Trip To Philippines - How to Fly For Free - Getting the Cheapest Possible Airline Flights

. . Let's take a closer look. Can the air travel consumer really get "free" airline flights?

Low-cost Airlines

Fees and charges - and these could vary quite significantly from airline to airline, this has been a controversial issue in the past as the "free" base fares would include a hidden array of taxes. The "free flights" mantra has been aggressively advertised by the low-cost budget airlines who are springing up all over the world and are well established in Europe.

You will now see they advertise one-way fares (rather than return) to make prices appear as low as possible. However recent changes brought in by an EU directive has forced airlines to be more transparent with their all-in pricing.

The flights are available during special offer promotions and cover a wide variety of routes all over Europe. If you don't check-in any luggage you will only pay a small credit card processing charge. And these flights are actually now free with no extra taxes. Probably the only airline to regularly offer free flights is Ryanair.

These fees are correct as of summer 2008. 24 or almost $50 per return flight for 1 checked-in bag; beware - if you do want to check-in at the airport - Ryanair will add charges equivalent to £.

Get on their mailing list and they will keep you updated on their special offers. So it is now really possible to fly for free with Ryanair.

Airmiles

Goods and services and using affiliated credit cards, the first consideration is that you have to actually 'buy' the miles - this is achieved by purchasing flights. Can you get 'free' flights using frequent flyer air miles?

And also finding exceptionally generous mileage deals which do come up on occasion. The best way to accumulate mileage is if you can earn miles on expenses you would have incurred anyway.

Many air travellers don't even redeem their miles or do so in very inefficient ways. You would have to redeem your miles in the most efficient way possible, secondly.

But merely a discount for loyalty, so it seems that these flights are not 'free'. You will still be hit by the ubiquitous taxes and charges when you do use them - these can be significantly high, another point to consider again is even if you have a significant collection of miles.

Companion flights

These can be reasonable value for money but remember you always have to buy the first ticket at full fare. There are certain schemes usually associated with credit cards which will get you 'free' companion flights.

They are useful if you are travelling for work and are able to bring a partner or colleague along for free.

Courier Flights

And free courier flights are very rare indeed - these would only occur if the courier firm was stuck at very short notice. Courier flights are becoming less common these days with only a few companies offering them. You usually have to pay for your ticket and you get up to 30-70% off the regular fare. These are flights where you act as a courier by carrying time sensitive documents or parcels which can clear customs quickly at the destination.

Any free flights you might get would just be another form of compensation, even if you work for an airline. Apart from the 'no checked baggage' Ryanair flights you cannot really find free flights, in summary.

These savings can help subsidize your future travel costs. You will save more and more money over time, by applying sound airfare strategies over the long run. However there are some exceptional deals and techniques out there which can keep down the cost of flying.