With the general cost of living remaining high, who doesn’t want to cut down on travel expenses so you can truly enjoy your downtime? In a high-tariff economy, however, costs are likely not coming down anytime soon. So how can travelers get the best deals on airline tickets?
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Without an immediate solution at hand, I thought to ask ChatGPT if it had some tips or tricks for legit ways to find the cheapest airline tickets — and it sure did. Some of these require a little creative planning and perhaps the airlines might not want you to know about them, but here are five AI-suggested ways to find cheap airfare.
Use Hidden City Ticketing (Cautiously)
ChatGPT suggested a sneaky little backdoor route known as “hidden city ticketing” by using sites like Skiplagged to “exploit pricing loopholes where flights with layovers are cheaper than direct routes.”
Also known as skiplagging, here is how it works: You might book a ticket from Los Angeles to Atlanta with a layover in Dallas, but just get off in Dallas and pay less than if you’d flown direct to Dallas.
There are cons and risks to this move, though. For example, you can’t check bags and you can’t do this for round trips. Additionally, airlines don’t love this tactic and could cancel your future flights if you are caught doing it. They also might start raising prices to combat the trick.
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Book With Points and Cash via Foreign Airline Portals
If you’ve been using the same sites to book flights repeatedly or even through your own travel credit card site, you might be paying too much. ChatGPT suggested that sometimes international carriers (e.g., Turkish Airlines, ANA, Aeroplan) offer cheaper fares for the same flights.
You can also try going direct to the airlines’ websites. ChatGPT said, “Some airlines offer lower prices on their home-country domains. Use a VPN to access those (e.g., Singapore Airlines Singapore site vs. US site).”
Currency exchange rates can work in your favor, too. Also, try using tools like Point.Me or AwardHacker to find “award flight sweet spots.”
Utilize Timing and Flex Tricks
Timing and flexibility can go a long way toward a cheaper flight, ChatGPT suggested. You can try the following techniques:
- Book one-way tickets separately: Sometimes, it turns out that mixing and matching airlines can save more than round-trip tickets — especially on budget carriers, ChatGPT said.
- Use the “cheapest month” or “everywhere” option: Tools like Skyscanner can help you discover unexpected cheap destinations and dates.
- Set up alerts at offbeat times: If you don’t mind rising in the middle of the night or early morning, tools like Hopper or Google Flights can score you some good deals, ChatGPT insisted. They work best when paired with alerts checked during off-peak hours (like 2-5 a.m.).
Try Browser and Tech Hacks
Another hack you might not know about is to open a “clean” browser using Incognito mode, or initiate a VPN (or do both) so that you can fly under the radar of pricing manipulation that the search engines initiate as soon as you start searching for flights.
Additionally, some sites specifically offer discounted flights for people who bought “error fares” or who need to cancel a trip, such as:
Truly Out-of-the-Box Ideas
If you really want to save money, ChatGPT suggested you can act like a travel agent and purchase ITA Matrix Software. This is the “super-detailed flight search tool used by travel agents,” ChatGPT said. “You can filter for specific airlines, routing codes, layover durations, and even fuel surcharges.”
Better yet, if you’re able, connect with local or regional travel agencies in the places you want to go, particularly internationally. ChatGPT just cautioned that you “verify they’re legit and accept foreign cards.”
If you do this successfully, however, you might end up being the go-to booker for your friends and family.
While many travelers could probably find these suggestions themselves, ChatGPT’s helpful aggregation makes for a good to-do list of strategies the next time you need to book an airline ticket.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I Asked ChatGPT for 5 Legit Ways To Find the Cheapest Airline Tickets
