Cheap flights by splitting Journey. But how to work them out?

[pcatterall]

I can fly to our Cagliari base direct but only via Easyjet and only from Stansted which is awkward and costly for me. ( and not cheap in August!!)

I can fly out Ryanair to Gerona from Leeds (cheap and nice departure time) Overnight then fly to Cagliari next day all for less than Easyjet and simpler and better times

I can return ( Ryanair again) via Pisa and to East Midlands with no overnight and cheap flights.

All great but took quite a bit of planning.

Are there any sneaky/clever ways to get this planning done

I guess that forumites who discover good routes could pass the info on ( but would popularity push the prices up?

 

[Gordonmc]

The only way is to sit down and use the flight planner to work out arrival and departure times for each leg.
I do this regularly to fly Ryanair from Scotland to Malta via Dublin as the direct flight, Summer only, is only once a week.
There is always a risk that a flight delay could scupper everything, but its not happened to me so far.

 

[Avalon]

I can fly to our Cagliari base direct but only via Easyjet and only from Stansted which is awkward and costly for me. ( and not cheap in August!!)

I can fly out Ryanair to Gerona from Leeds (cheap and nice departure time) Overnight then fly to Cagliari next day all for less than Easyjet and simpler and better times

I can return ( Ryanair again) via Pisa and to East Midlands with no overnight and cheap flights.

All great but took quite a bit of planning.

Are there any sneaky/clever ways to get this planning done

I guess that forumites who discover good routes could pass the info on ( but would popularity push the prices up?

If you're not already doing it, use the search engine at kayak.co.uk which as well as standard fares between destinations gives you "hacker fares" with different legs on different airlines - which are often cheaper. The search engine is very flexible - for example you can specify the maximum waiting time you will tolerate while waiting for a connecting flight. I find it excellent.

 

[telford_mike]

You're right about getting cheaper fares by doing a stopover. We recently travelled one way from Munich to Birmingham and saved £400 each by having a change at Copenhagen. It took an extra 3 hours or so to do the trip, but what a huge saving.

I use Skyscanner to work it all out for me. There's an app for your phone or you can use their website.

 

[pcatterall]

If you're not already doing it, use the search engine at kayak.co.uk which as well as standard fares between destinations gives you "hacker fares" with different legs on different airlines - which are often cheaper. The search engine is very flexible - for example you can specify the maximum waiting time you will tolerate while waiting for a connecting flight. I find it excellent.

I tried kayak but it would not replcate the ( budget airline) flights I obtained, far more expensive. But the site was flexible.

 

[Tranona]

The big risk is that if you do not have through tickets any delays are up to you to resolve. For obvious reasons you cannot get through tickets if you use budget airlines, so your ticket contract only cover the sector you are flying. Most times this is not a problem, but if delays in one sector mean you miss your next flight it could turn out very costly.