On our first night in Athens, our cab motorist went out of his way and took us to the top of Mt. Lycabettus at no extra charge. The hill is called the Balcony of Athens for its breathtaking view of the Acropolis, overlooking the city. “Gosh, is this even real?” Vins whispered in jest and in awe.
In jest because this stop was never part of our plan. I don’t even know why we let our driver, a complete stranger, take us there barely an hour into this trip. In awe because as we stood there, a strong feeling of disbelief enveloped us. We just couldn’t believe we were there. That feeling has been quite familiar to us. It was also there when we were admiring the surreal landscapes of China, the atolls of the Maldives, the huge expanse of Australia, and the celebrated landmarks of Europe. and all these were made possible by the rise of affordable carriers.
Over the past several years, affordable carriers have made lots of destinations a lot more easily accessible to a lot more people. one of them is Scoot! This Singapore-based airline has connected cities in Asia to over 60 other cities, including crucial destinations in Europe and Australia. and they’re just getting started. These days, Scoot is figured out to change the perception that low-cost fares indicates compromising on comfort. In fact, when we flew from Athens back to Singapore, just before exiting, the passengers gave the staff applause not just for the safe, smooth flight but for the attentive service. Sure, I’ve seen that sort of display of appreciation happen before, but this was the first time I saw it on board a affordable flight. It was a terrific thing to witness. and well-deserved, too!
Still, lots of travelers (especially first-time fliers) are still at a lost when it pertains to scoring inexpensive fares. We got in touch with our contacts at Scoot and asked them to share some insider ideas not just on snagging low-cost fares but also making your Scoot journey a lot more comfortable.
1. know when it’s best to book a flight.
I used to work for an airline in my pre-blogging past life (LOL), and one thing that budget travelers need to understand when trying to score low-cost flights is the pricing system. You see, not all seats on a plane are priced the same. Some are more affordable than others. and I’m not talking about service class vs economy class. even within economy class, the price of the seats can vary greatly.
By default, the system displays the least expensive year-round fares first so they sell out first. That’s why typically the closer your travel date is, the a lot more expensive the flight gets. but does that indicate that you have to book really early to score the lowest fares? Hmmm. לא באמת. There’s some truth to it, but not quite.
You see, it’s not really how early you are. but yes, it’s all about the timing. a lot of airlines open flights for booking in their system up to two seasons (12 months) in advance. The crucial is to search just when these flights are made available. It’s beneficial to know when exactly these seasons start and end:
Summer season: begins on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Saturday of October
Winter season: begins on the last Sunday of October and ends on the last Saturday of March
Of course, in addition, the airline can choose to bring down the cost any time of the year when they’re running a promotion.
2. book a mid-week flight and avoid the holidays.
Some budget travel experts say that if you want to snag low fares, search for flights on Wednesdays, just after midnight. According to our airline contacts, however, that is not true at all. Booking on Wednesday does not guarantee or increase probability of finding more affordable flights. but booking a Wednesday flight probably will because in general mid-week flights are more affordable than weekend flights.
However, flights scheduled on public holidays, regardless of what day of the week they fall, are normally pricier. There is such a thing as a “blackout period,” which normally covers the week before and after a major holiday. This because of dynamic pricing. What it does, in a nutshell, is cause the prices to readjust according to lots of aspects including demand.
In the Philippines, blackout periods are the days surrounding the following:
שבוע קדוש
חַג הַמוֹלָד
יום השנה החדשה
יום כל הקדושים
חג העבודה
In Singapore, these are some of the blackout periods:
ראש השנה הסיני
חג העבודה
Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al-Fitr)
חַג הַמוֹלָד
If two major celebrations are happening on consecutive days, especially if they fall next to a weekend, that’s a height period too.
3. Avail of ‘Take Off Tuesday’ Promo.
Wednesday may not be as magical as some people think, but when it pertains to Scoot, Tuesday is the gift that keeps on giving. and it’s not just a rumor or a myth. Each month, Scoot has a so-called Take Off Tuesday promotion, which is a 3-day sale starting from the first Tuesday of the month, when they offer discounted airfares to some of their destinations including Athens and Berlin (although certain flights and dates may not take pleasure in the discount). This is terrific if you have flexible travel dates!
מעוניין? Coincidentally, Scoot’s most current Take-off Tuesday promotion is out today and will run until Thursday (6 Sep)! here are samples of the fares!
✅ Click here to see a lot more discounted fares for your next vacation!
4. sign up as a Scoot Insider.
If you want to be the first to know about low fares or when flights have become available for new destinations, sign up as a Scoot insider and get notified about the current news and promos. Not only that, you also get a 15% OFF welcome voucher right away after registering. Plus, you’ll also receive a birthday Voucher. A thoughtful touch!
Another terrific thing about having an Insider account is that it allows you to book faster because you don’t have to enter personal details. This is vital when there is a enormous sale or when multiple users are trying to book the same flight and seats are limited!
5. pay for only the add-ons that you need.
One criticism that affordable carriers normally get is that by default the published rates only cover the fare and you have to pay for anything you want to add. but that’s because some of us are just so used to legacy airlines’ set up wherein customers are charged for everything, even for those you won’t get to use.
By stripping the price down to the fare and having options, you only pay for what you want or need. and if you don’t need something, don’t pay for it. Scoot uses come in bundles:
FLY: economy seat + 10kg hand-carry luggage
FLYBAG: seat + 10kg hand-carry luggage + 20kg check-in luggage
FLYBAGEAT: seat + 10kg hand-carry luggage + 20 check-in luggage + hot meal
If your flight takes less than an hour, don’t pre-order a meal or snack if you don’t want it. heaven knows how lots of meals I declined onboard full-service flights because I wasn’t hungry. If you plan to just sleep the entire flight (like I always do), why cover the fee for inflight enjoyment or wifi?
Same with baggage fees. I normally don’t check in bags for my outgoing flight. (Pack light!) but when I know I’d do a bit of shopping for souvenirs or pasalubong, I book a check-in baggage allowance (FLYBAG bundle) for my return flight.
6. bid for a service class Upgrade!
For flights using the Boeing 787 aircraft, Scoot has this so-called Bid4Biz, a feature that will allow you to bid for unreserved seats on service class. You bid your price so you know it’s something you can afford and are comfortable with. If you make the best bid and it’s approved, they will let you know the day before the flight schedule. It’s a terrific way to score service class seats and take pleasure in all the perks that come with it like much broader legroom, 30kg check-in baggage, 2 hand-carried bags (carry-on) of up to 15kg each, and priority check-in and boarding.
By scoring low-cost but comfortable flights, you’ll have a lot more money and energy to spend when you’re already there in your destination, which indicates you get to make a lot more epic memories!
To search for inexpensive flights or learn a lot more info about Scoot, check out www.flyscoot.com.
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