Local Guide | Settling Down

7 Indonesia Airline Ticket Booking Hacks

Hello FlokqJune 11, 2020

Booking for an airplane ticket is probably one of the most tiring things to do when you’re about to travel. You need to think about where you would sit, the ticket prices, and so on. Since some flights might be a few hours long, you don’t want to pick the wrong seat that’s uncomfortable. And you want to buy the cheapest seat possible because nowadays ticket prices are high. Since local airlines have some differences with international airlines, it can be quite confusing. Since this is a hard task to do, we decided to help you with this. We have made a list of 7 tips for booking flights with local airlines.  

Pick the right time when ordering the ticket

When you’re ordering your plane ticket, make sure it’s the perfect time for ordering. Based on Steven WIdi, the Head of Operations of pegipegi.com, 11 pm is the best time to book tickets. This is due to the airlines’ system called seat control. It is used to cancel flight ticket reservations that have not been paid yet. Usually, people like to book the tickets first before paying, making the seats inactive. So the airlines deleted the inactive reservation at 11 pm so make sure to use this to your advantage. After the seats have been canceled, then you can pick the perfect seat for you and your family. 

Make use of the low season

High season means that it’s the time of year where people tend to go on vacation. So buying a ticket during the high season means risking buying a ticket at a very high price. So we recommend you buy the tickets during the low season. For this method, you need to be thorough when picking the days and months of your trip. You need to book your flight a few months before the actual trip so the tickets won’t be that expensive. So make sure to buy your tickets during the low season so you can get a cheap price.

Use booking applications

You can never be sorry for using a booking application. It’s very convenient as you can compare the prices of different airlines and tickets easily. The app will organize your results based on your preference such as ticket price and destination. The top booking apps in Indonesia right now are Traveloka and Pegipegi so make sure to use them. You can also book hotel rooms, train tickets, and even bus passes. It can make your life easier when you’re about to take a vacation. All you have to do is download the app and sign in and you’ll be able to book right away. 

Pick the due date

Picking a due date for the trip is a very hard task sometimes. You need to put everything into account such as the current weather, traffic, and so on. Picking the day to buy your ticket will also affect its price range. There’s a study in the US and Europe that points out the best time to order tickets is on Sunday. Since it’s not a workday, it greatly affects the pricing of the ticket. While the best time to travel is during Tuesdays and Wednesdays as the ticket pricing is cheaper. It is also the most unbusy time of the week so there won’t be a lot of people then. You can do these things with the booking application from before. 

Pick the perfect seats

There are a lot of factors that contribute to the perfect seats on the plane. Most people would like to sit at the front as they think it is the safest part of the plane. This is not all true, as the safest part of the train is at its rear. So if you want to pick the safest seats, you can book the seats at the very back. The most undesirable seats in the plane are possibly the middler row part of every row. So you might want to pick the seats on the sides. There, you can pick whether to be seated next to traffic, in the middle, or the window seat. Most people would like to seat next to the window as they will not be bothered by people passing by. 

Fly with transit flights

If you’re in no hurry on arriving to your destination, this method is perfect for you. It may sound inefficient, but it sure is effective for getting cheap tickets. By having transit flights, you can be in 2 or 3 max cheap flights rather than 1 pricey long flight. For travel hobbyists, it’s the perfect scenario because you can roam the city for a bit waiting for your flight. You can also use buses or trains to start or continue the transit flights so it can be even cheaper. It’ll also be fun as you can travel to different places at once while on your way to your destination. If the transit flight is taking more than a day to wait, you can go book a hotel. You can also stay at the airport and look around while burning time. 

Look for promo codes or referrals 

Sometimes banks like to do partnerships with airlines to promote their bank as well as the airline itself. These partnerships usually spawn promos where you can get a discount if you pay your tickets with a certain bank.  You can also find promo codes from booking apps or shopping apps like Traveloka and Tokopedia. These codes can be redeemed when you are about to buy your tickets. This is probably one of the most important things while preparing for a vacation as it can lower your expenses. These promos might be just 5-15% but sometimes it can be more. Nonetheless, these promos can help you lighten the weight of the trip even if it’s just a bit.

So these are 7 tips that you can use for booking flights with local airlines. We hope this list can help you with your ticket hunting in the future.