This simple airport ticket hack could save you money on your next trip. But is it actually legit or just another not-so-credible trend?
There are so many flight hacks out there that it’s hard to know what’s actually worth your time: booking on Tuesdays, skipping layovers (getting a connecting flight but getting off at the connecting city), price tracking, or trying your luck with last-minute deals.
Some of these can be real money savers, while others are more myth than anything.
Here’s a new one you might not have heard of yet.
The latest flight ticket trick
Travel content creator @mcmillansonthego went viral for telling people that they could save money on a flight by purchasing the ticket at the counter, so this woman tried it for herself.
In a 15-second clip with more than 2.4 million views, @haletg got a flight ticket at the Frontier desk and was shocked by her total.
“I thought you guys were lying,” @haletg said.
But when she bought two tickets to Puerto Rico, she was pleasantly surprised that they were only $217.92 total.
Feeling in the flight shopping mood, @haletg headed over to Spirit, where she got two tickets to Miami for half the price of nosebleed seats at a Beyoncé concert (aka, about $100).
Does this really work, or did she just get lucky?
It does work, but it’s not as universal as you may have hoped.
Some airlines, especially budget ones like Spirit, Frontier, Breeze, and Allegiant, charge a fee for booking a ticket online, Jesse Neugarten, CEO and founder of Dollar Fight Club, told Fodor’s.
When you get your ticket in person, the airline can’t charge you that fee, which usually adds $18 to $25 to the cost.
“It’s not something they promote, but it’s there if you know about it,” Neugarten said.
One mom shared that with her big family of seven, the extra trip to the airport to buy tickets ended up being worth it. Once she saved $40 per person round-trip, totaling $280 in savings.
If you do try this out, check the ticket counter’s hours beforehand. Not all counters are 24/7, and you don’t want to make the trip to the airport for nothing.
Also take into consideration if the time, effort, and transportation costs it takes to do this outweigh the $20 or so bucks you’ll save.
Commenters react
“Results may vary,” the top comment read.
“$217 for two people to go to PR is cheap as hell. Normally the flights be double. You crazy for flying Spirit,” a person said.
“I’ve flown frontier and it legit not as bad as people try to make it!” another added.
@haletg Only works for cheaper airlines , such as spirit , jet blue , frontier etc. #airporthacks #travelhacks #fyp ♬ original sound – haletg
The Daily Dot reached out to @haletg for comment via TikTok direct message and comment and to Spirit via email.
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