How to Save Money on Family Flights
Airplane tickets can be a major budget buster for any traveler. For a family of 5 it can be a huge expense. We can’t afford to pay $1000 for an international ticket (that’s $5,000 for the 5 of us!! – no wonder people think they can’t afford to travel). Knowing how to save money on flights and getting the best prices to move our family around has made the difference between taking our dream trip and staying at home.
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What do we usually spend on flights?
It varies but here are some of the deals we’ve gotten in the last year. These prices are for the ticket only and not luggage (I’ll talk about luggage fees later).
Dublin to Pittsburgh: $150 per person
New York to Copenhagen: about $160 per person
Denver to Seattle: $39 per person
Flights within Europe: about $50 per person
Flights within US: Typically we use points (so $99 per year for the credit card).
These prices are not unusual to find or super crazy deals. You just have to know where to look.
How to Start?
I like to book trips in this order: I get an idea of the lodging cost, plane costs and transportation to make sure everything is within budget. If all looks good we book lodging first, planes second and other transportation 3rd.
Sometimes I’ve worked backwards. We ended up staying in Copenhagen because we found plane tickets for about $150. I then found the place to stay.
If you’re looking for the best prices – be flexible. When looking for good deals on international flights I just focus on getting over the Atlantic. I know no one anywhere near Pittsburg but for $150 per person we could get a hotel room near the airport then use points for the rest of the trip home.
Sometimes we book direct flights into our destination city. Sometimes we get close to our destination and drive (Lisbon is the airport we used for Andalusia, Spain). We’ve also split trips up to save money and to break up travel days. A day or 2 in a different city may be a good thing.
I find Dublin, Copenhagen, Iceland, Lisbon, London all seem to have better deals. Once you’re already across the Atlantic it’s much easier and cheaper to get where you want to go. Make sure if you are putting different flights together that your lodging costs doesn’t make your savings disappear.
If you’re mind is set on taking a direct flight straight to Italy – pull out the pocket book.
How I do my Research
When I do my research, I start with Skyscanner. Overall their searches seem to give me the best deals or at least point me in the right direction. If you have a little time before you need to book your flight I recommend signing up their price alerts. When the cost is lower, book the flight. Generally about 2-3 months out is the best time to buy. Usually there is not a lot of fluctuations but sometime you’ll come across a great deal (like $150 from Spain to New Orleans – 5 days out).
To get the Skyscanner App Click Here:
To go ahead and search flights click here:
I will also check a few direct airline sites just to see if I can get a better price. Some of the sites (like WOW) will advertise super cheap flights on their webpage. These deals may not get you to the exact city you’re looking for but if they can at least get you closer you can adjust your trip or combine flights to get better deals.
In the US look up Southwest and Frontier.
In Europe I look at Wow, Ryan Air and Norwegian sites.
Next Step – Add up your fees
Once you have your flight picked out check with the airlines website for carry on and checked baggage information. It’s usually going to be cheaper to pay for your bags ahead of time and each airline seems to have different rules. You just don’t want to be stuck at check and having to pay more for your bags then your ticket cost. Airlines in the US tend to make sure each bag is under the approved weight. Airlines in Europe will weigh all the bags together (so if one bag is 3 pounds over and one is 6 pounds under you’re still good). We’ve been able to get down to 3 checked bags and 2 carry on’s. The rest of our stuff fits under the seat.
For a list of the bags and luggage we use click here.
More Money Saving Tricks
Try searching in incognito mode or refresh your cookies. The first time you search a flight it’s likely to be lower. It can go up every time you search. You will generally get a lower price if the website does not know you’ve been staring at the same tickets for the past 2 weeks.
Other Sites:
Many travelers have other sites that they like to use. Scott’s Deals, Kayak, Google Flights come up a lot on how to find flights forums.
Save Money with Points
There are many websites out there to help you save money on flights with credit card points. Some people are really good at it. We do use our Southwest Credit Cards points for US trips. Generally we get 4-6 flights a year paid for that way. We have a $99 per year service charge but it makes sense for us.
Specific Information about Flying with Southwest
Even if you do not use points Southwest can be a better bargain once you add on baggage fees and additional costs. The best time to book with them is when they are having a sale. Sign up for their e-mail and if you see a good price, go for it. They’re also a really low stress and generally a fun airline. Since we have children under 6 we use family boarding. It’s no extra cost. We just line up after the A group and we get to pick our seats without stress. You should always make sure you are on time for family boarding – otherwise it’s not going to be as smooth. If you do not qualify for family boarding then check in with your cell phone 24 hours prior to your flight. You may be able to pay to upgrade your place in line. If you don’t, you may be in the C group and at the end of the line for picking seats just think “C for Center.”
Specific Information about Frontier Airlines
I’ve also used Frontier’s direct site. They have a credit card points program as well but we just haven’t gotten around to getting it. At one time if you signed up while on the plane you got double points ( I think it added up to 1-2 round trip tickets depending on where you were going). We’ve gotten flights for $39 from Denver to Seattle (+ the cost of one checked bag). Not a bad deal for a last minute vacation. I’ll sometimes just check their site just to see where $50 will get me. Now there are some tricks with Frontier. They are a budget airline. The seats are not good, you do not get food, and you’re likely to wait a pretty good amount of time at baggage claim. You will be charged extra for everything so pack smart. Although I do feel it is getting better. That being said $250 for a family of five for a 2-3 hour flight – just take a deep breath and deal with it.
Car Seat Questions?
Transporting kids through the airport and figuring out what to do with your car seats can be very tricky. Our car seat information guide can be really helpful.
More Top Tips for Flying with Kids
The Best Car Seats for Traveling
Looking For Travel Accessories?
We love our Cozy Kids Headphones and the Kindles have been wonderful for longer flights. Otherwise we go simple. A good headrest could make a big difference in overnight flights. Look below for a lists of our favorite travel accessories.
Take a look – Travel Shopping Lists:
Luggage,Kids Travel Accessories, Mother’s Day Gifts, Electronics, Car Seats and Boosters, Kids Clothing, Travel Supplies, For the Beach, Gifts for Travelers
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