The drill has become all too familiar. You receive an
email alert; see the banner, newspaper ad; friend tweets about the deal, all
alerting you to the promo of the day. Do you hit the website straightaway to
book? Or prefer to discuss with friends to decide on the ‘perfect’ date before
checking out what’s available?
Timing
It all depends on what the deal is, and which airline
that’s offering it. If you are really keen on getting the advertised deal, be
quick, flexible and keep an open mind. Once you get wind of the promotion, log
on to see what’s available, i.e. check to see if weekend flights are eligible
(if you prefer weekend travels), schedule, and if you’re eyeing a particular
Public Holiday, good to note if the dates around it are reduced. Then, try to
book within an hour if possible so that you get the advertised fare.
Tiger ran a 90-minute flash deal promotion over four
days recently, offering seats between $28 and $68 to the usual hotspots such as
Penang, Bangkok, Hong Kong,
Taipei etc. I consider this a grab-and-go sort of promotion. Not much time for
you to decide and ponder, because at $48 to Hong Kong and $68 to Taipei, there really
isn’t much to worry about. Yes some destinations like Bangkok
only had weekday flights on sale, while Hong Kong
was almost promo-for-all, once you work out what’s available, select the date
and book, simple as that.
Newly launched Scoot has been throwing up some fantastic
deals recently, not just to fill the plane but also to create publicity. It sold
Sydney, Gold Coast for $88, and Bangkok for $44. Launch deals don’t come by
often, and you’ll be silly to miss them.
Jetstar Japan also launched their domestic
flights for just 1 yen, but with a booking fee of 200 yen. At 201 yen or
approximately $3 to fly from Tokyo or Osaka to Sapporo, Fukuoka and Okinawa, it
was too good a deal to pass. But that’s domestic, then Singapore to Japan how, you ask. Why worry? Just
book, instantly and very randomly.
The infamous AirAsia midnight sale hasn’t been that attractive
lately, partly due to prices, but also the amount of booking requests that hit
the server making it very tedious to book. My take is that unless you spot a
certain route which is unusually cheap, it is not worth the wait.
How much is a deal?
Kuala Lumpur: $18
Penang: $28
Jakarta: $38
Phuket: $38
Bangkok: $58
Bali: $58
Hanoi: $68
Hong Kong: $68
Taipei: $88
Beijing: $98
Melbourne: $108
These are very attractive one way nett fares, seat
only. Book when available, plan
later.
Booking fees (as of May 7 2012)
Unfortunately, booking fees incurred when making
payment online using credit/debit cards are not advertised, and uninformed travelers
usually aren’t unaware until they reach the last page of the booking process.
From Singapore
- $5 per passenger per sector
Select the ENETS option for a FREE transaction, only
for bookings made at least two days in advance
From Malaysia
- RM5
From Thailand
- THB50
From Singapore
- $9 per passenger per sector
Select the 7-11 or SAM payment option for a FREE
transaction, must pay within 48 hours of booking, flights must also be at least
two weeks in advance
From everywhere else - NO FEE
From Singapore
- $8 per passenger per sector
From Malaysia
- MYR20
From Thailand
- THB200
From Hong Kong -
HKD50
From Singapore
- $8 per passenger per sector
From Australia
- FREE
From Thailand
– THB200
One way or return?
I would think 95% of travelers prefer to book a return
trip for the fear of not securing a flight home. But there is nothing to worry
about really, unless the fare you’re about to book is an advertised deal.
These days, because of exchange rates and demand
supply issues, airlines do not price their flights based on a single price
point, and fares differ according to originating countries. For example, a
return Jetstar flight between Singapore
and Hong Kong may cost $128 and $158 respectively, if made in a single booking
originating from Singapore.
However, if you were to book the flights separately, the Hong Kong to Singapore sector
may cost just HKD750, with no booking fee. Hence, you get the same flights for
a lot less.
Booking fees can add a significant amount to the
overall ticket price, so check to see if there are savings to be had from
separate bookings.
Also, when booking flash ‘grab-and-go’ deals, you
often find yourself looking for a pair ‘good dates’, ie suitable period with
promotional fares both ways. But more often than not, they are only available
for one sector, so do you continue searching or give up, or say ‘bluff people
one!’? My advice is, just book (the promo flight), yes one way is OK.
For popular destinations like Hong Kong or Bangkok
with up to 40 flights a day, chances are more promos will be on the way and
you’ll definitely find something nice to complete the journey. So don’t book
that 6am flight just because it is on promo, because after factoring in taxi
fare and the effort to wake up at 4am, that $30 savings may be pointless after
all.
