UK website www.lastminute.com introduced an “I'll go anywhere” button for holidaymakers more interested in price than location.
It also saves throwing a dart at a map of the world to get travel ideas.
The closest local equivalent is probably the “Bargain Browza” link on www.kulula-air.com.
But if you need to travel on a specific date to a specific destination, waiting until the last minute possibly means paying a premium for the last available airline seat or hotel room.
Budget airlines were the first to sell tickets direct to the public via the web, and now all major airlines offer tickets online.
To save you the effort of checking prices and flight times at the airlines' websites, numerous price-comparison sites have also popped up.
Many of these are online travel agents earning a commission if you buy from them rather than directly from the airline.
The price comparison websites make it easy to benchmark the cost of flying from, say, Johannesburg to Berlin.
But before entering your credit card number, check the price offered by an old-fashioned bricks-and-mortar travel agent.
Last time I flew from Johannesburg to Berlin, the travel agent at the local mall offered a better price than the cheapest deal I had found on the web — with the same airline.
Though competition from no-frills airlines has prompted full-price airlines to create similar websites, they don't like to be seen undercutting their established sales network.
Lastminute.com has introduced a section, called “top secret flights”, where airlines sell discounted tickets on empty flights without revealing themselves to travel agents.
Out of the three local budget airlines, 1time tends to shine on the price comparison sites.
But these don't take into account Kulula's offers to Discovery Vitality members and FNB account holders with eBucks loyalty points. So when comparing prices, remember to check if you are entitled to any discounts through any affiliate schemes.
The plight of ticket holders after Nationwide's collapse last year is a reminder why it is best to pay for airline tickets by credit card, assuming you pay the full amount before interest rates kick in after a month.
Credit card purchases come with the safeguard that if a supplier fails to deliver, you can turn to your card issuer for a refund.
Cheap tickets often come with strict terms and conditions. If you miss your flight, you lose your money.
An article in USA Today points out that refundable tickets can be bought as an insurance policy against price rises.
Some airlines give passengers who cancel flights a year within which to use their tickets.
If you are planning your trip several months ahead, sign up for the e-mail newsletters of the various airlines.
They tend to include short-term sales offers, enabling you to pounce when the time is right.
Source: The Times
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