Can this travel hack save a dime, or is it just a waste of time?
Air travel is no cheap thrill — especially now, as the holiday season is on the horizon. But one pennywise plane passenger claims her semi-inconvenient hack for saving cash on flights is well worth the hassle.
“If you live by an airport, and you’re not going to the airport to book your tickets at the counter, you’re literally not saving money!” Kristin, a Tampa, Florida-based travel influencer, told her 1.4 million TikTok viewers.
“I have New York coming up in three weeks,” said the brunette, from the paid parking garage of her local airport. “I saw the ticket online, I don’t want to pay that price, so I’m gonna go to the counter and see what they can offer me.”
After providing the booking agent with her preferred travel dates, Kristin landed two round-trip flights with Frontier Airlines, into NYC’s John F. Kennedy Airport for $227. The same pair of tickets would have cost $320 had she purchased them online. That’s a $93 savings — not considering whatever gas, tolls and parking fees she accrued during the airport run.
“Best tip EVER for booking flights and saving money,” she captioned the viral vid, which received rave reviews from frugal frequent flyers who’ve, too, score cheap seats by buying them at the plane station.
“Been doing this for 15 years… go to airport on Friday when I wanna get away and look at what’s leaving and go buy ticket that day wherever I wanna go…. typically, if it’s within [two hours] leaving, I’ll fly for $30.00,” a commenter claimed.
“I live 8 minutes away from my airport and I do this all the time,” wrote another. “[I] went to Charlotte [two] weeks ago and paid $175. Online [it] was $300 after fees. It was [Southwest] Airlines btw.”
Unfortunately, not all vacationers have shared the savers’ good fortune.
“I’ve tried this and it ended up being MORE,” moaned one disgruntled grump, whose grumbles were echoed by other unlucky jet-setters.
But Kristin and her cost-conscious cohorts aren’t just blowing smoke — they’re simply cruising the clouds with famously economical companies.
Jesse Neugarten, founder of Dollar Fight Club, a budget-friendly travel resource, recently confirmed that “tickets can definitely be cheaper at the airport.”
But the expert warns trippers that the hack usually works best with certain airlines.
“Ultra low-cost carriers like Spirit, Frontier, Breeze and Allegiant add extra fees when you book online,” said Neugarten, citing those pesky, obscure “service charges” that often pop up during digital ticket purchases.
“These online fees help airlines cover the costs of their booking platforms and keep their ticket prices looking low to attract buyers,” he explained.
But those additional costs are virtually erased when one snags tix at the airport, according to the pro.
“It’s not something they promote,” continued Neugarten of the in-person deals, “but it’s there if you know about it.”
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