Airlines' Promo Fares

Nowadays when my family and I travel by air in domestic routes, we normally spend less than Php 400 airfare per way, including aviation fee and value added tax (VAT). Thanks to low cost carriers like Air Philippines and Cebu Pacific, who put a few seats on sale on certain periods.

Air Philippines is the low cost carrier of Philippine Air Lines. Last month, I was able to book my industry colleagues on our planned Cebu seminar next year, for only Php 88/way or Php 214 round trip fare including aviation fee and VAT. Hehe, we jokingly refer to it as field trip for all 23 of us riding the same round trip flight next year.

 
The downside on booking promo airfare is you have to book 4 months to a year before the travel period. Payment must be made in advance, and there's a possibility that you will forget about it, or recent developments will not allow you to use your promo tickets. Good thing that you paid only a minimal amount, so the financial loss due to non-usage should be negligible.

Between Air Philippines and Cebu Pacific, I prefer the former airline. Why? because Air Philippines does not charge any website convenience fee, and even their promo airfares automatically include baggage allowance. The latter may have Php 1 (piso) airfare promos, but if you add their Php 50 website convenience fee and Php 100 optional baggage allowance, you will spend more on their ticket. It is also easier to book in the website of Air Phils whenever they have promos, unlike in CebuPac, as their website usually becomes very slow or shuts down.

For international routes mostly on Asian region, we have enjoyed the promo airfares of Air Asia.

Here are a few tips to avail the promo airfares:

1. Timing is the key. Visit the budget airlines or low cost carriers' websites everyday if you can. Sign up on promo alerts by emails and/or SMS from these airlines. It will also facilitate auto key-in of your name and address details, if you're a registered user.
2. Prepare multiple travel period and destination alternatives. Popular destinations and weekend periods are the first seats to be gobbled up, so book rightaway when you find available seats on your target date and destination. If you can travel during weekdays, you have more chances to get promo airfares.
3. A list of your complete names, sometimes birthdates, and credit card details should be at hand during booking time.
4. If you're desperate to get the lowest airfares, stay late at night then book starting at midnight of promo period. Be patient when the airline's website is too slow or bogs down. The persistent and early bird gets the prized worm, or in this case the lowest airfare.
5. When booking a big group and the promo fares are unavailable, try booking the group in smaller batches until the promo seats ran out. The remaining unbooked persons could book on the other promo flights within the same departure dates, or just wait for another round of promo period. The worst scenario would be booking the rest of the group in regular fare, but at least majority of you were still able to get low airfares.
6. After successful booking, save or record your confirmation number. If there's no confirmation, check with the airline and/or your credit card company if the booking was successful or not. This is to avoid double booking, as doubled booking is usually hard to cancel or takes many months before they reverse it to your credit card's statement of account.
7. To avoid forgetting your promo airline bookings, record them on a spreadsheet, and keep the confirmation emails on a dedicated folder of your inbox.
8. You may arrange your accomodation and tours a few months before your departure.

Now here's a fresh tip:

Air Phils have a promotion which just started a few minutes ago until tomorrow (Sept. 17) for only Php 288 fare on their A320 destinations from Manila to Visayas.