Cheap air tickets can be found almost always
Summing up all my experience, I will tell you about the pitfalls that can prevent the purchase of air tickets at a reasonable price.
So, the path to cheap tickets consists of three consecutive steps: choosing a route, searching for a ticket, and purchasing it.
1. Choosing a route
It would seem, what options could there be if you need to fly, for example, from Moscow to Beijing? But you need to consider that there may be several airports in the city; choosing among them, you can come across a very attractive price option.
Near any large city there are smaller cities. They also often have airports, and ticket prices to this place are much cheaper. For example, near Beijing there is a relatively small town by Chinese standards (about 11 million people) with an airport, a ticket to which can be purchased for not very much money from a fairly respected airline. You can get to Beijing itself by electric train. Thus, we expand the search scope, which gives us the opportunity to choose the desired option, taking into account suitable dates.
2. Searching for a ticket
First of all, a few words about where to look. The first option that comes to mind is the official websites of companies. They usually offer the lowest prices on their own flights. But in some cases (Russian companies are often guilty of this), air tickets are sold online with a surcharge.
Aggregator sites and super-aggregator sites include a combined search system with booking capability. However, they usually charge a commission for their services. In addition, it is worth mentioning news sites that regularly update information about companies' special offers.
When to buy: in advance or just before the flight? There is no clear answer to this question, but it is better to start monitoring 3-4 months before the flight. There is also no clear answer to the question about low-cost airlines. Yes, plane tickets from low-cost airlines are often very cheap, but sometimes the fare is 1 euro, and the fees are 100 times more. At the same time, regular airlines often offer very attractive prices for air tickets. In any case, you should very carefully consider all options, without discarding any of them immediately.
3. Buying a ticket
Here again there are their own subtleties. Online purchase requires a card of at least Mastercard Standard level, and some companies charge an additional commission for this. When booking by phone, no commission is charged, and it is safe to provide data over the phone (personally verified). When purchasing and issuing plane tickets at the office, as well as using an IATA form, an additional commission is almost always required.
Before I understood all these subtleties, I had to overpay for a ticket more than once, so use these tips. Enjoy your holiday!