Book the Cheapest Flights in NZ

Booking your flights to your dream destination doesn’t need to be a difficult task. In fact you can find cheap flights in NZ to your required destination by comparing flights here on myCompare. But there are a few considerations that you need to be aware of in order not to fall into any flights booking pitfalls. Before we begin it’s important to know that getting the best flights in NZ doesn’t necessarily mean getting the cheapest flights in NZ. Once all things have been considered you will often find that spending a bit more on your flights for convenience and personal well being is much better than saving a few bucks on cheap flights.

1. Airport
Something that is often overlooked when looking for cheap flights nz is the departure and destination airport. Often having a little flexibility in what airport you leave from can have a considerable impact on how cheap flights are. For example if you are booking flights from Hamilton to Nelson in New Zealand you can save a considerable amount by taking an hour and a half drive up to Auckland and getting cheap flights from Auckland airport. The same applies to getting cheap flights to the destination airport. If you are after cheap flights to Australia try alternative airports to the obvious Sydney Airport. Often booking to nearby places means you get to go to the same country or region on cheap flights nz.

Other things to consider include transit times in busier airports and how comfortable it is in an airport. Ground transport costs and how much it will cost to get to your accommodation from the airport is also a relevant consideration. Some airports are located so far away that the cost of transport negates any savings you made on getting cheap flights.

2. Price
The first recommendation when booking flights in NZ, especially if you are after cheap flights is to use a price comparison website such as myCompare.co.nz, this not only helps you make an informed decision but can also save you money of flight tickets.

The reason using a price comparison website helps you get the best deals and cheapest flights is because they compare all the tickets available from different airlines at different times. This allows you to see what is the best flight for you in terms of price duration and services in a snapshot. Therefore don’t check just one airline, this often happens in NZ as travelers only check Air New Zealand when booking flights for their holiday and can miss out on some great deals.

Another way to get cheap flights is to avoid higher rate flight booking days. To be clear it doesn’t matter what day you book but rather what day you fly on. So all those rumors about booking on a Tuesday being cheaper than booking on a Friday or visa versa are simply not true. However flying on a Tuesday as apposed to flying on a Friday can make the difference between an average value fight ticket and some of the cheapest flights available in NZ.

If price is critical to your holiday and you are after cheap tickets then don’t book to late and also don’t book to early. Not booking to late seems like an obvious piece of advice as often the cheapest tickets are sold on a promotional basis early on by airlines to guarantee a certain number of passengers for a flight. So if you are after cheap flgihts it’s important to get the early super economy tickets before they run out. They best way to get them is to use a price comparison website. So when is the best time to book a flight? Booking 54 days before your flight is the ideal time, booking a flight after this time runs the risk of missing out on the cheapest tickets. So why is booking to early bad? Well this is because airlines normally wait a little before they release their promotions and cheaper ticket bands. So booking crazy early is a bad idea.

It is also important to consider taxes and fees when booking your next flight tickets. Most good flight comparison websites will make this very clear to you like we do here on myCompare, but it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye out yourself. Ultimately the price you pay is the price that is listed on the final checkout page. This can be annoying when comparing and looking for cheap flights if you have to reach the checkout page every time to know what you will actually be paying. This is why it is good to use a flight comparison website like myCompare.co.nz.

A final little trick that can help with getting cheap tickets NZ is to clear cookies if you are returning to the airlines website. This is only useful if you are booking outside of a myCompare, as myCompare doesn’t use cookies to raise prices. But other airlines and booking agencies have been known to set cookies to remember visitors then increase the price if the same visitor returns. By clearing your browser cookies you can avoid this happening to you. Again book through myCompare and save yourself the hassle.

3. Layovers and Timing
When booking flights people often focus on getting cheap tickets and forget the practical side of traveling. Unfortunately cheap flights often have the worst timing and layover times. It is often the case that after saving a few bucks on a cheap flight you find your self in an airport in the middle of the night waiting on a 6 hour flight, wishing you had spent just a little bit more for a better nights sleep rather than getting a cheap ticket. Also some cheap tickets are made up by booking websites that combine a number of airlines without any consideration for realistic layovers and connections. That is why it’s important to use a real flight comparison website like myCompare that only shows realistic flights. Avoid busy days like Friday and Sunday if you don’t want the hustle and bustle of airports at peak times. Also avoiding these days can often relate to cheap flights, better layovers and more convenient timing for your flights.

A final consideration when it comes to flights is the time of day that you fly. In New Zealand earlier flights see less delays than flights that depart later. This is especially true of flights departing out of Auckland Airport, as Auckland airport has a by far the most flights than any other airport in New Zealand.

4. Airline
By far one of the most important things to consider when booking flights is the airline that you choose to fly while. The airline that you choose can have a considerable impact on departure and destination airports, layovers timings and connections as well as whether or not you can get a cheap ticket. The typical catch-22 is the nicer airlines have all the nice features and timings but in return you have t pay a premium on your ticket in order to get that extra comfort. But this is not necessarily the case and if you do your research you can get a cheap ticket with a good airline. This is perhaps where myCompare can help you the most, myCompare scans hundreds of airlines for thousands of different tickets to find you the best and cheapest combination of flights. Combine this with booking at the right time and you can get a convenient and comfortable cheap flight. Use myCompare’s comparison service to get the best and cheapest flights. Considering the in flight experience and comfort is part of the airline considerations that you need to make but that cannot easily be shown in search engines. This is were airline rating and reputation comes in. Often paying a little extra for an airline with a good reputation or one that you have tried before and like is better than getting a cheap ticket. This is because it is important to consider the human costs of travel. This is the cost on you and your mental and physical well-being. If you are a hardened traveler or a student traveling on a budget then you may be willing to bite the bullet on comfort and just get a cheap ticket. Otherwise we would recommend seriously considering comfort as a high priority especially if you are traveling from New Zealand to anywhere further than Australia or Fiji.

Finally its good to note that with almost all airlines you can almost always cancel your flight within 24 hours for free. This is 24 hours of the time you booked your flight and not 24 hours before your flight. Having said that it is always good to double check with the airline that you want to fly with to make sure of their cancellation policy.

5. Direct vs Non-Stop
This is a relatively simple consideration to make and ties back to the layovers and timing section above. Direct flights are typically slightly more expensive, but this is not always the case, so make sure to do a thorough search with myCompare to not miss out on the cheaper direct flights. The great thing about direct flights is that it completely removes the layover and timing considerations. You don’t have to worry about connecting flights or rest times, or finding a quite corner in the airport to sleep in while you wait for your next flight. This is particularly great for flights out of New Zealand to South East Asia and beyond.

But you need to consider you personal needs and physical requirements. Being stuck in a giant metal tube for over 9 hours can be too much for some people. And breaking up your flight into a few shorter flights with breaks in between can be more desirable. The added benefit here is that you can often get cheap flights that are structured this way. This again is an area where comparing for flights with myCompare can significantly help you find the cheapest routes to your destination.

6. Insurance
There are two main questions to consider when thinking about travel insurance. The first question is do you need it? Answer. Simply YES. We repeat, yes you always need some sort of travel insurance. For the price of most modern insurances you simply cannot afford to risk taking a flight or holiday without insurance. Period.

The second question is what sorts of of things should you consider when buying insurance for your travel. The first consideration is what duration you should get your cover for. Many people fall into the trap of getting insurance only for the duration of their stay abroad and forget to get cover for the periods leading up to the outbound flights and inbound flights. The reason you should get your cover slightly earlier is in case you fall ill before your holiday or some sort of amendments or cancellations occur to your flight. If your insurance only starts from the date of your flight, and you fall ill a week before and can’t make your holiday you will loose out on all your flight and hotel bookings unless you have insurance. This is why it is always a good idea to make your cover start at least a week before you flight and up to a day or two after your flight back.

7. Passport Validity
This is a simple one but still needs to be mentioned as it is important. You don’t want to make travel arrangements and book flights only to realise your passport is not valid for the duration of the holiday or business trip. In fact most countries require it to be valid for at least 6 months on the date of entry even if you are staying for only a few days. So plan ahead and make sure your passport is valid for the trip plus 6 months to be sure.

That’s it for our list of the top 7 things you need to consider when booking tickets and hunting for cheap flights NZ. There may be other things that we have missed out that are important but this list should set you on your way to traveling the smart way. If this list was a little too much and all you are after are some cheap tickets NZ, then put simply so long as you are using myCompare to compare different airlines and different routes to your destination you are not that far off getting the best cheap tickets available in New Zealand.