Obviously, traveling is one of my passions, but I am not some rich girl who can afford the standard fare rates offered by the major airlines. So, to satisfy my passion and yet not burn a hole in my pocket, I am always in the look out for promo airfares. I know a lot of people are skeptical about this as I have seen a lot ranting against the airlines regarding the "false" advertisement. For a fact, these promos are true as I have acquired these for several times already. Just this year, I have tickets to Cagayan de Oro this month, to Cebu on July, and to Boracay come September. The fares ranges from Php350 to Php450 for a round-trip flight. Not bad, eh? The key is to always be on the look-out and be quick in booking your flights 'coz these seats sell like hotcakes! Or shall we say, hot pandesal! Sometimes, the flights get sold out right in front of my eyes as I was about to hit "book this flight", literally. If you are slow and indecisive, chances are, you ain't gonna get lucky and that is your fault so don't go ranting against the airlines. Rant only for valid reasons, gets?
Anyway, since all my booked flights are from Cebu Pacific, I will share here my experiences and techniques in booking their flights. All major airlines have promos but I have noticed that CEB offers the most promos in a year. About PAL (Philippine Airlines), they do have their payday special and some midnight promos, but I haven't tried them yet, maybe when I plan my travels next year. I think I already have enough for 2011.
Take note though, most promos are offered for those who book their flights online, so it is a big advantage to have your own reliable internet connection at home.
Okay, for the tips:
- Bookmark their website on your browser. - Just imagine wasting minutes searching for their website. By the time you get there, some flights would already be sold out!
- Subscribe to their email service.- This way you get informed of the latest promos first-hand.
- If you are using Facebook, add their page.- They usually post their promos a day before the promo date. And usually, those flights get available for booking the night before the actual promo period. So, check once in while.
- If possible, already have a list of "priority" dates when you plan to do your travel. Or at least, have a calendar handy and visible.
- Once the promo starts, open their website in multiple tabs and multiple browsers. Why? So you can check the availability of flights in various dates simultaneously. This for me is very important! Doing things one at a time is a total waste of time especially if you have a slow internet connection.
- The moment you find those vacant seats, decide immediately if you are going to book or not. It pays if you and your travel companions agreed on the destination and dates together early on so you won't have to call them one by one to confirm and argue at the last minute. It is also for this same reason that being in the airline's email service is much of an advantage, you get informed early on and can plan.
- If you really are on a budget, choose the Go-lite fares. They are much cheaper and you will be obliged to travel light, which is a good thing really.
- Book fast while making sure you fill up the necessary fields with the right details. For this, I have also saved all my travel companions' necessary info for easy access (birthdays, address, contact details, etc.).
- Check all the details before final confirmation of your booking. These details may include: the total fare (make sure you are charged with the right amount); some funds that the airline may suggest you donate in which you have the option not to if you are really on a budget; seat reservations which require an added fee but not really necessary; additional insurance; etc.,
- Confirm your booking and pay your charges. Online transactions used to require payment by credit card but they have added other options now, such as, through LBC, Bayad Centers, and banks. However, you have to make your payment before midnight or your bookings will be cancelled.
That's about it! Your e-ticket will be emailed to you. You can now relax or start planning your itineraries. For this, I usually join forums to get actual experiences from those who have traveled to the specific place. Do not rely on the hotel's website, ask those who have actually spent a night there. And it's also through forums that I get tips on the right places to eat--- oh, so important for me! hehehe.
I hope these tips could be of help to some of you. Always remember though, an airline will not put all the seats in a flight on sale, these will almost always be limited only. So, if you see them already sold out, that's because others got to them fast! Be as fast as them or be sorry! As for me, I'm the flash! :) :) :)
