I came across an interesting and potentially cost saving website to check out when looking to buy airline tickets.
The article was posted on BudgetTravel.com
According to Budget Travel, Hopper.com hopes to answer three questions:
- Where can I vacation for less?
- What’s the best day to buy airline tickets?
- What’s the best day to fly?
Hopper has a When to Fly And Buy search option where you enter where you’d like to fly to and from. The results come out displayed in an easy to read format.
The author of the Budget Travel article searched for flights from New York to Dublin and was happy with the results. Flights were showing in the $750-$850 price range. Data also stated that by flying on Mondays would save $36 per ticket, departing Tuesdays would save $115 per ticket and Wednesdays was the best day to return, saving $59. Hopper’s results also said that October was the cheapest month to travel.
I decided to do my own search for fun.
After winning a flight to Israel at the JFK Runway Run I wasn’t too excited. While winning a ticket to Israel is a very nice prize, it isn’t as valuable when you need to buy two other tickets. Another problem is the limited amount of potential travel dates that are available.
I did a quick search on ITA Software for dates in February. Tickets to Tel Aviv from NYC could be had for as low as $689.
I then decided to get some information from Hopper.
Hopper told me that good prices for this route are priced below $892. It also gave some price data for prices within the next 6 months. A few found prices as low as $517 while fights with stops price from $794-$931 and non-stop flights price from $861-$1151.
Some other info:
- Lowest fares are in November, highest fares are in late June. ($811-$1115)
- Save up to $90 by flying out on a Saturday and returning on a Saturday
- Turkish Airlines, Ukraine International Airlines & Aeroflot have the lowest fares
I’m not so sure that Hopper is a site for me. When Kim and I plan our trips, we usually have set dates in mind (give or take a day here or there). Some of the data provided also seems to be a bit excessive… unless it can really help you find a cheaper airfare.
Being that flights for February 2015 weren’t factored into the results its hard to make a real judgement on Hopper.
If you’re looking to purchase a flight, take a chance and try out Hopper. Let us know what you think about the Fly & Buy option in the comments below.
Check out the article from Budget Travel about Hopper here.
