Every time I book a holiday, all the joy and buzzy excitement seems to be zapped away when I start attempting to book the flights. Yes Jetstar, Tiger and Virgin, I completely appreciate the fact that competition in the Australian air travel market has made travel so much more affordable. But why be so sneaky? Just tell us the ACTUAL price of the flight.
NO – I don’t want extra leg room, travel insurance, a hire car. You are going to charge me to pick a seat? Really? Somehow I don’t think you will seat my 1 and 4 year old at the front of the aircraft and me at the back (though that may be worth paying for!).
And don’t get me started on the booking fee – PER FLIGHT, PER PASSENGER. Seriously?
Well, a few months ago someone told me there was a way of avoiding the booking fee for JetStar. At $8.50 per flight, per passenger, that adds $51 to our booking. I was tickled pink to see if would work, when I sat down to book our flights to Tassie for a holiday over Easter.
When you arrive at the payment page, if you choose POLI or Direct Debit, there are NO BOOKING OR SERVICE FEES. None. I’ve never used POLi, but after clicking it, it took me to a page to select my bank, and then redirected me to my bank’s internet log on. I just transferred the money to the pre-entered Jetstar account details and, after payment, was redirected back to Jetstar booking pages. Awesome – $51 saved.
I have also been told that Jetstar will beat other advertised flights by 10%. There are lots of caveats, and I haven’t tried it personally, but it’s worth remembering and giving it a go if it might apply to you.
Have you got any savings tips for booking flights? Have you tried price matching with Jetstar? I’d love to hear your ideas and experiences.
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