I need to fly between two European countries once a month. What is the cheapest way to do it?



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Currently I am staying in the Netherlands but I need to go back to my country (Spain) once a month from now on for some years. Each time I only need to stay one day, and the flight dates are flexible, the only constraint is that I have to do it once a month approximately.



If I just book the flights as one would normally do, it is going to be quite expensive. I need ideas. What would you do? Do you know if some airline has some kind of membership that allows to book many flights so that price per flight is cheaper than buying them individually?










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  • 11




    Just curious : why do you need to fly this often? If it's for work, videoconference works wonder.
    – Eric Duminil
    Dec 27 '17 at 17:26






  • 35




    Not an answer, but consider that you're crossing France, home of the TGV train. Yes, its more hours travelling in a train compared to a plane, but you can sleep better, move around more, and suffer less. Also its a lot easier to do useful work in a train than an aeroplane. Minor side note, less Carbon released on a train trip than the same distance by air. rail.cc/en/train/amsterdam-to-barcelona for example.
    – Criggie
    Dec 27 '17 at 22:33










  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – JonathanReez♦
    Dec 29 '17 at 23:31










  • @Eric Duminil smuggling?
    – mega_creamery
    Jan 20 at 13:47
















up vote
53
down vote

favorite
8












Currently I am staying in the Netherlands but I need to go back to my country (Spain) once a month from now on for some years. Each time I only need to stay one day, and the flight dates are flexible, the only constraint is that I have to do it once a month approximately.



If I just book the flights as one would normally do, it is going to be quite expensive. I need ideas. What would you do? Do you know if some airline has some kind of membership that allows to book many flights so that price per flight is cheaper than buying them individually?










share|improve this question



















  • 11




    Just curious : why do you need to fly this often? If it's for work, videoconference works wonder.
    – Eric Duminil
    Dec 27 '17 at 17:26






  • 35




    Not an answer, but consider that you're crossing France, home of the TGV train. Yes, its more hours travelling in a train compared to a plane, but you can sleep better, move around more, and suffer less. Also its a lot easier to do useful work in a train than an aeroplane. Minor side note, less Carbon released on a train trip than the same distance by air. rail.cc/en/train/amsterdam-to-barcelona for example.
    – Criggie
    Dec 27 '17 at 22:33










  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – JonathanReez♦
    Dec 29 '17 at 23:31










  • @Eric Duminil smuggling?
    – mega_creamery
    Jan 20 at 13:47












up vote
53
down vote

favorite
8









up vote
53
down vote

favorite
8






8





Currently I am staying in the Netherlands but I need to go back to my country (Spain) once a month from now on for some years. Each time I only need to stay one day, and the flight dates are flexible, the only constraint is that I have to do it once a month approximately.



If I just book the flights as one would normally do, it is going to be quite expensive. I need ideas. What would you do? Do you know if some airline has some kind of membership that allows to book many flights so that price per flight is cheaper than buying them individually?










share|improve this question















Currently I am staying in the Netherlands but I need to go back to my country (Spain) once a month from now on for some years. Each time I only need to stay one day, and the flight dates are flexible, the only constraint is that I have to do it once a month approximately.



If I just book the flights as one would normally do, it is going to be quite expensive. I need ideas. What would you do? Do you know if some airline has some kind of membership that allows to book many flights so that price per flight is cheaper than buying them individually?







air-travel budget bookings eu






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edited Dec 27 '17 at 21:27









JonathanReez♦

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asked Dec 27 '17 at 14:33









hipoglucido

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  • 11




    Just curious : why do you need to fly this often? If it's for work, videoconference works wonder.
    – Eric Duminil
    Dec 27 '17 at 17:26






  • 35




    Not an answer, but consider that you're crossing France, home of the TGV train. Yes, its more hours travelling in a train compared to a plane, but you can sleep better, move around more, and suffer less. Also its a lot easier to do useful work in a train than an aeroplane. Minor side note, less Carbon released on a train trip than the same distance by air. rail.cc/en/train/amsterdam-to-barcelona for example.
    – Criggie
    Dec 27 '17 at 22:33










  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – JonathanReez♦
    Dec 29 '17 at 23:31










  • @Eric Duminil smuggling?
    – mega_creamery
    Jan 20 at 13:47












  • 11




    Just curious : why do you need to fly this often? If it's for work, videoconference works wonder.
    – Eric Duminil
    Dec 27 '17 at 17:26






  • 35




    Not an answer, but consider that you're crossing France, home of the TGV train. Yes, its more hours travelling in a train compared to a plane, but you can sleep better, move around more, and suffer less. Also its a lot easier to do useful work in a train than an aeroplane. Minor side note, less Carbon released on a train trip than the same distance by air. rail.cc/en/train/amsterdam-to-barcelona for example.
    – Criggie
    Dec 27 '17 at 22:33










  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – JonathanReez♦
    Dec 29 '17 at 23:31










  • @Eric Duminil smuggling?
    – mega_creamery
    Jan 20 at 13:47







11




11




Just curious : why do you need to fly this often? If it's for work, videoconference works wonder.
– Eric Duminil
Dec 27 '17 at 17:26




Just curious : why do you need to fly this often? If it's for work, videoconference works wonder.
– Eric Duminil
Dec 27 '17 at 17:26




35




35




Not an answer, but consider that you're crossing France, home of the TGV train. Yes, its more hours travelling in a train compared to a plane, but you can sleep better, move around more, and suffer less. Also its a lot easier to do useful work in a train than an aeroplane. Minor side note, less Carbon released on a train trip than the same distance by air. rail.cc/en/train/amsterdam-to-barcelona for example.
– Criggie
Dec 27 '17 at 22:33




Not an answer, but consider that you're crossing France, home of the TGV train. Yes, its more hours travelling in a train compared to a plane, but you can sleep better, move around more, and suffer less. Also its a lot easier to do useful work in a train than an aeroplane. Minor side note, less Carbon released on a train trip than the same distance by air. rail.cc/en/train/amsterdam-to-barcelona for example.
– Criggie
Dec 27 '17 at 22:33












Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
– JonathanReez♦
Dec 29 '17 at 23:31




Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
– JonathanReez♦
Dec 29 '17 at 23:31












@Eric Duminil smuggling?
– mega_creamery
Jan 20 at 13:47




@Eric Duminil smuggling?
– mega_creamery
Jan 20 at 13:47










9 Answers
9






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
51
down vote



accepted










There is no truly practical discount card for regular flights in Europe that I am aware of. You are looking to fly often and this comes at a price. That being said, there is a number of tweaks where you can optimize.



  • First I suggest you get a very good understanding of which connections are practical in getting you from where you are in the Netherlands to where you need to be in Spain (I assume a pair of cities). Rome2Rio is great at this, but also Kiwi. With Rome2Rio it already gives you the non-flight transport options (but you have no way to specify dates), whereas for Kiwi the dates can be set (quite freely so) but you have to figure out about getting to the airport yourself.

  • Try to avoid flying on busy dates, i.e. major holidays (Christmas, Easter, ...) or other events (trade fairs, conventions, conferences, ...) if you can and unless you intended to travel on these occasions in any case.

  • If your likely itinerary is on a traditional carrier (e.g. KLM or Iberia, as opposed to low-cost), they likely charge more for one-ways and returns with a short stay (less than 2-3 days or a weekend day typically). A way around this is to nest your flights: have two bookings such that the return of the first booking is actually a month later, while the return of your first trip is with a different booking. Also the origin can make a difference, so it might be better to have most bookings originate from Spain or the Netherlands. Collecting miles with the frequent flier program of the airline might give you a free flight every once in a while, but cost-wise you are much better off booking cheap and getting less miles.


  • Subscribe to blogs on cheap airfare and company newsletters to be aware of sales periods and offers. Especially Ryanair often has good discounts this way.

  • Timing is crucial as well: not too late and not too far ahead. You will need to build some experience yourself on this. My rule of thumb is that if I know my dates and I see a good fare, then I do take it.

  • Being flexible with dates and origin/departure cities helps too. (Maybe fly out of Germany or Belgium instead?)

  • Savings can also be had by booking through the right channel (airline website vs. flight search sites vs. brick and mortar travel agents) and often means of payment (bank debit vs. debit cards vs. ...). For flights within Europe the website of the operating airline is typically my first guess. Sometimes flight search engines do offer discount codes.

If all of this is too complex for you even after some own research and trying, go for a good travel agent.






share|improve this answer


















  • 12




    This nesting of flights is a really good recommendation. Including a weekend can reduce the price considerably
    – Bernhard
    Dec 27 '17 at 16:26










  • About timing: one research showed that 3 months before was on average the cheapest time to buy flights.
    – Communisty
    Dec 28 '17 at 15:15






  • 6




    "Interleave" would be a better term than "nest". "Nest" would mean that you have the departure from Trip A, then the departure from Trip B, then the return from Trip B, then the return from Trip A. You presumably mean Departure A, Departure B, Return A, Return B.
    – Acccumulation
    Dec 28 '17 at 19:41










  • @Acccumulation Departure A and Return B should be the same journey (X to Y) same as Departure B and Return A (Y to X) so it would only work as a nest Departure A, Departure B, Return B, Return A. If you add a third round trip then you could interleave like Departure A, Departure B, Departure C, Return A, Return B, Return C.
    – spaniol6
    Dec 28 '17 at 20:36






  • 3




    Rather than nesting, you can simply invert the flights. That is, first fly to Spain one-way, then use two-ways flights with a one month interval from Spain to Amsterdam.
    – Matthieu M.
    Dec 29 '17 at 15:07

















up vote
17
down vote













The best method I have found for booking cheap flights when the dates are flexible is to use Google Flights price graph feature:



enter image description here



It lets you find the absolute cheapest dates to book the flights, with a very wide range visible at once. It also supports Europe's low cost airlines, so you wouldn't miss out on the cheapest offers.






share|improve this answer




















  • Momondo has a graph like that, but it is always estimated cost. Select the day and click "search this day" and you find out the cost is actually different. Does Google graph a true cost?
    – WGroleau
    Dec 28 '17 at 3:43






  • 2




    @WGroleau for the routes I've searched - yes, the price is correct. However it doesn't include luggage costs automatically.
    – JonathanReez♦
    Dec 28 '17 at 8:24











  • @JonathanReez I'm inclined to believe that the OP will be mostly travelling light.
    – yo'
    Dec 30 '17 at 14:45

















up vote
9
down vote













I am more familiar with North America, but my method should work in Europe as well.



Do a daily search, wait for a good price, then jump on it



Each morning, when you turn on your computer to start your work day, the first thing to do is perform a flight search for ever flight you plan to take in the next 8 months. I save the searches so I can perform them with a single click. Over time, you will get a good idea of what a good deal is, and when the flights are cheap, buy immediately.



In theory, any online flight search tool will work for this. In the US, the most versatile tool in my opinion is Flight Matrix which is run by google, and provides the back end data for all other flight search tools, like travelocity or Kayak.



The benefit of flight matrix is that you can do a "calendar of lowest fares" search, and set the # of days to stay as you wish, perhaps 1-3 depending on whether you must return on the same day, or should stay over night. It can tell you what day is the cheapest.



So just set up 6 to 8 searches, do them everyday, and when a sale starts, buy right away.



There is a caveat: Some airlines (Southwest Airlines, for example) are not in this system and must be search separately.






share|improve this answer
















  • 1




    Also European low cost airlines are not included (at least Ryanair is not, not sure about the rest of them). That misses a lot of good deals. Besides, the daily search strategy is interesting, +1.
    – mts
    Dec 27 '17 at 19:38






  • 2




    Matrix is not what other search engines consult. Matrix accesses data from OAG and/or the airlines just like the others do. That's why others often show lower prices than Matrix. Kiwi is even more flexible than Matrix.
    – WGroleau
    Dec 28 '17 at 3:41










  • Checkout google.com/flights for their awesome trend graphs. There is also an alerts and notification feature.
    – Tejas Kale
    Dec 28 '17 at 19:43










  • There are probably ways to automate this.
    – Acccumulation
    Dec 28 '17 at 19:43






  • 1




    @Acccumulation That's true, but I waste 15-20 minutes doing random internet stuff every morning anyways. IMO, looking at flight costs is a more pleasurable way to waste time than reading the news.
    – axsvl77
    Dec 28 '17 at 20:26

















up vote
8
down vote













Most airlines have a loyalty program (a.k.a. "frequent-flyer program") where you earn points from flights you take and those points can eventually be used to book free bonus flights. Effectively you can end up with "every tenth flight is free" for some value of 10, though predicting exactly how many flights you need to take to qualify for one similar bonus trip can take a lot of prior research.



The downside (and the reason airlines do this) is that you need to make all your trips with the same airline (or at least the same alliance), so you will be less able to take advantage of better offers from other airlines, lest you end up with points in different loyalty programs that you can't combine into a flight.



Apart from this, there's not much you can do, other than book your trips well in advance before the cheap seats sell out.



It used to be that you could save significant money by buying a series of "back-to-back" Spain-Netherlands-Spain round trips with a stay of one month each, rather than a series of short Netherlands-Spain-Netherlands trips. However, pricing strategies that reward longer stays in this way have become less common. It is still worth looking into.



Also remember that flights with a connection can be significantly cheaper than direct flights, so don't limit your search to airlines that fly directly between your destinations -- unless, of course, the time saving of direct flight is important enough to you that you're prepared to pay a premium for it.






share|improve this answer


















  • 1




    Why the downvote? +1 from me.
    – mts
    Dec 27 '17 at 15:04






  • 1




    The frequent-flyer programs are unlikely to cover him. Once a month is not frequent by airline standards. I flew 2-3 times a month for the entire past year, and I barely made it into the frequent flyer category.
    – Tom
    Dec 29 '17 at 5:00










  • @Tom: Things may have changed since I flew often enough to care about such memberships, but back then one didn't need to be in a particular "category" to start accumulating point or redeem them for bonus flights.
    – Henning Makholm
    Dec 29 '17 at 5:15











  • No, you get miles always, but at his rate of flying he'll be lucky to get one free flight out of it before the miles expire. You need to be in at least the first frequent flyer category to have no expiration and typically double miles or something, at which point it starts to be interesting.
    – Tom
    Dec 29 '17 at 14:56

















up vote
7
down vote













If your location and/or your date is flexible, there are a lot of tools that have been mentioned in posts here.



Rome@Rio does not give you all the options, and its prices are more wild guesses. Kiwi will often NOT tell you as low a price as other tools, but at least its quotes are close. Kiwi and Matrix will let you search a whole month instead of Kayak’s seven days or Matrix’s five.



Skyscanner makes a wild guess, then shows you a calendar with different guesses, and only when you pick a date, gives you a real price (but not necessarily the cheapest).



Adioso and Momondo and Hipmunk are worth checking, but often don’t give the lowest. On and on and on. When you were posting this, did you look at the suggestions and similar questions? If not, start (but don’t post) a question on cheap/low cost flights and copy the links in all the related questions.



Do you have to fly? It’s probably cheaper than train or bus, but I wonder whether a rail pass would work for something like this.






share|improve this answer


















  • 2




    Railpasses are mostly not better in price than early booked tickets on trains and the Netherlands to Spain will take 12 hours by day and 20 hours overnight.
    – Willeke♦
    Dec 27 '17 at 16:31










  • @Willeke out of curiousity, the fastest I found from Amsterdam to Madrid was roughly 15h during the day and worse at night. Did you use another pair of cities or does DB somehow not give me the fastest connections?
    – mts
    Dec 27 '17 at 20:08










  • I looked Amsterdam to Barcelona
    – Willeke♦
    Dec 27 '17 at 20:23










  • Rail can be more expensive than low cost flight nowadays.
    – Rui F Ribeiro
    Dec 28 '17 at 9:46

















up vote
6
down vote













Some years ago, I had to fly every six weeks, with Air France. My travel agency found out that AF had special discounts for flights booked 42 days or more in advance. Which, conveniently, was my timeframe.



I'm not sure whether they still have that (since they acquired KLM, both airlines have the same discounts, generally, and commercial policies have been mostly based on AF's rather than KLM's), and whether 42 days would work for you, but it might be worth enquiring.



Also, while AF is an airline with pretty bad service overall, their mileage program is quite generous, and membership level thresholds are lower for members outside France, which makes accruing mileage faster (as bonus mileage goes up with the membership mileage). So accruing mileage with AF/KLM might be an option.






share|improve this answer






















  • Did Air France “acquire” KLM, or merely join the “Sky Team” alliance with them and Delta?
    – WGroleau
    Dec 27 '17 at 15:58






  • 1




    @WGroleau I don't know whether one company acquired the other, but they definitely merged into one company, keeping the distinct brands. See Wikipedia for more information.
    – phoog
    Dec 27 '17 at 16:05







  • 1




    They acquired a majority stake, and basically merged both airlines into one. They also optimized overlapping routes. BTW, SkyTeam was founded by Aeroméxico, AF, Delta and Korean Air. KLM wasn't involved back then.
    – user67108
    Dec 27 '17 at 16:05






  • 1




    @WGroleau Air France S.A. and Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. are each wholly owned subsidiaries of the Air France–KLM S.A. group. Shareholders in Air France SA (including the French state) received 81% of the shares in the joint company.
    – Calchas
    Dec 28 '17 at 17:57











  • Commenting on the answer, I think this is the first time I have ever heard anyone describe Flying Blue as "quite generous" since the April Fools Day devaluation of 2009. I collected with them for years and always held the opposite view.
    – Calchas
    Dec 28 '17 at 18:05

















up vote
5
down vote













A number of airlines offer commuter passes for regular commuters. These are essentially blocks of ten or twenty undated tickets, purchased at a fixed price in advance. Later, when you wish to travel, you can use one of your tickets on any flight. You still have to make a booking several days in advance. You are often booked in the top booking class, so you can book any flight that has empty seats.



They may or may not represent a discount over buying your flights one at a time. If you are flexible about your travel dates and airline, it probably does not. If you demand flexibility on your tickets, they may represent a considerable saving.



I understand that OptionTown sells KLM flight bundles. I have heard broadly positive reviews on OptionTown from BA commuters, but I have not heard anything about their KLM tickets. Other travel agents may also be able to sell these tickets.






share|improve this answer



























    up vote
    4
    down vote













    What research have you done yet? I poked in a random date in January and got non-stop round trip tickets between AMS and Madrid for as little as $111 on Air Europa. Iberia offers at $125. In June Iberia was $114 and Air Europa was $150.



    What's your target price? I don't think you can get this any cheaper than that. If you book with enough lead time, you should be easily be able to find fares in this price range since it's served by multiple budget carrier.



    Also "Netherlands" and "Spain" are pretty unspecific. You also need to factor in cost of transport to the airport and, if applicable, accommodation. So there is more to optimize than just the air fare.



    EDIT
    Ryan Air flies Eindoven/Barcelona for as little as $52 round trip but that requires some advanced searching & planning. At this point your other travel costs may be the overwriting factor






    share|improve this answer


















    • 1




      Do not forget to check 'low price' as well as 'full price' airlines as the prices are often not that different but the availability can be quite different, depending on season and actual location.
      – Willeke♦
      Dec 27 '17 at 17:52

















    up vote
    4
    down vote













    KLM now offers what they call "flight bundles", which allow you to prebuy a number of undated tickets for the same passenger and city pair within Europe and set the dates as needed when needed (with some restrictions no doubt).



    https://flightbundle.klm.com/en?WT.ac=HPN_trigger_flightbundle



    I've heard of some US airlines having similar deals in the past, not of any in Europe (though they may exist).






    share|improve this answer



















      protected by JonathanReez♦ Dec 27 '17 at 18:28



      Thank you for your interest in this question.
      Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count).



      Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead?














      9 Answers
      9






      active

      oldest

      votes








      9 Answers
      9






      active

      oldest

      votes









      active

      oldest

      votes






      active

      oldest

      votes








      up vote
      51
      down vote



      accepted










      There is no truly practical discount card for regular flights in Europe that I am aware of. You are looking to fly often and this comes at a price. That being said, there is a number of tweaks where you can optimize.



      • First I suggest you get a very good understanding of which connections are practical in getting you from where you are in the Netherlands to where you need to be in Spain (I assume a pair of cities). Rome2Rio is great at this, but also Kiwi. With Rome2Rio it already gives you the non-flight transport options (but you have no way to specify dates), whereas for Kiwi the dates can be set (quite freely so) but you have to figure out about getting to the airport yourself.

      • Try to avoid flying on busy dates, i.e. major holidays (Christmas, Easter, ...) or other events (trade fairs, conventions, conferences, ...) if you can and unless you intended to travel on these occasions in any case.

      • If your likely itinerary is on a traditional carrier (e.g. KLM or Iberia, as opposed to low-cost), they likely charge more for one-ways and returns with a short stay (less than 2-3 days or a weekend day typically). A way around this is to nest your flights: have two bookings such that the return of the first booking is actually a month later, while the return of your first trip is with a different booking. Also the origin can make a difference, so it might be better to have most bookings originate from Spain or the Netherlands. Collecting miles with the frequent flier program of the airline might give you a free flight every once in a while, but cost-wise you are much better off booking cheap and getting less miles.


      • Subscribe to blogs on cheap airfare and company newsletters to be aware of sales periods and offers. Especially Ryanair often has good discounts this way.

      • Timing is crucial as well: not too late and not too far ahead. You will need to build some experience yourself on this. My rule of thumb is that if I know my dates and I see a good fare, then I do take it.

      • Being flexible with dates and origin/departure cities helps too. (Maybe fly out of Germany or Belgium instead?)

      • Savings can also be had by booking through the right channel (airline website vs. flight search sites vs. brick and mortar travel agents) and often means of payment (bank debit vs. debit cards vs. ...). For flights within Europe the website of the operating airline is typically my first guess. Sometimes flight search engines do offer discount codes.

      If all of this is too complex for you even after some own research and trying, go for a good travel agent.






      share|improve this answer


















      • 12




        This nesting of flights is a really good recommendation. Including a weekend can reduce the price considerably
        – Bernhard
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:26










      • About timing: one research showed that 3 months before was on average the cheapest time to buy flights.
        – Communisty
        Dec 28 '17 at 15:15






      • 6




        "Interleave" would be a better term than "nest". "Nest" would mean that you have the departure from Trip A, then the departure from Trip B, then the return from Trip B, then the return from Trip A. You presumably mean Departure A, Departure B, Return A, Return B.
        – Acccumulation
        Dec 28 '17 at 19:41










      • @Acccumulation Departure A and Return B should be the same journey (X to Y) same as Departure B and Return A (Y to X) so it would only work as a nest Departure A, Departure B, Return B, Return A. If you add a third round trip then you could interleave like Departure A, Departure B, Departure C, Return A, Return B, Return C.
        – spaniol6
        Dec 28 '17 at 20:36






      • 3




        Rather than nesting, you can simply invert the flights. That is, first fly to Spain one-way, then use two-ways flights with a one month interval from Spain to Amsterdam.
        – Matthieu M.
        Dec 29 '17 at 15:07














      up vote
      51
      down vote



      accepted










      There is no truly practical discount card for regular flights in Europe that I am aware of. You are looking to fly often and this comes at a price. That being said, there is a number of tweaks where you can optimize.



      • First I suggest you get a very good understanding of which connections are practical in getting you from where you are in the Netherlands to where you need to be in Spain (I assume a pair of cities). Rome2Rio is great at this, but also Kiwi. With Rome2Rio it already gives you the non-flight transport options (but you have no way to specify dates), whereas for Kiwi the dates can be set (quite freely so) but you have to figure out about getting to the airport yourself.

      • Try to avoid flying on busy dates, i.e. major holidays (Christmas, Easter, ...) or other events (trade fairs, conventions, conferences, ...) if you can and unless you intended to travel on these occasions in any case.

      • If your likely itinerary is on a traditional carrier (e.g. KLM or Iberia, as opposed to low-cost), they likely charge more for one-ways and returns with a short stay (less than 2-3 days or a weekend day typically). A way around this is to nest your flights: have two bookings such that the return of the first booking is actually a month later, while the return of your first trip is with a different booking. Also the origin can make a difference, so it might be better to have most bookings originate from Spain or the Netherlands. Collecting miles with the frequent flier program of the airline might give you a free flight every once in a while, but cost-wise you are much better off booking cheap and getting less miles.


      • Subscribe to blogs on cheap airfare and company newsletters to be aware of sales periods and offers. Especially Ryanair often has good discounts this way.

      • Timing is crucial as well: not too late and not too far ahead. You will need to build some experience yourself on this. My rule of thumb is that if I know my dates and I see a good fare, then I do take it.

      • Being flexible with dates and origin/departure cities helps too. (Maybe fly out of Germany or Belgium instead?)

      • Savings can also be had by booking through the right channel (airline website vs. flight search sites vs. brick and mortar travel agents) and often means of payment (bank debit vs. debit cards vs. ...). For flights within Europe the website of the operating airline is typically my first guess. Sometimes flight search engines do offer discount codes.

      If all of this is too complex for you even after some own research and trying, go for a good travel agent.






      share|improve this answer


















      • 12




        This nesting of flights is a really good recommendation. Including a weekend can reduce the price considerably
        – Bernhard
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:26










      • About timing: one research showed that 3 months before was on average the cheapest time to buy flights.
        – Communisty
        Dec 28 '17 at 15:15






      • 6




        "Interleave" would be a better term than "nest". "Nest" would mean that you have the departure from Trip A, then the departure from Trip B, then the return from Trip B, then the return from Trip A. You presumably mean Departure A, Departure B, Return A, Return B.
        – Acccumulation
        Dec 28 '17 at 19:41










      • @Acccumulation Departure A and Return B should be the same journey (X to Y) same as Departure B and Return A (Y to X) so it would only work as a nest Departure A, Departure B, Return B, Return A. If you add a third round trip then you could interleave like Departure A, Departure B, Departure C, Return A, Return B, Return C.
        – spaniol6
        Dec 28 '17 at 20:36






      • 3




        Rather than nesting, you can simply invert the flights. That is, first fly to Spain one-way, then use two-ways flights with a one month interval from Spain to Amsterdam.
        – Matthieu M.
        Dec 29 '17 at 15:07












      up vote
      51
      down vote



      accepted







      up vote
      51
      down vote



      accepted






      There is no truly practical discount card for regular flights in Europe that I am aware of. You are looking to fly often and this comes at a price. That being said, there is a number of tweaks where you can optimize.



      • First I suggest you get a very good understanding of which connections are practical in getting you from where you are in the Netherlands to where you need to be in Spain (I assume a pair of cities). Rome2Rio is great at this, but also Kiwi. With Rome2Rio it already gives you the non-flight transport options (but you have no way to specify dates), whereas for Kiwi the dates can be set (quite freely so) but you have to figure out about getting to the airport yourself.

      • Try to avoid flying on busy dates, i.e. major holidays (Christmas, Easter, ...) or other events (trade fairs, conventions, conferences, ...) if you can and unless you intended to travel on these occasions in any case.

      • If your likely itinerary is on a traditional carrier (e.g. KLM or Iberia, as opposed to low-cost), they likely charge more for one-ways and returns with a short stay (less than 2-3 days or a weekend day typically). A way around this is to nest your flights: have two bookings such that the return of the first booking is actually a month later, while the return of your first trip is with a different booking. Also the origin can make a difference, so it might be better to have most bookings originate from Spain or the Netherlands. Collecting miles with the frequent flier program of the airline might give you a free flight every once in a while, but cost-wise you are much better off booking cheap and getting less miles.


      • Subscribe to blogs on cheap airfare and company newsletters to be aware of sales periods and offers. Especially Ryanair often has good discounts this way.

      • Timing is crucial as well: not too late and not too far ahead. You will need to build some experience yourself on this. My rule of thumb is that if I know my dates and I see a good fare, then I do take it.

      • Being flexible with dates and origin/departure cities helps too. (Maybe fly out of Germany or Belgium instead?)

      • Savings can also be had by booking through the right channel (airline website vs. flight search sites vs. brick and mortar travel agents) and often means of payment (bank debit vs. debit cards vs. ...). For flights within Europe the website of the operating airline is typically my first guess. Sometimes flight search engines do offer discount codes.

      If all of this is too complex for you even after some own research and trying, go for a good travel agent.






      share|improve this answer














      There is no truly practical discount card for regular flights in Europe that I am aware of. You are looking to fly often and this comes at a price. That being said, there is a number of tweaks where you can optimize.



      • First I suggest you get a very good understanding of which connections are practical in getting you from where you are in the Netherlands to where you need to be in Spain (I assume a pair of cities). Rome2Rio is great at this, but also Kiwi. With Rome2Rio it already gives you the non-flight transport options (but you have no way to specify dates), whereas for Kiwi the dates can be set (quite freely so) but you have to figure out about getting to the airport yourself.

      • Try to avoid flying on busy dates, i.e. major holidays (Christmas, Easter, ...) or other events (trade fairs, conventions, conferences, ...) if you can and unless you intended to travel on these occasions in any case.

      • If your likely itinerary is on a traditional carrier (e.g. KLM or Iberia, as opposed to low-cost), they likely charge more for one-ways and returns with a short stay (less than 2-3 days or a weekend day typically). A way around this is to nest your flights: have two bookings such that the return of the first booking is actually a month later, while the return of your first trip is with a different booking. Also the origin can make a difference, so it might be better to have most bookings originate from Spain or the Netherlands. Collecting miles with the frequent flier program of the airline might give you a free flight every once in a while, but cost-wise you are much better off booking cheap and getting less miles.


      • Subscribe to blogs on cheap airfare and company newsletters to be aware of sales periods and offers. Especially Ryanair often has good discounts this way.

      • Timing is crucial as well: not too late and not too far ahead. You will need to build some experience yourself on this. My rule of thumb is that if I know my dates and I see a good fare, then I do take it.

      • Being flexible with dates and origin/departure cities helps too. (Maybe fly out of Germany or Belgium instead?)

      • Savings can also be had by booking through the right channel (airline website vs. flight search sites vs. brick and mortar travel agents) and often means of payment (bank debit vs. debit cards vs. ...). For flights within Europe the website of the operating airline is typically my first guess. Sometimes flight search engines do offer discount codes.

      If all of this is too complex for you even after some own research and trying, go for a good travel agent.







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited Dec 27 '17 at 16:56

























      answered Dec 27 '17 at 15:02









      mts

      22.3k10106197




      22.3k10106197







      • 12




        This nesting of flights is a really good recommendation. Including a weekend can reduce the price considerably
        – Bernhard
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:26










      • About timing: one research showed that 3 months before was on average the cheapest time to buy flights.
        – Communisty
        Dec 28 '17 at 15:15






      • 6




        "Interleave" would be a better term than "nest". "Nest" would mean that you have the departure from Trip A, then the departure from Trip B, then the return from Trip B, then the return from Trip A. You presumably mean Departure A, Departure B, Return A, Return B.
        – Acccumulation
        Dec 28 '17 at 19:41










      • @Acccumulation Departure A and Return B should be the same journey (X to Y) same as Departure B and Return A (Y to X) so it would only work as a nest Departure A, Departure B, Return B, Return A. If you add a third round trip then you could interleave like Departure A, Departure B, Departure C, Return A, Return B, Return C.
        – spaniol6
        Dec 28 '17 at 20:36






      • 3




        Rather than nesting, you can simply invert the flights. That is, first fly to Spain one-way, then use two-ways flights with a one month interval from Spain to Amsterdam.
        – Matthieu M.
        Dec 29 '17 at 15:07












      • 12




        This nesting of flights is a really good recommendation. Including a weekend can reduce the price considerably
        – Bernhard
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:26










      • About timing: one research showed that 3 months before was on average the cheapest time to buy flights.
        – Communisty
        Dec 28 '17 at 15:15






      • 6




        "Interleave" would be a better term than "nest". "Nest" would mean that you have the departure from Trip A, then the departure from Trip B, then the return from Trip B, then the return from Trip A. You presumably mean Departure A, Departure B, Return A, Return B.
        – Acccumulation
        Dec 28 '17 at 19:41










      • @Acccumulation Departure A and Return B should be the same journey (X to Y) same as Departure B and Return A (Y to X) so it would only work as a nest Departure A, Departure B, Return B, Return A. If you add a third round trip then you could interleave like Departure A, Departure B, Departure C, Return A, Return B, Return C.
        – spaniol6
        Dec 28 '17 at 20:36






      • 3




        Rather than nesting, you can simply invert the flights. That is, first fly to Spain one-way, then use two-ways flights with a one month interval from Spain to Amsterdam.
        – Matthieu M.
        Dec 29 '17 at 15:07







      12




      12




      This nesting of flights is a really good recommendation. Including a weekend can reduce the price considerably
      – Bernhard
      Dec 27 '17 at 16:26




      This nesting of flights is a really good recommendation. Including a weekend can reduce the price considerably
      – Bernhard
      Dec 27 '17 at 16:26












      About timing: one research showed that 3 months before was on average the cheapest time to buy flights.
      – Communisty
      Dec 28 '17 at 15:15




      About timing: one research showed that 3 months before was on average the cheapest time to buy flights.
      – Communisty
      Dec 28 '17 at 15:15




      6




      6




      "Interleave" would be a better term than "nest". "Nest" would mean that you have the departure from Trip A, then the departure from Trip B, then the return from Trip B, then the return from Trip A. You presumably mean Departure A, Departure B, Return A, Return B.
      – Acccumulation
      Dec 28 '17 at 19:41




      "Interleave" would be a better term than "nest". "Nest" would mean that you have the departure from Trip A, then the departure from Trip B, then the return from Trip B, then the return from Trip A. You presumably mean Departure A, Departure B, Return A, Return B.
      – Acccumulation
      Dec 28 '17 at 19:41












      @Acccumulation Departure A and Return B should be the same journey (X to Y) same as Departure B and Return A (Y to X) so it would only work as a nest Departure A, Departure B, Return B, Return A. If you add a third round trip then you could interleave like Departure A, Departure B, Departure C, Return A, Return B, Return C.
      – spaniol6
      Dec 28 '17 at 20:36




      @Acccumulation Departure A and Return B should be the same journey (X to Y) same as Departure B and Return A (Y to X) so it would only work as a nest Departure A, Departure B, Return B, Return A. If you add a third round trip then you could interleave like Departure A, Departure B, Departure C, Return A, Return B, Return C.
      – spaniol6
      Dec 28 '17 at 20:36




      3




      3




      Rather than nesting, you can simply invert the flights. That is, first fly to Spain one-way, then use two-ways flights with a one month interval from Spain to Amsterdam.
      – Matthieu M.
      Dec 29 '17 at 15:07




      Rather than nesting, you can simply invert the flights. That is, first fly to Spain one-way, then use two-ways flights with a one month interval from Spain to Amsterdam.
      – Matthieu M.
      Dec 29 '17 at 15:07












      up vote
      17
      down vote













      The best method I have found for booking cheap flights when the dates are flexible is to use Google Flights price graph feature:



      enter image description here



      It lets you find the absolute cheapest dates to book the flights, with a very wide range visible at once. It also supports Europe's low cost airlines, so you wouldn't miss out on the cheapest offers.






      share|improve this answer




















      • Momondo has a graph like that, but it is always estimated cost. Select the day and click "search this day" and you find out the cost is actually different. Does Google graph a true cost?
        – WGroleau
        Dec 28 '17 at 3:43






      • 2




        @WGroleau for the routes I've searched - yes, the price is correct. However it doesn't include luggage costs automatically.
        – JonathanReez♦
        Dec 28 '17 at 8:24











      • @JonathanReez I'm inclined to believe that the OP will be mostly travelling light.
        – yo'
        Dec 30 '17 at 14:45














      up vote
      17
      down vote













      The best method I have found for booking cheap flights when the dates are flexible is to use Google Flights price graph feature:



      enter image description here



      It lets you find the absolute cheapest dates to book the flights, with a very wide range visible at once. It also supports Europe's low cost airlines, so you wouldn't miss out on the cheapest offers.






      share|improve this answer




















      • Momondo has a graph like that, but it is always estimated cost. Select the day and click "search this day" and you find out the cost is actually different. Does Google graph a true cost?
        – WGroleau
        Dec 28 '17 at 3:43






      • 2




        @WGroleau for the routes I've searched - yes, the price is correct. However it doesn't include luggage costs automatically.
        – JonathanReez♦
        Dec 28 '17 at 8:24











      • @JonathanReez I'm inclined to believe that the OP will be mostly travelling light.
        – yo'
        Dec 30 '17 at 14:45












      up vote
      17
      down vote










      up vote
      17
      down vote









      The best method I have found for booking cheap flights when the dates are flexible is to use Google Flights price graph feature:



      enter image description here



      It lets you find the absolute cheapest dates to book the flights, with a very wide range visible at once. It also supports Europe's low cost airlines, so you wouldn't miss out on the cheapest offers.






      share|improve this answer












      The best method I have found for booking cheap flights when the dates are flexible is to use Google Flights price graph feature:



      enter image description here



      It lets you find the absolute cheapest dates to book the flights, with a very wide range visible at once. It also supports Europe's low cost airlines, so you wouldn't miss out on the cheapest offers.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered Dec 27 '17 at 21:33









      JonathanReez♦

      46.5k36214458




      46.5k36214458











      • Momondo has a graph like that, but it is always estimated cost. Select the day and click "search this day" and you find out the cost is actually different. Does Google graph a true cost?
        – WGroleau
        Dec 28 '17 at 3:43






      • 2




        @WGroleau for the routes I've searched - yes, the price is correct. However it doesn't include luggage costs automatically.
        – JonathanReez♦
        Dec 28 '17 at 8:24











      • @JonathanReez I'm inclined to believe that the OP will be mostly travelling light.
        – yo'
        Dec 30 '17 at 14:45
















      • Momondo has a graph like that, but it is always estimated cost. Select the day and click "search this day" and you find out the cost is actually different. Does Google graph a true cost?
        – WGroleau
        Dec 28 '17 at 3:43






      • 2




        @WGroleau for the routes I've searched - yes, the price is correct. However it doesn't include luggage costs automatically.
        – JonathanReez♦
        Dec 28 '17 at 8:24











      • @JonathanReez I'm inclined to believe that the OP will be mostly travelling light.
        – yo'
        Dec 30 '17 at 14:45















      Momondo has a graph like that, but it is always estimated cost. Select the day and click "search this day" and you find out the cost is actually different. Does Google graph a true cost?
      – WGroleau
      Dec 28 '17 at 3:43




      Momondo has a graph like that, but it is always estimated cost. Select the day and click "search this day" and you find out the cost is actually different. Does Google graph a true cost?
      – WGroleau
      Dec 28 '17 at 3:43




      2




      2




      @WGroleau for the routes I've searched - yes, the price is correct. However it doesn't include luggage costs automatically.
      – JonathanReez♦
      Dec 28 '17 at 8:24





      @WGroleau for the routes I've searched - yes, the price is correct. However it doesn't include luggage costs automatically.
      – JonathanReez♦
      Dec 28 '17 at 8:24













      @JonathanReez I'm inclined to believe that the OP will be mostly travelling light.
      – yo'
      Dec 30 '17 at 14:45




      @JonathanReez I'm inclined to believe that the OP will be mostly travelling light.
      – yo'
      Dec 30 '17 at 14:45










      up vote
      9
      down vote













      I am more familiar with North America, but my method should work in Europe as well.



      Do a daily search, wait for a good price, then jump on it



      Each morning, when you turn on your computer to start your work day, the first thing to do is perform a flight search for ever flight you plan to take in the next 8 months. I save the searches so I can perform them with a single click. Over time, you will get a good idea of what a good deal is, and when the flights are cheap, buy immediately.



      In theory, any online flight search tool will work for this. In the US, the most versatile tool in my opinion is Flight Matrix which is run by google, and provides the back end data for all other flight search tools, like travelocity or Kayak.



      The benefit of flight matrix is that you can do a "calendar of lowest fares" search, and set the # of days to stay as you wish, perhaps 1-3 depending on whether you must return on the same day, or should stay over night. It can tell you what day is the cheapest.



      So just set up 6 to 8 searches, do them everyday, and when a sale starts, buy right away.



      There is a caveat: Some airlines (Southwest Airlines, for example) are not in this system and must be search separately.






      share|improve this answer
















      • 1




        Also European low cost airlines are not included (at least Ryanair is not, not sure about the rest of them). That misses a lot of good deals. Besides, the daily search strategy is interesting, +1.
        – mts
        Dec 27 '17 at 19:38






      • 2




        Matrix is not what other search engines consult. Matrix accesses data from OAG and/or the airlines just like the others do. That's why others often show lower prices than Matrix. Kiwi is even more flexible than Matrix.
        – WGroleau
        Dec 28 '17 at 3:41










      • Checkout google.com/flights for their awesome trend graphs. There is also an alerts and notification feature.
        – Tejas Kale
        Dec 28 '17 at 19:43










      • There are probably ways to automate this.
        – Acccumulation
        Dec 28 '17 at 19:43






      • 1




        @Acccumulation That's true, but I waste 15-20 minutes doing random internet stuff every morning anyways. IMO, looking at flight costs is a more pleasurable way to waste time than reading the news.
        – axsvl77
        Dec 28 '17 at 20:26














      up vote
      9
      down vote













      I am more familiar with North America, but my method should work in Europe as well.



      Do a daily search, wait for a good price, then jump on it



      Each morning, when you turn on your computer to start your work day, the first thing to do is perform a flight search for ever flight you plan to take in the next 8 months. I save the searches so I can perform them with a single click. Over time, you will get a good idea of what a good deal is, and when the flights are cheap, buy immediately.



      In theory, any online flight search tool will work for this. In the US, the most versatile tool in my opinion is Flight Matrix which is run by google, and provides the back end data for all other flight search tools, like travelocity or Kayak.



      The benefit of flight matrix is that you can do a "calendar of lowest fares" search, and set the # of days to stay as you wish, perhaps 1-3 depending on whether you must return on the same day, or should stay over night. It can tell you what day is the cheapest.



      So just set up 6 to 8 searches, do them everyday, and when a sale starts, buy right away.



      There is a caveat: Some airlines (Southwest Airlines, for example) are not in this system and must be search separately.






      share|improve this answer
















      • 1




        Also European low cost airlines are not included (at least Ryanair is not, not sure about the rest of them). That misses a lot of good deals. Besides, the daily search strategy is interesting, +1.
        – mts
        Dec 27 '17 at 19:38






      • 2




        Matrix is not what other search engines consult. Matrix accesses data from OAG and/or the airlines just like the others do. That's why others often show lower prices than Matrix. Kiwi is even more flexible than Matrix.
        – WGroleau
        Dec 28 '17 at 3:41










      • Checkout google.com/flights for their awesome trend graphs. There is also an alerts and notification feature.
        – Tejas Kale
        Dec 28 '17 at 19:43










      • There are probably ways to automate this.
        – Acccumulation
        Dec 28 '17 at 19:43






      • 1




        @Acccumulation That's true, but I waste 15-20 minutes doing random internet stuff every morning anyways. IMO, looking at flight costs is a more pleasurable way to waste time than reading the news.
        – axsvl77
        Dec 28 '17 at 20:26












      up vote
      9
      down vote










      up vote
      9
      down vote









      I am more familiar with North America, but my method should work in Europe as well.



      Do a daily search, wait for a good price, then jump on it



      Each morning, when you turn on your computer to start your work day, the first thing to do is perform a flight search for ever flight you plan to take in the next 8 months. I save the searches so I can perform them with a single click. Over time, you will get a good idea of what a good deal is, and when the flights are cheap, buy immediately.



      In theory, any online flight search tool will work for this. In the US, the most versatile tool in my opinion is Flight Matrix which is run by google, and provides the back end data for all other flight search tools, like travelocity or Kayak.



      The benefit of flight matrix is that you can do a "calendar of lowest fares" search, and set the # of days to stay as you wish, perhaps 1-3 depending on whether you must return on the same day, or should stay over night. It can tell you what day is the cheapest.



      So just set up 6 to 8 searches, do them everyday, and when a sale starts, buy right away.



      There is a caveat: Some airlines (Southwest Airlines, for example) are not in this system and must be search separately.






      share|improve this answer












      I am more familiar with North America, but my method should work in Europe as well.



      Do a daily search, wait for a good price, then jump on it



      Each morning, when you turn on your computer to start your work day, the first thing to do is perform a flight search for ever flight you plan to take in the next 8 months. I save the searches so I can perform them with a single click. Over time, you will get a good idea of what a good deal is, and when the flights are cheap, buy immediately.



      In theory, any online flight search tool will work for this. In the US, the most versatile tool in my opinion is Flight Matrix which is run by google, and provides the back end data for all other flight search tools, like travelocity or Kayak.



      The benefit of flight matrix is that you can do a "calendar of lowest fares" search, and set the # of days to stay as you wish, perhaps 1-3 depending on whether you must return on the same day, or should stay over night. It can tell you what day is the cheapest.



      So just set up 6 to 8 searches, do them everyday, and when a sale starts, buy right away.



      There is a caveat: Some airlines (Southwest Airlines, for example) are not in this system and must be search separately.







      share|improve this answer












      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer










      answered Dec 27 '17 at 18:26









      axsvl77

      1,438822




      1,438822







      • 1




        Also European low cost airlines are not included (at least Ryanair is not, not sure about the rest of them). That misses a lot of good deals. Besides, the daily search strategy is interesting, +1.
        – mts
        Dec 27 '17 at 19:38






      • 2




        Matrix is not what other search engines consult. Matrix accesses data from OAG and/or the airlines just like the others do. That's why others often show lower prices than Matrix. Kiwi is even more flexible than Matrix.
        – WGroleau
        Dec 28 '17 at 3:41










      • Checkout google.com/flights for their awesome trend graphs. There is also an alerts and notification feature.
        – Tejas Kale
        Dec 28 '17 at 19:43










      • There are probably ways to automate this.
        – Acccumulation
        Dec 28 '17 at 19:43






      • 1




        @Acccumulation That's true, but I waste 15-20 minutes doing random internet stuff every morning anyways. IMO, looking at flight costs is a more pleasurable way to waste time than reading the news.
        – axsvl77
        Dec 28 '17 at 20:26












      • 1




        Also European low cost airlines are not included (at least Ryanair is not, not sure about the rest of them). That misses a lot of good deals. Besides, the daily search strategy is interesting, +1.
        – mts
        Dec 27 '17 at 19:38






      • 2




        Matrix is not what other search engines consult. Matrix accesses data from OAG and/or the airlines just like the others do. That's why others often show lower prices than Matrix. Kiwi is even more flexible than Matrix.
        – WGroleau
        Dec 28 '17 at 3:41










      • Checkout google.com/flights for their awesome trend graphs. There is also an alerts and notification feature.
        – Tejas Kale
        Dec 28 '17 at 19:43










      • There are probably ways to automate this.
        – Acccumulation
        Dec 28 '17 at 19:43






      • 1




        @Acccumulation That's true, but I waste 15-20 minutes doing random internet stuff every morning anyways. IMO, looking at flight costs is a more pleasurable way to waste time than reading the news.
        – axsvl77
        Dec 28 '17 at 20:26







      1




      1




      Also European low cost airlines are not included (at least Ryanair is not, not sure about the rest of them). That misses a lot of good deals. Besides, the daily search strategy is interesting, +1.
      – mts
      Dec 27 '17 at 19:38




      Also European low cost airlines are not included (at least Ryanair is not, not sure about the rest of them). That misses a lot of good deals. Besides, the daily search strategy is interesting, +1.
      – mts
      Dec 27 '17 at 19:38




      2




      2




      Matrix is not what other search engines consult. Matrix accesses data from OAG and/or the airlines just like the others do. That's why others often show lower prices than Matrix. Kiwi is even more flexible than Matrix.
      – WGroleau
      Dec 28 '17 at 3:41




      Matrix is not what other search engines consult. Matrix accesses data from OAG and/or the airlines just like the others do. That's why others often show lower prices than Matrix. Kiwi is even more flexible than Matrix.
      – WGroleau
      Dec 28 '17 at 3:41












      Checkout google.com/flights for their awesome trend graphs. There is also an alerts and notification feature.
      – Tejas Kale
      Dec 28 '17 at 19:43




      Checkout google.com/flights for their awesome trend graphs. There is also an alerts and notification feature.
      – Tejas Kale
      Dec 28 '17 at 19:43












      There are probably ways to automate this.
      – Acccumulation
      Dec 28 '17 at 19:43




      There are probably ways to automate this.
      – Acccumulation
      Dec 28 '17 at 19:43




      1




      1




      @Acccumulation That's true, but I waste 15-20 minutes doing random internet stuff every morning anyways. IMO, looking at flight costs is a more pleasurable way to waste time than reading the news.
      – axsvl77
      Dec 28 '17 at 20:26




      @Acccumulation That's true, but I waste 15-20 minutes doing random internet stuff every morning anyways. IMO, looking at flight costs is a more pleasurable way to waste time than reading the news.
      – axsvl77
      Dec 28 '17 at 20:26










      up vote
      8
      down vote













      Most airlines have a loyalty program (a.k.a. "frequent-flyer program") where you earn points from flights you take and those points can eventually be used to book free bonus flights. Effectively you can end up with "every tenth flight is free" for some value of 10, though predicting exactly how many flights you need to take to qualify for one similar bonus trip can take a lot of prior research.



      The downside (and the reason airlines do this) is that you need to make all your trips with the same airline (or at least the same alliance), so you will be less able to take advantage of better offers from other airlines, lest you end up with points in different loyalty programs that you can't combine into a flight.



      Apart from this, there's not much you can do, other than book your trips well in advance before the cheap seats sell out.



      It used to be that you could save significant money by buying a series of "back-to-back" Spain-Netherlands-Spain round trips with a stay of one month each, rather than a series of short Netherlands-Spain-Netherlands trips. However, pricing strategies that reward longer stays in this way have become less common. It is still worth looking into.



      Also remember that flights with a connection can be significantly cheaper than direct flights, so don't limit your search to airlines that fly directly between your destinations -- unless, of course, the time saving of direct flight is important enough to you that you're prepared to pay a premium for it.






      share|improve this answer


















      • 1




        Why the downvote? +1 from me.
        – mts
        Dec 27 '17 at 15:04






      • 1




        The frequent-flyer programs are unlikely to cover him. Once a month is not frequent by airline standards. I flew 2-3 times a month for the entire past year, and I barely made it into the frequent flyer category.
        – Tom
        Dec 29 '17 at 5:00










      • @Tom: Things may have changed since I flew often enough to care about such memberships, but back then one didn't need to be in a particular "category" to start accumulating point or redeem them for bonus flights.
        – Henning Makholm
        Dec 29 '17 at 5:15











      • No, you get miles always, but at his rate of flying he'll be lucky to get one free flight out of it before the miles expire. You need to be in at least the first frequent flyer category to have no expiration and typically double miles or something, at which point it starts to be interesting.
        – Tom
        Dec 29 '17 at 14:56














      up vote
      8
      down vote













      Most airlines have a loyalty program (a.k.a. "frequent-flyer program") where you earn points from flights you take and those points can eventually be used to book free bonus flights. Effectively you can end up with "every tenth flight is free" for some value of 10, though predicting exactly how many flights you need to take to qualify for one similar bonus trip can take a lot of prior research.



      The downside (and the reason airlines do this) is that you need to make all your trips with the same airline (or at least the same alliance), so you will be less able to take advantage of better offers from other airlines, lest you end up with points in different loyalty programs that you can't combine into a flight.



      Apart from this, there's not much you can do, other than book your trips well in advance before the cheap seats sell out.



      It used to be that you could save significant money by buying a series of "back-to-back" Spain-Netherlands-Spain round trips with a stay of one month each, rather than a series of short Netherlands-Spain-Netherlands trips. However, pricing strategies that reward longer stays in this way have become less common. It is still worth looking into.



      Also remember that flights with a connection can be significantly cheaper than direct flights, so don't limit your search to airlines that fly directly between your destinations -- unless, of course, the time saving of direct flight is important enough to you that you're prepared to pay a premium for it.






      share|improve this answer


















      • 1




        Why the downvote? +1 from me.
        – mts
        Dec 27 '17 at 15:04






      • 1




        The frequent-flyer programs are unlikely to cover him. Once a month is not frequent by airline standards. I flew 2-3 times a month for the entire past year, and I barely made it into the frequent flyer category.
        – Tom
        Dec 29 '17 at 5:00










      • @Tom: Things may have changed since I flew often enough to care about such memberships, but back then one didn't need to be in a particular "category" to start accumulating point or redeem them for bonus flights.
        – Henning Makholm
        Dec 29 '17 at 5:15











      • No, you get miles always, but at his rate of flying he'll be lucky to get one free flight out of it before the miles expire. You need to be in at least the first frequent flyer category to have no expiration and typically double miles or something, at which point it starts to be interesting.
        – Tom
        Dec 29 '17 at 14:56












      up vote
      8
      down vote










      up vote
      8
      down vote









      Most airlines have a loyalty program (a.k.a. "frequent-flyer program") where you earn points from flights you take and those points can eventually be used to book free bonus flights. Effectively you can end up with "every tenth flight is free" for some value of 10, though predicting exactly how many flights you need to take to qualify for one similar bonus trip can take a lot of prior research.



      The downside (and the reason airlines do this) is that you need to make all your trips with the same airline (or at least the same alliance), so you will be less able to take advantage of better offers from other airlines, lest you end up with points in different loyalty programs that you can't combine into a flight.



      Apart from this, there's not much you can do, other than book your trips well in advance before the cheap seats sell out.



      It used to be that you could save significant money by buying a series of "back-to-back" Spain-Netherlands-Spain round trips with a stay of one month each, rather than a series of short Netherlands-Spain-Netherlands trips. However, pricing strategies that reward longer stays in this way have become less common. It is still worth looking into.



      Also remember that flights with a connection can be significantly cheaper than direct flights, so don't limit your search to airlines that fly directly between your destinations -- unless, of course, the time saving of direct flight is important enough to you that you're prepared to pay a premium for it.






      share|improve this answer














      Most airlines have a loyalty program (a.k.a. "frequent-flyer program") where you earn points from flights you take and those points can eventually be used to book free bonus flights. Effectively you can end up with "every tenth flight is free" for some value of 10, though predicting exactly how many flights you need to take to qualify for one similar bonus trip can take a lot of prior research.



      The downside (and the reason airlines do this) is that you need to make all your trips with the same airline (or at least the same alliance), so you will be less able to take advantage of better offers from other airlines, lest you end up with points in different loyalty programs that you can't combine into a flight.



      Apart from this, there's not much you can do, other than book your trips well in advance before the cheap seats sell out.



      It used to be that you could save significant money by buying a series of "back-to-back" Spain-Netherlands-Spain round trips with a stay of one month each, rather than a series of short Netherlands-Spain-Netherlands trips. However, pricing strategies that reward longer stays in this way have become less common. It is still worth looking into.



      Also remember that flights with a connection can be significantly cheaper than direct flights, so don't limit your search to airlines that fly directly between your destinations -- unless, of course, the time saving of direct flight is important enough to you that you're prepared to pay a premium for it.







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited Dec 27 '17 at 15:52

























      answered Dec 27 '17 at 14:54









      Henning Makholm

      36.2k685141




      36.2k685141







      • 1




        Why the downvote? +1 from me.
        – mts
        Dec 27 '17 at 15:04






      • 1




        The frequent-flyer programs are unlikely to cover him. Once a month is not frequent by airline standards. I flew 2-3 times a month for the entire past year, and I barely made it into the frequent flyer category.
        – Tom
        Dec 29 '17 at 5:00










      • @Tom: Things may have changed since I flew often enough to care about such memberships, but back then one didn't need to be in a particular "category" to start accumulating point or redeem them for bonus flights.
        – Henning Makholm
        Dec 29 '17 at 5:15











      • No, you get miles always, but at his rate of flying he'll be lucky to get one free flight out of it before the miles expire. You need to be in at least the first frequent flyer category to have no expiration and typically double miles or something, at which point it starts to be interesting.
        – Tom
        Dec 29 '17 at 14:56












      • 1




        Why the downvote? +1 from me.
        – mts
        Dec 27 '17 at 15:04






      • 1




        The frequent-flyer programs are unlikely to cover him. Once a month is not frequent by airline standards. I flew 2-3 times a month for the entire past year, and I barely made it into the frequent flyer category.
        – Tom
        Dec 29 '17 at 5:00










      • @Tom: Things may have changed since I flew often enough to care about such memberships, but back then one didn't need to be in a particular "category" to start accumulating point or redeem them for bonus flights.
        – Henning Makholm
        Dec 29 '17 at 5:15











      • No, you get miles always, but at his rate of flying he'll be lucky to get one free flight out of it before the miles expire. You need to be in at least the first frequent flyer category to have no expiration and typically double miles or something, at which point it starts to be interesting.
        – Tom
        Dec 29 '17 at 14:56







      1




      1




      Why the downvote? +1 from me.
      – mts
      Dec 27 '17 at 15:04




      Why the downvote? +1 from me.
      – mts
      Dec 27 '17 at 15:04




      1




      1




      The frequent-flyer programs are unlikely to cover him. Once a month is not frequent by airline standards. I flew 2-3 times a month for the entire past year, and I barely made it into the frequent flyer category.
      – Tom
      Dec 29 '17 at 5:00




      The frequent-flyer programs are unlikely to cover him. Once a month is not frequent by airline standards. I flew 2-3 times a month for the entire past year, and I barely made it into the frequent flyer category.
      – Tom
      Dec 29 '17 at 5:00












      @Tom: Things may have changed since I flew often enough to care about such memberships, but back then one didn't need to be in a particular "category" to start accumulating point or redeem them for bonus flights.
      – Henning Makholm
      Dec 29 '17 at 5:15





      @Tom: Things may have changed since I flew often enough to care about such memberships, but back then one didn't need to be in a particular "category" to start accumulating point or redeem them for bonus flights.
      – Henning Makholm
      Dec 29 '17 at 5:15













      No, you get miles always, but at his rate of flying he'll be lucky to get one free flight out of it before the miles expire. You need to be in at least the first frequent flyer category to have no expiration and typically double miles or something, at which point it starts to be interesting.
      – Tom
      Dec 29 '17 at 14:56




      No, you get miles always, but at his rate of flying he'll be lucky to get one free flight out of it before the miles expire. You need to be in at least the first frequent flyer category to have no expiration and typically double miles or something, at which point it starts to be interesting.
      – Tom
      Dec 29 '17 at 14:56










      up vote
      7
      down vote













      If your location and/or your date is flexible, there are a lot of tools that have been mentioned in posts here.



      Rome@Rio does not give you all the options, and its prices are more wild guesses. Kiwi will often NOT tell you as low a price as other tools, but at least its quotes are close. Kiwi and Matrix will let you search a whole month instead of Kayak’s seven days or Matrix’s five.



      Skyscanner makes a wild guess, then shows you a calendar with different guesses, and only when you pick a date, gives you a real price (but not necessarily the cheapest).



      Adioso and Momondo and Hipmunk are worth checking, but often don’t give the lowest. On and on and on. When you were posting this, did you look at the suggestions and similar questions? If not, start (but don’t post) a question on cheap/low cost flights and copy the links in all the related questions.



      Do you have to fly? It’s probably cheaper than train or bus, but I wonder whether a rail pass would work for something like this.






      share|improve this answer


















      • 2




        Railpasses are mostly not better in price than early booked tickets on trains and the Netherlands to Spain will take 12 hours by day and 20 hours overnight.
        – Willeke♦
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:31










      • @Willeke out of curiousity, the fastest I found from Amsterdam to Madrid was roughly 15h during the day and worse at night. Did you use another pair of cities or does DB somehow not give me the fastest connections?
        – mts
        Dec 27 '17 at 20:08










      • I looked Amsterdam to Barcelona
        – Willeke♦
        Dec 27 '17 at 20:23










      • Rail can be more expensive than low cost flight nowadays.
        – Rui F Ribeiro
        Dec 28 '17 at 9:46














      up vote
      7
      down vote













      If your location and/or your date is flexible, there are a lot of tools that have been mentioned in posts here.



      Rome@Rio does not give you all the options, and its prices are more wild guesses. Kiwi will often NOT tell you as low a price as other tools, but at least its quotes are close. Kiwi and Matrix will let you search a whole month instead of Kayak’s seven days or Matrix’s five.



      Skyscanner makes a wild guess, then shows you a calendar with different guesses, and only when you pick a date, gives you a real price (but not necessarily the cheapest).



      Adioso and Momondo and Hipmunk are worth checking, but often don’t give the lowest. On and on and on. When you were posting this, did you look at the suggestions and similar questions? If not, start (but don’t post) a question on cheap/low cost flights and copy the links in all the related questions.



      Do you have to fly? It’s probably cheaper than train or bus, but I wonder whether a rail pass would work for something like this.






      share|improve this answer


















      • 2




        Railpasses are mostly not better in price than early booked tickets on trains and the Netherlands to Spain will take 12 hours by day and 20 hours overnight.
        – Willeke♦
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:31










      • @Willeke out of curiousity, the fastest I found from Amsterdam to Madrid was roughly 15h during the day and worse at night. Did you use another pair of cities or does DB somehow not give me the fastest connections?
        – mts
        Dec 27 '17 at 20:08










      • I looked Amsterdam to Barcelona
        – Willeke♦
        Dec 27 '17 at 20:23










      • Rail can be more expensive than low cost flight nowadays.
        – Rui F Ribeiro
        Dec 28 '17 at 9:46












      up vote
      7
      down vote










      up vote
      7
      down vote









      If your location and/or your date is flexible, there are a lot of tools that have been mentioned in posts here.



      Rome@Rio does not give you all the options, and its prices are more wild guesses. Kiwi will often NOT tell you as low a price as other tools, but at least its quotes are close. Kiwi and Matrix will let you search a whole month instead of Kayak’s seven days or Matrix’s five.



      Skyscanner makes a wild guess, then shows you a calendar with different guesses, and only when you pick a date, gives you a real price (but not necessarily the cheapest).



      Adioso and Momondo and Hipmunk are worth checking, but often don’t give the lowest. On and on and on. When you were posting this, did you look at the suggestions and similar questions? If not, start (but don’t post) a question on cheap/low cost flights and copy the links in all the related questions.



      Do you have to fly? It’s probably cheaper than train or bus, but I wonder whether a rail pass would work for something like this.






      share|improve this answer














      If your location and/or your date is flexible, there are a lot of tools that have been mentioned in posts here.



      Rome@Rio does not give you all the options, and its prices are more wild guesses. Kiwi will often NOT tell you as low a price as other tools, but at least its quotes are close. Kiwi and Matrix will let you search a whole month instead of Kayak’s seven days or Matrix’s five.



      Skyscanner makes a wild guess, then shows you a calendar with different guesses, and only when you pick a date, gives you a real price (but not necessarily the cheapest).



      Adioso and Momondo and Hipmunk are worth checking, but often don’t give the lowest. On and on and on. When you were posting this, did you look at the suggestions and similar questions? If not, start (but don’t post) a question on cheap/low cost flights and copy the links in all the related questions.



      Do you have to fly? It’s probably cheaper than train or bus, but I wonder whether a rail pass would work for something like this.







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited Jan 18 at 4:57

























      answered Dec 27 '17 at 16:14









      WGroleau

      3,37811344




      3,37811344







      • 2




        Railpasses are mostly not better in price than early booked tickets on trains and the Netherlands to Spain will take 12 hours by day and 20 hours overnight.
        – Willeke♦
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:31










      • @Willeke out of curiousity, the fastest I found from Amsterdam to Madrid was roughly 15h during the day and worse at night. Did you use another pair of cities or does DB somehow not give me the fastest connections?
        – mts
        Dec 27 '17 at 20:08










      • I looked Amsterdam to Barcelona
        – Willeke♦
        Dec 27 '17 at 20:23










      • Rail can be more expensive than low cost flight nowadays.
        – Rui F Ribeiro
        Dec 28 '17 at 9:46












      • 2




        Railpasses are mostly not better in price than early booked tickets on trains and the Netherlands to Spain will take 12 hours by day and 20 hours overnight.
        – Willeke♦
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:31










      • @Willeke out of curiousity, the fastest I found from Amsterdam to Madrid was roughly 15h during the day and worse at night. Did you use another pair of cities or does DB somehow not give me the fastest connections?
        – mts
        Dec 27 '17 at 20:08










      • I looked Amsterdam to Barcelona
        – Willeke♦
        Dec 27 '17 at 20:23










      • Rail can be more expensive than low cost flight nowadays.
        – Rui F Ribeiro
        Dec 28 '17 at 9:46







      2




      2




      Railpasses are mostly not better in price than early booked tickets on trains and the Netherlands to Spain will take 12 hours by day and 20 hours overnight.
      – Willeke♦
      Dec 27 '17 at 16:31




      Railpasses are mostly not better in price than early booked tickets on trains and the Netherlands to Spain will take 12 hours by day and 20 hours overnight.
      – Willeke♦
      Dec 27 '17 at 16:31












      @Willeke out of curiousity, the fastest I found from Amsterdam to Madrid was roughly 15h during the day and worse at night. Did you use another pair of cities or does DB somehow not give me the fastest connections?
      – mts
      Dec 27 '17 at 20:08




      @Willeke out of curiousity, the fastest I found from Amsterdam to Madrid was roughly 15h during the day and worse at night. Did you use another pair of cities or does DB somehow not give me the fastest connections?
      – mts
      Dec 27 '17 at 20:08












      I looked Amsterdam to Barcelona
      – Willeke♦
      Dec 27 '17 at 20:23




      I looked Amsterdam to Barcelona
      – Willeke♦
      Dec 27 '17 at 20:23












      Rail can be more expensive than low cost flight nowadays.
      – Rui F Ribeiro
      Dec 28 '17 at 9:46




      Rail can be more expensive than low cost flight nowadays.
      – Rui F Ribeiro
      Dec 28 '17 at 9:46










      up vote
      6
      down vote













      Some years ago, I had to fly every six weeks, with Air France. My travel agency found out that AF had special discounts for flights booked 42 days or more in advance. Which, conveniently, was my timeframe.



      I'm not sure whether they still have that (since they acquired KLM, both airlines have the same discounts, generally, and commercial policies have been mostly based on AF's rather than KLM's), and whether 42 days would work for you, but it might be worth enquiring.



      Also, while AF is an airline with pretty bad service overall, their mileage program is quite generous, and membership level thresholds are lower for members outside France, which makes accruing mileage faster (as bonus mileage goes up with the membership mileage). So accruing mileage with AF/KLM might be an option.






      share|improve this answer






















      • Did Air France “acquire” KLM, or merely join the “Sky Team” alliance with them and Delta?
        – WGroleau
        Dec 27 '17 at 15:58






      • 1




        @WGroleau I don't know whether one company acquired the other, but they definitely merged into one company, keeping the distinct brands. See Wikipedia for more information.
        – phoog
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:05







      • 1




        They acquired a majority stake, and basically merged both airlines into one. They also optimized overlapping routes. BTW, SkyTeam was founded by Aeroméxico, AF, Delta and Korean Air. KLM wasn't involved back then.
        – user67108
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:05






      • 1




        @WGroleau Air France S.A. and Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. are each wholly owned subsidiaries of the Air France–KLM S.A. group. Shareholders in Air France SA (including the French state) received 81% of the shares in the joint company.
        – Calchas
        Dec 28 '17 at 17:57











      • Commenting on the answer, I think this is the first time I have ever heard anyone describe Flying Blue as "quite generous" since the April Fools Day devaluation of 2009. I collected with them for years and always held the opposite view.
        – Calchas
        Dec 28 '17 at 18:05














      up vote
      6
      down vote













      Some years ago, I had to fly every six weeks, with Air France. My travel agency found out that AF had special discounts for flights booked 42 days or more in advance. Which, conveniently, was my timeframe.



      I'm not sure whether they still have that (since they acquired KLM, both airlines have the same discounts, generally, and commercial policies have been mostly based on AF's rather than KLM's), and whether 42 days would work for you, but it might be worth enquiring.



      Also, while AF is an airline with pretty bad service overall, their mileage program is quite generous, and membership level thresholds are lower for members outside France, which makes accruing mileage faster (as bonus mileage goes up with the membership mileage). So accruing mileage with AF/KLM might be an option.






      share|improve this answer






















      • Did Air France “acquire” KLM, or merely join the “Sky Team” alliance with them and Delta?
        – WGroleau
        Dec 27 '17 at 15:58






      • 1




        @WGroleau I don't know whether one company acquired the other, but they definitely merged into one company, keeping the distinct brands. See Wikipedia for more information.
        – phoog
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:05







      • 1




        They acquired a majority stake, and basically merged both airlines into one. They also optimized overlapping routes. BTW, SkyTeam was founded by Aeroméxico, AF, Delta and Korean Air. KLM wasn't involved back then.
        – user67108
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:05






      • 1




        @WGroleau Air France S.A. and Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. are each wholly owned subsidiaries of the Air France–KLM S.A. group. Shareholders in Air France SA (including the French state) received 81% of the shares in the joint company.
        – Calchas
        Dec 28 '17 at 17:57











      • Commenting on the answer, I think this is the first time I have ever heard anyone describe Flying Blue as "quite generous" since the April Fools Day devaluation of 2009. I collected with them for years and always held the opposite view.
        – Calchas
        Dec 28 '17 at 18:05












      up vote
      6
      down vote










      up vote
      6
      down vote









      Some years ago, I had to fly every six weeks, with Air France. My travel agency found out that AF had special discounts for flights booked 42 days or more in advance. Which, conveniently, was my timeframe.



      I'm not sure whether they still have that (since they acquired KLM, both airlines have the same discounts, generally, and commercial policies have been mostly based on AF's rather than KLM's), and whether 42 days would work for you, but it might be worth enquiring.



      Also, while AF is an airline with pretty bad service overall, their mileage program is quite generous, and membership level thresholds are lower for members outside France, which makes accruing mileage faster (as bonus mileage goes up with the membership mileage). So accruing mileage with AF/KLM might be an option.






      share|improve this answer














      Some years ago, I had to fly every six weeks, with Air France. My travel agency found out that AF had special discounts for flights booked 42 days or more in advance. Which, conveniently, was my timeframe.



      I'm not sure whether they still have that (since they acquired KLM, both airlines have the same discounts, generally, and commercial policies have been mostly based on AF's rather than KLM's), and whether 42 days would work for you, but it might be worth enquiring.



      Also, while AF is an airline with pretty bad service overall, their mileage program is quite generous, and membership level thresholds are lower for members outside France, which makes accruing mileage faster (as bonus mileage goes up with the membership mileage). So accruing mileage with AF/KLM might be an option.







      share|improve this answer














      share|improve this answer



      share|improve this answer








      edited Dec 27 '17 at 17:40

























      answered Dec 27 '17 at 15:21







      user67108


















      • Did Air France “acquire” KLM, or merely join the “Sky Team” alliance with them and Delta?
        – WGroleau
        Dec 27 '17 at 15:58






      • 1




        @WGroleau I don't know whether one company acquired the other, but they definitely merged into one company, keeping the distinct brands. See Wikipedia for more information.
        – phoog
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:05







      • 1




        They acquired a majority stake, and basically merged both airlines into one. They also optimized overlapping routes. BTW, SkyTeam was founded by Aeroméxico, AF, Delta and Korean Air. KLM wasn't involved back then.
        – user67108
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:05






      • 1




        @WGroleau Air France S.A. and Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. are each wholly owned subsidiaries of the Air France–KLM S.A. group. Shareholders in Air France SA (including the French state) received 81% of the shares in the joint company.
        – Calchas
        Dec 28 '17 at 17:57











      • Commenting on the answer, I think this is the first time I have ever heard anyone describe Flying Blue as "quite generous" since the April Fools Day devaluation of 2009. I collected with them for years and always held the opposite view.
        – Calchas
        Dec 28 '17 at 18:05
















      • Did Air France “acquire” KLM, or merely join the “Sky Team” alliance with them and Delta?
        – WGroleau
        Dec 27 '17 at 15:58






      • 1




        @WGroleau I don't know whether one company acquired the other, but they definitely merged into one company, keeping the distinct brands. See Wikipedia for more information.
        – phoog
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:05







      • 1




        They acquired a majority stake, and basically merged both airlines into one. They also optimized overlapping routes. BTW, SkyTeam was founded by Aeroméxico, AF, Delta and Korean Air. KLM wasn't involved back then.
        – user67108
        Dec 27 '17 at 16:05






      • 1




        @WGroleau Air France S.A. and Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. are each wholly owned subsidiaries of the Air France–KLM S.A. group. Shareholders in Air France SA (including the French state) received 81% of the shares in the joint company.
        – Calchas
        Dec 28 '17 at 17:57











      • Commenting on the answer, I think this is the first time I have ever heard anyone describe Flying Blue as "quite generous" since the April Fools Day devaluation of 2009. I collected with them for years and always held the opposite view.
        – Calchas
        Dec 28 '17 at 18:05















      Did Air France “acquire” KLM, or merely join the “Sky Team” alliance with them and Delta?
      – WGroleau
      Dec 27 '17 at 15:58




      Did Air France “acquire” KLM, or merely join the “Sky Team” alliance with them and Delta?
      – WGroleau
      Dec 27 '17 at 15:58




      1




      1




      @WGroleau I don't know whether one company acquired the other, but they definitely merged into one company, keeping the distinct brands. See Wikipedia for more information.
      – phoog
      Dec 27 '17 at 16:05





      @WGroleau I don't know whether one company acquired the other, but they definitely merged into one company, keeping the distinct brands. See Wikipedia for more information.
      – phoog
      Dec 27 '17 at 16:05





      1




      1




      They acquired a majority stake, and basically merged both airlines into one. They also optimized overlapping routes. BTW, SkyTeam was founded by Aeroméxico, AF, Delta and Korean Air. KLM wasn't involved back then.
      – user67108
      Dec 27 '17 at 16:05




      They acquired a majority stake, and basically merged both airlines into one. They also optimized overlapping routes. BTW, SkyTeam was founded by Aeroméxico, AF, Delta and Korean Air. KLM wasn't involved back then.
      – user67108
      Dec 27 '17 at 16:05




      1




      1




      @WGroleau Air France S.A. and Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. are each wholly owned subsidiaries of the Air France–KLM S.A. group. Shareholders in Air France SA (including the French state) received 81% of the shares in the joint company.
      – Calchas
      Dec 28 '17 at 17:57





      @WGroleau Air France S.A. and Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. are each wholly owned subsidiaries of the Air France–KLM S.A. group. Shareholders in Air France SA (including the French state) received 81% of the shares in the joint company.
      – Calchas
      Dec 28 '17 at 17:57













      Commenting on the answer, I think this is the first time I have ever heard anyone describe Flying Blue as "quite generous" since the April Fools Day devaluation of 2009. I collected with them for years and always held the opposite view.
      – Calchas
      Dec 28 '17 at 18:05




      Commenting on the answer, I think this is the first time I have ever heard anyone describe Flying Blue as "quite generous" since the April Fools Day devaluation of 2009. I collected with them for years and always held the opposite view.
      – Calchas
      Dec 28 '17 at 18:05










      up vote
      5
      down vote













      A number of airlines offer commuter passes for regular commuters. These are essentially blocks of ten or twenty undated tickets, purchased at a fixed price in advance. Later, when you wish to travel, you can use one of your tickets on any flight. You still have to make a booking several days in advance. You are often booked in the top booking class, so you can book any flight that has empty seats.



      They may or may not represent a discount over buying your flights one at a time. If you are flexible about your travel dates and airline, it probably does not. If you demand flexibility on your tickets, they may represent a considerable saving.



      I understand that OptionTown sells KLM flight bundles. I have heard broadly positive reviews on OptionTown from BA commuters, but I have not heard anything about their KLM tickets. Other travel agents may also be able to sell these tickets.






      share|improve this answer
























        up vote
        5
        down vote













        A number of airlines offer commuter passes for regular commuters. These are essentially blocks of ten or twenty undated tickets, purchased at a fixed price in advance. Later, when you wish to travel, you can use one of your tickets on any flight. You still have to make a booking several days in advance. You are often booked in the top booking class, so you can book any flight that has empty seats.



        They may or may not represent a discount over buying your flights one at a time. If you are flexible about your travel dates and airline, it probably does not. If you demand flexibility on your tickets, they may represent a considerable saving.



        I understand that OptionTown sells KLM flight bundles. I have heard broadly positive reviews on OptionTown from BA commuters, but I have not heard anything about their KLM tickets. Other travel agents may also be able to sell these tickets.






        share|improve this answer






















          up vote
          5
          down vote










          up vote
          5
          down vote









          A number of airlines offer commuter passes for regular commuters. These are essentially blocks of ten or twenty undated tickets, purchased at a fixed price in advance. Later, when you wish to travel, you can use one of your tickets on any flight. You still have to make a booking several days in advance. You are often booked in the top booking class, so you can book any flight that has empty seats.



          They may or may not represent a discount over buying your flights one at a time. If you are flexible about your travel dates and airline, it probably does not. If you demand flexibility on your tickets, they may represent a considerable saving.



          I understand that OptionTown sells KLM flight bundles. I have heard broadly positive reviews on OptionTown from BA commuters, but I have not heard anything about their KLM tickets. Other travel agents may also be able to sell these tickets.






          share|improve this answer












          A number of airlines offer commuter passes for regular commuters. These are essentially blocks of ten or twenty undated tickets, purchased at a fixed price in advance. Later, when you wish to travel, you can use one of your tickets on any flight. You still have to make a booking several days in advance. You are often booked in the top booking class, so you can book any flight that has empty seats.



          They may or may not represent a discount over buying your flights one at a time. If you are flexible about your travel dates and airline, it probably does not. If you demand flexibility on your tickets, they may represent a considerable saving.



          I understand that OptionTown sells KLM flight bundles. I have heard broadly positive reviews on OptionTown from BA commuters, but I have not heard anything about their KLM tickets. Other travel agents may also be able to sell these tickets.







          share|improve this answer












          share|improve this answer



          share|improve this answer










          answered Dec 28 '17 at 18:22









          Calchas

          32.2k377132




          32.2k377132




















              up vote
              4
              down vote













              What research have you done yet? I poked in a random date in January and got non-stop round trip tickets between AMS and Madrid for as little as $111 on Air Europa. Iberia offers at $125. In June Iberia was $114 and Air Europa was $150.



              What's your target price? I don't think you can get this any cheaper than that. If you book with enough lead time, you should be easily be able to find fares in this price range since it's served by multiple budget carrier.



              Also "Netherlands" and "Spain" are pretty unspecific. You also need to factor in cost of transport to the airport and, if applicable, accommodation. So there is more to optimize than just the air fare.



              EDIT
              Ryan Air flies Eindoven/Barcelona for as little as $52 round trip but that requires some advanced searching & planning. At this point your other travel costs may be the overwriting factor






              share|improve this answer


















              • 1




                Do not forget to check 'low price' as well as 'full price' airlines as the prices are often not that different but the availability can be quite different, depending on season and actual location.
                – Willeke♦
                Dec 27 '17 at 17:52














              up vote
              4
              down vote













              What research have you done yet? I poked in a random date in January and got non-stop round trip tickets between AMS and Madrid for as little as $111 on Air Europa. Iberia offers at $125. In June Iberia was $114 and Air Europa was $150.



              What's your target price? I don't think you can get this any cheaper than that. If you book with enough lead time, you should be easily be able to find fares in this price range since it's served by multiple budget carrier.



              Also "Netherlands" and "Spain" are pretty unspecific. You also need to factor in cost of transport to the airport and, if applicable, accommodation. So there is more to optimize than just the air fare.



              EDIT
              Ryan Air flies Eindoven/Barcelona for as little as $52 round trip but that requires some advanced searching & planning. At this point your other travel costs may be the overwriting factor






              share|improve this answer


















              • 1




                Do not forget to check 'low price' as well as 'full price' airlines as the prices are often not that different but the availability can be quite different, depending on season and actual location.
                – Willeke♦
                Dec 27 '17 at 17:52












              up vote
              4
              down vote










              up vote
              4
              down vote









              What research have you done yet? I poked in a random date in January and got non-stop round trip tickets between AMS and Madrid for as little as $111 on Air Europa. Iberia offers at $125. In June Iberia was $114 and Air Europa was $150.



              What's your target price? I don't think you can get this any cheaper than that. If you book with enough lead time, you should be easily be able to find fares in this price range since it's served by multiple budget carrier.



              Also "Netherlands" and "Spain" are pretty unspecific. You also need to factor in cost of transport to the airport and, if applicable, accommodation. So there is more to optimize than just the air fare.



              EDIT
              Ryan Air flies Eindoven/Barcelona for as little as $52 round trip but that requires some advanced searching & planning. At this point your other travel costs may be the overwriting factor






              share|improve this answer














              What research have you done yet? I poked in a random date in January and got non-stop round trip tickets between AMS and Madrid for as little as $111 on Air Europa. Iberia offers at $125. In June Iberia was $114 and Air Europa was $150.



              What's your target price? I don't think you can get this any cheaper than that. If you book with enough lead time, you should be easily be able to find fares in this price range since it's served by multiple budget carrier.



              Also "Netherlands" and "Spain" are pretty unspecific. You also need to factor in cost of transport to the airport and, if applicable, accommodation. So there is more to optimize than just the air fare.



              EDIT
              Ryan Air flies Eindoven/Barcelona for as little as $52 round trip but that requires some advanced searching & planning. At this point your other travel costs may be the overwriting factor







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited Dec 27 '17 at 18:18

























              answered Dec 27 '17 at 15:58









              Hilmar

              17.1k12955




              17.1k12955







              • 1




                Do not forget to check 'low price' as well as 'full price' airlines as the prices are often not that different but the availability can be quite different, depending on season and actual location.
                – Willeke♦
                Dec 27 '17 at 17:52












              • 1




                Do not forget to check 'low price' as well as 'full price' airlines as the prices are often not that different but the availability can be quite different, depending on season and actual location.
                – Willeke♦
                Dec 27 '17 at 17:52







              1




              1




              Do not forget to check 'low price' as well as 'full price' airlines as the prices are often not that different but the availability can be quite different, depending on season and actual location.
              – Willeke♦
              Dec 27 '17 at 17:52




              Do not forget to check 'low price' as well as 'full price' airlines as the prices are often not that different but the availability can be quite different, depending on season and actual location.
              – Willeke♦
              Dec 27 '17 at 17:52










              up vote
              4
              down vote













              KLM now offers what they call "flight bundles", which allow you to prebuy a number of undated tickets for the same passenger and city pair within Europe and set the dates as needed when needed (with some restrictions no doubt).



              https://flightbundle.klm.com/en?WT.ac=HPN_trigger_flightbundle



              I've heard of some US airlines having similar deals in the past, not of any in Europe (though they may exist).






              share|improve this answer
























                up vote
                4
                down vote













                KLM now offers what they call "flight bundles", which allow you to prebuy a number of undated tickets for the same passenger and city pair within Europe and set the dates as needed when needed (with some restrictions no doubt).



                https://flightbundle.klm.com/en?WT.ac=HPN_trigger_flightbundle



                I've heard of some US airlines having similar deals in the past, not of any in Europe (though they may exist).






                share|improve this answer






















                  up vote
                  4
                  down vote










                  up vote
                  4
                  down vote









                  KLM now offers what they call "flight bundles", which allow you to prebuy a number of undated tickets for the same passenger and city pair within Europe and set the dates as needed when needed (with some restrictions no doubt).



                  https://flightbundle.klm.com/en?WT.ac=HPN_trigger_flightbundle



                  I've heard of some US airlines having similar deals in the past, not of any in Europe (though they may exist).






                  share|improve this answer












                  KLM now offers what they call "flight bundles", which allow you to prebuy a number of undated tickets for the same passenger and city pair within Europe and set the dates as needed when needed (with some restrictions no doubt).



                  https://flightbundle.klm.com/en?WT.ac=HPN_trigger_flightbundle



                  I've heard of some US airlines having similar deals in the past, not of any in Europe (though they may exist).







                  share|improve this answer












                  share|improve this answer



                  share|improve this answer










                  answered Jan 16 at 9:48









                  jwenting

                  6,08711423




                  6,08711423















                      protected by JonathanReez♦ Dec 27 '17 at 18:28



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