If you’re from the Philippines, chances are you always get to hear about the airline promotions. Sometimes the price drops to zero, yes you heard me right, sometimes the base fare is zero and you just have to pay for the taxes and some other surcharges.
Sounds like a good deal right???
That’s how I think of it as well, until recently when I realized that I wasn’t able to use a lot of those tickets.
Booking Addiction
Most travellers became so addicted with buying air tickets. I was one of them. As soon as I know that there’s an ongoing promotion, I panic and most of the time I sweat. My fingers tremble as I type my personal information and credit card number in the booking form.
And the tension subsides once I see the confirmation of my booking. I used to think that I was able to save a lot with that act.
Overcoming Addiction
I’m not sure if I already overcame my addiction. Maybe just a little, because now I can control my impulse to buy some new tickets.
Maybe becoming conscious with the cost helped me. I realized that yes I was able to save a lot from those cheap airfares that I bought and was able to use but at the same time wasted a lot of money with tickets that wasn’t used.
Advice to Fellow Addicts
1. Be Strategic with Dates: If you have an employment, make a better estimate in booking the flights so you will have a better chance of using it. For call center folks whose schedule changes every month, I suggest that you file your leaves ahead of time.
2. Stop Look and Listen: Do not book all the promotion that you see online. A P100 ticket left unused is still a P100 lost. Avoid booking a year in advance, there are still a lot of things that could happen in a year right? There are now promotions that can be used as early as two weeks. Or only book the uber-cheap promotions such as the zero fare.
As of the time I’m writing this article, three local airlines have domestic sale and one regional airline have an international sale and I haven’t booked any yet. I still have a few tickets for the coming two months left unused.
Are you addicted too?
Promotional airfare is really tempting as it does save us money. But it's always riddled with caveat emptor: non-refundable, non-reroutable (unless passenger/family member gets gravely ill or dies *gasp*).
@dennis: cebu pac now is transferrable
but you're right it's non-re routable, and non-refundable… where's your next destination dennis?
true! addicted din ako pero now, m glad na na-ko-control ko na. sa dame ba naman ng nasayang kong ticket eh! hihi yan ang mahirap kapag d mu tlga hawak ang oras unlike pag professional bloggers na tlga na hawak na nila oras so tipid tlga.
@gaye: yeah… i wanna be a professional blogger too hehehe
hey Flipnomad: after this Eastern European trip, gusto ko pumunta sa South America later this year.
wow! around the world na yan dennis! hehe… hopefully i could go to south america rin in the future
it is true. ang hirap mag-pigil na mag-book ng mag-book. especially when the prices are cheaper than a starbucks venti. hehehe
the bottom line is: be realistic. mahirap mag-file ng leave. mahirap mag-hanap ng funds for pocket money. hehehe
When you put it that way, malaki laki nga rin pag naipon ang 10 na Php100 na tickets!
I have a number of unused tickets that I bought last year. Buti nalang this year di na ako masyadong bumili. Or siguro dapat sabihin ko to pag lumagpas na uli ang zero fare sale lol
@nina: yeah! savings pa rin hehehe… meron ako tiket ng bangkok na hindi magagamit waaaaah hahaha pero waiting rin ako ng zero fare
nina anu gamit mo sa mobile blogging?