9 Smart ways to save on flight tickets while planning a summer vacation

As school exams wrap up across the country and summer vacations already started, families are gearing up to plan their holidays. But with flight prices on the rise, finding affordable tickets can be a challenge. Fortunately, a few simple tricks can help you score cheaper fares and make your travel budget go further. Here’s how:This is a tried-and-tested trick. Airlines and booking platforms often track your search history using cookies, potentially showing higher fares when you return to book the same flight. Avoid this by using your browser's Incognito Mode or clearing cookies before each search.While comparison platforms are useful, sometimes airline websites themselves offer better deals. Many feature a calendar view that highlights the cheapest days to fly within your travel window.Web browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge support extensions such as Flight Fare Compare and CheaperThere. These tools notify you when flight prices drop for your selected routes.Google Flights is a powerful tool that compares fares across booking sites and provides a 60-day price history. It also tells you whether a ticket’s price is low, average, or high based on historical trends.Flight searches usually spike on weekends and holidays, often pushing prices up due to higher demand. If possible, conduct your searches midweek to spot better deals.Airlines and travel platforms frequently announce flash sales and special promotions on their official social media accounts. Following them can give you an edge in snagging limited-time offers.Daytime and early morning flights tend to be more expensive due to higher demand. Flexibility with your departure time—such as flying late at night—can often unlock better fares.If you can afford to shift your trip by a day or two, you may find significantly lower prices. Many platforms allow you to compare fares across a range of dates to help you choose the most economical option.Banks offer travel-specific credit cards with perks like cashback, discounts and exclusive booking offers. Meanwhile, frequent flyers should take advantage of airline loyalty programmes to earn and redeem points or miles for future flights.