be cheap but at least, they would be convenient than booking close to the date of your travel,” he said.
Check directly with airlines
Ezenwa said passengers should check directly with airlines about discounts because some of them offer cheaper fares on their official websites compared to when you have to go over-the-counter at the airport. He also pointed out that there is potential for discounts when booking return tickets with the same airline as this strategy allows airlines to secure both legs of a passenger’s journey.
He said, “For instance, if your flight is N400,000 for both legs, the airline may give you a discount if you book your return leg with them. What the airline wants to ensure that you go and come back with them, therefore they can say that for your loyalty, you may be given a good discount where you pay N170,000 for one leg instead of N200,000. At one point, we had a promo where if you book online, you get it cheaper and if you book a return ticket at the same time, you get a discount.”
Register for loyalty programmes
Ezenwa’s fourth recommendation is to register for the loyalty programmes of airlines. Though he acknowledged that some programs are more beneficial than others, he said frequent flights could increase points which could lead to free travel and in such cases, only the taxes are paid. He said it is important to understand the specifics of these programs to effectively plan future trips.
Addressing the issue between booking directly through the airline’s website or using a travel agent, Ezenwa supported direct booking. He said there is an advantage of passengers having their direct contact information with the airline so that they can keep track of any change in flights.
“Sometimes it is good to book yourself if you can because the advantages are many. Some travel agents will not use your number or email to book so when there is a change, some of them won’t be able to update you on time and that may affect you because paying for change of flights is expensive,” he said.