Kayak is a popular travel comparison website that can help you save money on flights, hotels and cruises. However, it’s important to use Kayak responsibly and avoid falling prey to shady deals or scams.
When searching for flights on Kayak, it’s important to consider price trends, flex dates and nearby airports. These features can help you save hundreds on a flight.
Price trends
Kayak launched a new price forecast tool to help travelers find the best time to book. The tool uses historical data and year-over-year trends to decipher whether to buy now or wait.
Kayak’s new tool is based on over one billion search queries across its products and offers a better understanding of the market than many of its competitors. The tool also incorporates the company’s KAYAK Travel Index, a statistical model that provides a measure of travel demand from analysis of searches on Kayak sites and aligns that with average combined prices people select for hotel and flights.
In 2023, Kayak expects domestic flight and international flight demand to remain high. This is due to a surge in travel to Asia and Pacific destinations, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Taipei, Taiwan; Berlin, Germany; and Auckland, New Zealand.
The company also found that rental car inventory shortages will be less of an issue in 2023. In addition, consumers will be looking to travel greener in 2023 by renting electric vehicles, as a result of the heightened interest in sustainability among travelers.
Hacker fares
Every budget traveler wants cheaper airfare. But getting a one-way flight that saves you money can be a challenge.
That’s why Kayak offers its newest money-saving tool: Hacker Fares.
A hacker fare involves pairing two one-way tickets together to create a round trip ticket. It’s a safe, legit way to save money on flights.
But there are some risks involved in using a hacker fare. In addition to the potential for lost frequent flyer points, hackers can be liable for a fine if they break airline rules.
In 2018, Lufthansa sued a passenger who used a hidden city itinerary, which is a type of hacker fare. The airline argued that the traveler violated terms of service by intentionally skipping the second leg of the flight.
Luckily, Kayak’s approach to hacking fares is much safer than some of the shadier versions of this trick. In fact, Kayak even makes it easier to find hacker fares by showing you the best matches right in your search results.
Checked bag fees
The airlines’ strict baggage restrictions have made it almost as difficult to fly with a kayak today as it was to travel with a firearm years ago. But seasoned paddlers know the trick to flying with a kayak, and they usually manage to get their boats onto a flight without getting into trouble at the check-in desk.
As with any type of baggage, there are specific length and weight restrictions that must be met in order for your kayak to be accepted as a checked bag by the airline. Make sure to familiarize yourself with these requirements before you book your ticket.
Some airlines will accept a kayak as part of your overall baggage allowance, while others will treat it as cargo or charge you extra for it. In any case, it’s a good idea to pack your kayak in an outer bag and label it with the flight number and destination city you’re traveling to. This will help ensure that your boat doesn’t get lost or damaged in transit.