The Flight Stuff

WHICH is the odd flight out? Venice for £1, Florida for £175 or Australia at £400?

The answer is the while all of them are genuine hot deals which were available this year, Florida and Oz were all-in return prices, Venice was just one-way, so the real cost was double. Still, £2 ain't too shabby.

Lower demand has forced airlines to fill flights at rock-bottom prices, so discounts can be huge if you time it right. Yet most super bargains are ONLY for those in the know. Everyone else still pays large.

Welcome to the world of hidden flight deals, where it's not who you fly with but the way you book it.

I spotted a New York business class return where the airline's website charged £992 but the IDENTICAL flight cost £716 via cheap flight sites.

So while the prime weapon's the internet, it's about picking the right site for the job.

TYPE 1 - SCREENSCRAPERS

FOR when you've got a specific date and destination.

Tap your trip details in to these sites and they zip them to scores of regular and budget airlines as well as broker websites, then scrape the quotes off the screen so you can see the cheapest.

My top picks are super-powerful www.kayak.co.uk which cleverly lets you finesse the exact flight, www.skyscanner.net for search options, and www.travelsupermarket.com for range. Try all three if you have time. Remember, the cheaper your flight, the less flexibility you get to make changes.

Other well-known broker sites such as Expedia, Lastminute and eBookers are included by these screenscrapers, so there's no need to try them, though Travelocity.co.uk is often missed, so add it for belt 'n' braces.

If you need a hotel as well, most sites offer extra discounts when booked together. For traditional tourist destinations such as Majorca, package holidays often undercut DIY-internet booking. Bag the cheapest at www.moneysavingexpert.com/packageholidays

TYPE 2 - FLIGHTCHECKERS

FIND budget airline £1 flights. If price is the key, then www.flightchecker.co.uk cleverly tells you WHEN to go for supercheap prices. Though I would expect it to, because it's designed to my specifications.

My aim was to solve the problem that while budget airlines often advertise "a million seats for £1", finding them's a nightmare. Yet with the flightchecker you just say "find any £10-and-under Barcelona flights during August", or set a price and pick "I'll go anywhere". Though be careful of hidden airline extras (see later).

It's also possible, by selecting the right options on Skyscanner, to do something similar.

TYPE 3 - CHARTER COMPARISONS

ALL the sites above search scheduled flights, timetabled regular trips from American Airlines, easyJet, Air France etc. Yet they miss charter flights - unfilled seats on planes specially arranged by tour operators to bulk-carry their customers to their hotels.

These can be eye-popping deals to traditional tourist destinations. Two comparison sites include charters - www.flightsdirect.com and www.avro.co.uk

BOOST THE SAVING

IT'S not all about the web. A few further tricks can undercut it.

Use ethnic community-linked travel agents. The UK has many ethnic and immigrant communities, with niche agents offering deals to related countries e.g. Caribbean tour agents can be found in Shepherd's Bush in West London or specialist Israel travel agents advertise in the Jewish Chronicle. Often, they undercut the prices you'll find elsewhere.

Track down secret flights. Last minute.com's Secret Flight option can offer cheaper prices, but until you pay it doesn't reveal the airline or departure time. However, turn detective and beat this. You get the date, flight length and stop-overs, so hunt the same dates on a screenscraper and match it up. Then you can really see if it's a bargain.

Pay on credit cards. For a flight costing more than £100 pay on a credit card and your card provider is equally liable if problems emerge - welcome extra protection if the airline collapses. Repay fully to avoid interest.

Free upgrades. Not as easy as it used to be, yet tricks to up your chances include dressing smartly, travelling alone and checking in very late (or early). Full guide at www.moneysavingexpert.com/flightupgrade

Book a package but ignore the hotel. Some popular resorts like Orlando or Sri Lanka often have package holidays available cheaper than stand-alone flights. If you want to stay elsewhere, book the package, take their flight, shun their hotel.

While prices are cheap, budget airline booking can have enough hurdles to flummox Colin Jackson. Consider it a game to beat hidden charges, and assume NOTHING. So take only hand luggage if possible, check in online, and don't think paying to take more bags means a bigger weight allowance. Play it right and £1 flights really can be £1.

Several credit cards offer free flights as sign-up incentives, so grab the plastic to get the flight then cancel it. You can get BMI business class and BA standard European returns, Flybe flights and more. See www.moneysavingexpert.com/ccfreebies

SEND questions for publication to notw@moneysavingexpert.com

TV money guru Martin Lewis is the creator of the Consumer Revenge website www.MoneySavingExpert.com which is packed with info on how to get more money in your pocket.

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