The best value flight ever!

by Robert Powell on 05 June 2011  |  7 comments
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We reveal the best value destination to fly to and the best value time to do it at...

Saving money on flights all boils down to the two W’s.

Where and when.

Needless to say, if you have an undying urge to visit Australia slap bang in the middle of the school holidays, you’ll pay substantially more for your flight than if you plumped for a mid-November mini-break to the Isles of Scilly.

But how can you be sure you’re getting the best value out of the destination and timing of your flights?

Let’s take a look...

Destination

Figures from Kelkoo show that the best value route for UK jetsetters is from London Heathrow to the Thai capital of Bangkok. However, this is still only the second best value route across the whole of Europe. The research looked at the average fares for Europe’s 125 most popular routes and worked out the cost per nautical mile (NM) of each flight.

Overall, the best value route of the 125 analysed was from Frankfurt in Germany to Bangkok. This flight worked out at 5.27p per NM, 0.19p per NM cheaper than the Heathrow to Bangkok fare.

In third and fourth place were two Paris Orly flights - one to to Pointe-à-Pitre, the largest city of the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, and the other to Fort-de-France, the Capital of France’s Caribbean overseas department of Martinique.

Here’s a full breakdown of the top 10 best value routes for UK travellers...

The stats also reveal that short haul flights from the UK are terrible value when compared to long haul routes; working out at 75% more expensive on average. The first UK short haul flight to feature in the run-down is the Heathrow to Athens route, coming in at number 13 with an average cost per NM of 9.55p; over 4p per NM more than the Bangkok fare. The next best value short haul route from the UK is Heathrow to Lisbon followed by London Gatwick to Malaga.

But when compared to the rest of Europe, the picture is very different. Kelkoo found that the average cost of a long haul flight from the UK is actually 16% more expensive than the average long haul fare from other European cities. Meanwhile short haul fares from the UK are 27% cheaper than the equivalent routes from other European cities.

The worst value for money for UK travellers was found to be on domestic routes from Heathrow to Manchester (44.2p per NM) and Gatwick to Jersey (43.4p per NM).

So if Bangkok to Heathrow offers the most mileage for your cash, when is the best time to fly?

When to fly

Research from Which? shows that the date and time you fly at can have a huge impact on the fare you pay. The consumer group collected prices for 1,478 holidays to a single resort in Majorca at various times and from various UK airports. Granted these prices included hotel costs, but the difference in rates can give us some idea as to when the cheapest flight time is.

The most obvious visible trend was that flying in the peak school holiday season will push your fare up considerably. But if you really have no other choice but to jet away in this period, try to leave towards the end of the season.

Which? also found that midweek departures were cheaper on average than weekend flights, with Saturday being the most expensive day to travel on. In addition, the stats showed that flights leaving in the afternoon were the priciest while those departing in the evening were the cheapest.

And here are few more ways you can save a few pounds on your flights this summer...

Save money on your flights

Pick the right flight: Staying as flexible as you can when booking a holiday is one of the best ways to snap up the cheapest rates. If you are able to avoid weekends, travel late in the day and steer clear of peak time periods, you’ll definitely find the price of your holiday dropping fast.

Value wise, if you’re really on a budget, long haul flights may not be an option, however good value they are. Fortunately, earlier this year we also rounded up the cheapest city breaks and holiday destinations by looking at both flight fares as well as the cost of hotels, restaurants and attractions.

Slash your airport travel costs: If you book with a budget airline, it’s always worth checking the exact location of your departure and arrival airports. Often cheap carriers will fly into airports that are miles away from the stated destination. This means that you could find yourself having to shell out for transport to your hotel; pushing up your overall cost of travel considerably.

You should also always ensure that you plan your route to and from the airports when you book your flights. If you need to leave your car at the airport, shop around using sites like Parking4less and Purple Parking and book well in advance to get the best rates. Alternatively try and find a spare driveway near the airport with an owner that’s prepared to rent it out to your for the duration of your holiday; sites like parkatmyhouse.com will help with this.

Use the right card: If you’re planning on using a credit card when abroad, always check the currency exchange rates and overseas fees before you get spending. Head to our overseas credit card comparison centre for some more information.

You should check the small print on your debit cards before you set off as well, and if you do find that your provider charges a fee for overseas withdrawals, get a pre-paid MasterCard and avoid the charges altogether. Find out more in The best cards for spending abroad.

Avoid airline fees: A pre-paid MasterCard will also allow you to steer clear of sneaky airline booking fees, as most carriers only charge them on credit and debit cards. In addition to this, try and travel light to get round hefty baggage fees and always book and check-in online, as most budget carriers will charge you for the privilege of speaking to one of their employees!

Finally, overall, remember that if you want to grab yourself the best value flight from the UK, you need to fly from London Heathrow to Bangkok - preferably midweek in the evening and not in the school holidays!

Your tips

What are your tips for having a thrifty summer holiday?

Let us know in the comment box below.

More: Get a travel insurance quote with lovemoney.com | The biggest ever airport rip-off | EU could make cheap flights more expensive