Can this travel hack save a dime, or is it only a waste of time?
Air travel isn’t any low cost thrill — especially now, as the vacation season is on the horizon. But one pennywise plane passenger claims her semi-inconvenient hack for saving money on flights is well well worth the hassle.
“In the event you live by an airport, and also you’re not going to the airport to book your tickets on the counter, you’re literally not saving money!” Kristin, a Tampa, Florida-based travel influencer, told her 1.4 million TikTok viewers.
“I actually have Latest 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 wish to pay that price, so I’m gonna go to the counter and see what they’ll offer me.”
After providing the booking agent together with her preferred travel dates, Kristin landed two round-trip flights with Frontier Airlines, into NYC’s John F. Kennedy Airport for $227. The identical 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 through 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, rating low cost seats by buying them on the plane station.
“Been doing this for 15 years… go to airport on Friday after I wanna get away and have a look at what’s leaving and go buy ticket that day wherever I wanna go…. typically, if it’s inside [two hours] leaving, I’ll fly for $30.00,” a commenter claimed.
“I live 8 minutes away from my airport and I do that on a regular basis,” wrote one other. “[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’ success.
“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 corporations.
Jesse Neugarten, founding father of Dollar Fight Club, a budget-friendly travel resource, recently confirmed that “tickets can definitely be cheaper on the airport.”
However the expert warns trippers that the hack normally works best with certain airlines.
“Ultra low-cost carriers like Spirit, Frontier, Breeze and Allegiant add extra fees whenever you book online,” said Neugarten, citing those pesky, obscure “service charges” that always pop up during digital ticket purchases.
“These online fees help airlines cover the prices of their booking platforms and keep their ticket prices looking low to draw buyers,” he explained.
But those additional costs are virtually erased when one snags tix on the airport, in line with the professional.
“It’s not something they promote,” continued Neugarten of the in-person deals, “however it’s there for those who learn about it.”
