Do you dream of a wonderful, cheap vacation? A first-rate escape for a chunk of the original price? It’s possible – you can score some great last-minute flight deals if you’re lucky or use the right website. But it’s not always roses and flowers – there are some things you need to watch out for when booking such flights. What are they? Find it all out!
What to watch out for when looking for last-minute flight deals?
Your vacation is an experience that starts from the moment you arrive at the airport and ends only after you come back home. That’s why every detail needs to be perfect – including the flights. What do you need to be aware of when searching for the best last-minute flight deals? Here’s our list:
1. Landing at an airport far from your destination
For starters, some deals look great on paper but turn out to be awful in real life. What causes that? The airport you’re flying to.
Many airports are named after the nearby city, but in truth, they can be located as far as 80 kilometers away from your destination. Transferring from them (especially if you’re unaware of their location) can be quite a hassle and often expensive. That’s why you should always check the airport when picking last-minute flight deals.
2. Problematic airports
Each airport has its own pros and cons, but some of the latter could have a larger impact on your vacation. For instance, there are airports that struggle with low visibility in fall and winter, so you’re likely to experience delays, disruptions, or even to land at a different airport in the same country (due to poor weather conditions at your initial destination). It’s good to read the opinions about a given hub before you book your last-minute flight deals to ensure that you’re not risking such situations.
What if the deal is too awesome to ignore? Account for the potential issues in your itinerary. For instance, you can take an additional day off work to cover for potential delays.
3. Flight ticket scams
Some deals are too good to be true – they’re likely a scam. If you see a great last-minute flight deal on a site you’ve never seen before, the deal’s likely unreliable. How to avoid it? Book your tickets directly from airline websites or with reliable third-party providers, such as Kiwi.
4. Odd hours
Most airlines fly at certain time windows, and many great deals are off-peak – that’s fine. However, it’s a potential trap if you’re not careful enough. For instance, if you book a ticket for a flight at 0:30 AM on February 20, you need to remember that it’s 0:30 AM on the night between February 19 and February 20 – many people book flights like that and then mistake the date, missing their flights.
5. Ticker price changes
Finally, some great last-minute flight deals are not so great after a day or two. Prices can fluctuate significantly over the course of a day, not to mention a week, so if you don’t make the decision right away, you might need to pay much more. At the same time, you still need to research the destination and the airport you’ll be flying to – it can get quite tricky.
The Takeaway
You know what to watch out for when searching for great last-minute flight deals – you won’t fall into any of the most common traps. So, what are you waiting for? Get down to booking a flight to your dream destination and experience the adventure of your lifetime!
