How to Get the Cheapest Student Flight
When international students travel abroad for studies, airfare can take up a considerable chunk of their budget. It might become even more expensive due to additional checked baggage, around university intake periods, or booking a one-way international ticket.
Some tricks and techniques will help you find cheap student flights. However, finding the cheapest student flight does not only mean selecting the lowest-priced ticket that you can see in search results. Sometimes, the lower price turns out to be much higher due to baggage fees, seat fees, or other charges. On the other hand, a student flight may give you certain bonuses that make the ticket much cheaper in terms of its benefits.
The best strategy in order to get the cheapest student flight would be comparing student and regular fares, searching for flexible dates and airports, looking into baggage information, and calculating the total cost before making a booking decision. In this post, we will focus only on the aforementioned points in order to help you get affordable student flights without missing important factors.
Compare Student Fares with Regular Fares
Firstly, start your comparison by finding the usual price of the ticket on the chosen route and then looking for the student discount. It will give you a realistic comparison point.
Remember that student tickets do not necessarily have the lowest price tag. Their value might consist in certain benefits besides price, such as additional baggage or more flexibility in changes. At the moment, Emirates offers eligible students reduced fares and additional baggage allowance under its terms and route restrictions.
The same goes for other airlines. Qatar Airways has its Student Club with special fares and other bonuses provided under some conditions. Therefore, compare prices and benefits, not just the word “student” beside a fare.
The right comparison looks like this:
Regular fare + baggage + fees = total cost vs Student fare + baggage + fees = total cost
The lower total is the winning one.
Check Airline Student Discounts and Student Fare Programs
After getting the regular fare, consider whether there are any student discounts provided by the airlines flying your desired route.
There may be significant variations between airlines in their programs. While some may directly give a certain percentage off the base fare, some emphasize other aspects like the baggage weight allowance and changes. In the case of Air India, they currently have a special student fare that includes up to 10% off the base fare plus 10 kg additional baggage.
Similarly, Emirates currently offers discounted fares and additional baggage on applicable flights to full-time students. Eligibility requirements apply. The implication is that you should visit the airline’s page about student discounts and not assume the usual ticket would already have the discount.
Look out for details like creating an account, choosing a student fare when making a booking, providing a code, using a student ID card or university admission letter, among other steps. Emirates, for instance, requires you to be a Skywards member and also to carry proof of student status.
Use Flexible Date Search to Get Cheap Student Flights
A date of travel has the potential to influence the cost of your flight tickets. Since most student travel coincides with the period when universities start taking in new students, there is likely to be a lot of activity on major international routes.
Instead of just searching for flights for a particular day of travel, try comparing several different days of travel close to your intended travel date. Sometimes even a slight variation in the date might result in a different fare.
Google Flights gives a date grid and price chart that is specifically meant to help travelers make such a comparison. The website also helps users monitor prices and discover lower prices when there is date flexibility.
For international students, flexibility comes in handy when there is no problem with getting into the country and staying in the accommodation facility a few days early. For instance, in cases where your university permits you to arrive a few days early before orientation or your accommodation facility can hold you early.
However, remember to factor in the total cost involved in staying extra nights in the expensive hotels.
Comparing Airports and Routes
Do not restrict your search to one departure airport and one arrival airport. If there are several airports accessible from your location within a reasonable distance, compare their fares. Likewise, find out if another airport close to your university offers cheaper flights. Google Flights has a special Airports feature that helps to find cheaper airport alternatives.
Consider comparing direct flights with connecting flights. In case a one-stop flight is cheaper, the difference in price should be significant enough to compensate for the additional time.
Consider connections. An itinerary that implies the use of different airports, a self-transfer, or separate tickets carries additional risks and costs. According to Google Flights, some of the cheapest itineraries imply baggage transfer at your own expense or the use of different airports in one city.
This becomes especially important for those who are travelling with several pieces of baggage.
Checking the Baggage Policy Before Booking the Cheapest Student Flight
Baggage policy is one of the key aspects when finding a cheap student flight. International students usually carry more luggage than common vacationers. You will need clothes for different weather, academic books, personal items, and so forth. Thus, the fare of a flight that seems quite inexpensive at first glance can turn out to be costly after adding the checked baggage cost.
Sometimes, a student fare can provide an advantage here. At the moment, Emirates gives an additional 10 kg or one additional piece of baggage in eligible student fares, and Air India advertises an additional 10 kg in student tickets.
But do not expect that all the airlines give you the same deal. Check the baggage policy for your particular route and fare. Calculate the total cost of a flight before booking:
Ticket cost + checked baggage + any other mandatory expenses = real cost of a student airfare
A ticket that is €40 cheaper but with additional baggage that will cost you €100 can be more expensive.
Comparing Flight Costs Between Various Booking Websites
Do research in at least several sources while looking for a cheap student flight. First of all, find the information about market prices using a common flight booking website, then look at specialized student options and the airline’s official website.
For instance, Google Flights has an option named “Cheapest,” which may show additional itineraries and online travel agent fares, even though sometimes they will involve certain trade-offs.
A student-specific booking website is also helpful since sometimes student tickets are not discounted ordinary tickets but something else with other rules. Then, compare the found price with the airline’s prices – confirm if the same fare really exists, compare baggage and change policies, and check if the final price is lower.
It is not a matter of using the largest number of sites but finding enough sources to avoid paying too much for your trip.
Comparing One-Way and Round-Trip Flight Prices
International students should take into account both ways of flight purchase – one-way and return tickets if it is possible. In case a student is enrolling in a multi-year program, the most convenient option for them is a one-way ticket since the date of the return is unknown. At the same time, sometimes a round-trip ticket turns out to be cheaper depending on the route and conditions.
Thus, it depends on the student’s academic schedule and real prices on the routes. Look for both options instead of assuming that only one of them is cheaper. While comparing, consider baggage policy and fare terms – a cheap round-trip flight is not always more suitable than a one-way option.
How to Calculate the Real Cost of a Student Flight
The quoted cost is just the starting point. In order to find out if you have discovered a student flight with the right price, you need to calculate its total cost.
Calculate the cost of the ticket, baggage, and other inevitable costs, as well as the costs of transport to the airport if switching airports will cause extra transportation costs.
For example:
Flight A: €500 ticket + €120 baggage + €30 airport transfer = €650
Flight B: €540 ticket + €50 baggage + €15 airport transfer = €605
Flight B has a more expensive ticket, but in reality, it is €45 cheaper.
So, the most inexpensive student flight is not always the flight with the lowest number in the first search results. You should compare the equivalent routes and calculate the total price.
Step by Step: How to Find the Most Inexpensive Student Flight
First of all, set the dates when you can really fly. Then look through your route using the general flight search engine and find out the range of prices for the route.
Secondly, check the student fare and/or program of the airline for your route, if it offers it. Always compare the student fare with the regular economy fare, and do not assume that the student fare is always cheaper. Then try different nearby departure days and different airports. Compare the direct and connecting flights, and pay attention to the baggage allowance.
After finding the most suitable flights for you, make a price comparison on the official site of the airline and student booking site, if needed. Check the rules of the fare and the baggage policies carefully. And finally, choose the most inexpensive itinerary for you, not just the most inexpensive flight ticket.
Conclusion
To find the cheapest student flights, there is more to consider than just looking for a discount code. The main sources of discounts include fare comparisons, using student programs from airlines, flexibility with respect to dates and airports, and baggage policy.
The reason why student fares may become especially useful is the fact that some airlines offer a combination of low base fares with certain advantages such as extra baggage allowance or change flexibility. Student programs available at the moment from airlines like Emirates and Air India illustrate the necessity to look for student fares before buying a regular ticket.
However, do not presume that any student fare is the most economical one. Try to compare it with other regular fares and compute the full cost of your trip. Therefore, the most economical cheap student flight is the one that provides you with the lowest total travel cost and the baggage policy, route, dates, etc., that are suitable for you to travel to your university.
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