Searching tools are so familiar to everyone when looking for airline tickets to several destinations all over the world. In this post, I would like to share some of my experience when hunting for flight tickets from the Netherlands to Vietnam along with some insights I have gained from travel experts on social media and various airlines.

Every year, I would travel back to my home country, Vietnam with my family. I therefore usually started searching for tickets around October, and after finalizing the return date, I faced some challenges. My husband still had to work on Saturday and we wanted to fly on Sunday with the whole family. However, Sunday flights were quite expensive, and the prices kept increasing week by week, at times even daily. I also read many flight-hunting reviews and tried out several ways, but not all of them proved to be right. After that, I searched online and tried some different approaches, including using Chrome’s Incognito mode, but these did not bring significant changes compared to regular ticket searches. However, I came across a piece of advice from a travel blogger about hunting for reasonably priced flights. It suggested looking for flights departing on a Tuesday or Wednesday during the week. I found this to be true as I often noticed that flight search engines displayed better prices for these days’ departures.

Another piece of advice I encountered was regarding changing IP addresses. I had prior experience changing IP addresses during my work, but for flight tickets, it did not yield the desired results.

I also explored numerous flight search tools such as Google Flights, Skyscanner, Agoda/Kayak, Booking, Expedia, etc. After using these platforms and seeking guidance from flight-hunting experts, here are some key takeaways:

  1. Google Flights is currently quite popular and user-friendly, especially with the Date Grid feature, which helps you visualize fare changes on different dates. It is a great tool if you have not fixed your departure and return dates yet. 
  2. Skyscanner is easy to use and offers flights from many airlines, making it suitable for multi-leg journeys or routes with multiple layovers. However, the prices of these deals can change rapidly, and often, you may have to book through other third-party ticket booking websites like Trip.com, Gotogate, My Trip, etc. It can be challenging to book using Ideal (bank account payment) if you do not frequently use credit cards or Paypal.
  3. For other Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), I chose Booking last time, and I was satisfied with both the pricing and suitable payment options. This was also the first time I booked tickets through OTA. Previously, I usually booked directly with airlines, thinking it would be more convenient for adjustments or contacting. However, I was pleased with Booking’s customer service and the integration of flight details into their app. Also, it seemed that Booking did not charge seat selection fees, which some other platforms did. The only one note to be considered here was your timing unchanged and nothing suddenly happened that affected your trip. Changing or canceling the flights with OTA, in my case as Booking.com, was such a pain.

I typically conduct a comprehensive price and schedule check across multiple search engines to get a sense of the market and then select the flight that suits my needs. Sometimes, booking directly through an airline’s website or app can offer better deals than through a third party.

I also experimented with booking one-way tickets for my husband with two different airlines. This option was cheaper than booking a round trip through OTAs based on the results from Skyscanner. During that period, Turkish Airlines was running a promotion, I opted for a one-way ticket because the dates I selected for my trip from Vietnam to the destination had multiple layovers, which made it a bit less convenient. Consequently, for the return journey from Vietnam, I booked with Singapore Airlines. The price was calculated based on the SGN departure point and was in USD, resulting in a lower fare compared to EUR. Booking one-way flights may not be cheap all the time, but due to certain circumstances, it was the right choice for us. 

Lastly, I observed that the fare for a specific flight from SGN to AMS and the back of Singapore Airlines was much lower than from AMS to SGN and back.

One more tip I learned while using Google Flights was to consider multiple nearby airports within reach for both departure and arrival. For example, if you are close to the German border, consider selecting German airports as well. For those without small children, you can even choose airports in other countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. Prices might be lower and you can explore these countries for a few days before taking a flight back to Vietnam.

My friend’s parents are from the Netherlands and travel to Vietnam every year. Whenever they visit Vietnam, they prefer to fly in business class, and they frequently opt for a route that involves a stopover in Bangkok before returning. This approach often leads to them getting good prices. Etihad Airways occasionally offers promotional prices, but their flights only go as far as Bangkok, requiring a change and involving a lengthy transit, making the journey rather complicated.

Booking a holiday way earlier than the departure date is also a good way to enjoy lots of discounts. The disadvantage of this is you have to plan the trip at least one year in advance, so it will come with a risk of what if something changes to your planned trip within a year. My husband and I in September 2023 checked the flight to Vietnam for summer 2024, specifically in July 2024, and found business class tickets for Singapore Airlines which is our favourite airline around EUR 2,500 per person. We also checked a Singapore Airline business class ticket at the same time for January 2024 and it was around EUR 3,800 per person. 

I will continue with Part 2, summarizing information about airlines that operate European routes. By the way, I recently received an email from Qatar Airways advertising promotions for bookings through their app. Additionally, I often opt to receive promotional information when registering as a member of airlines, which helps me stay updated on their special offers.

 

Thu Trang – Co-founder of Eastex Travel