KLM Low Fare Calendar: Your Ticket to Savings

For budget travelers and deal seekers, finding affordable flights is the constant challenge. Prices fluctuate seemingly at random, with fares jumping up and down based on demand, season, and a multitude of other factors. It can feel like an impossible game trying to decipher the best time to book.

Thankfully, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines offers a clever tool to help take some of the guesswork out of pinpointing low fare windows - the KLM Low Fare Calendar. This calendar displays an easy-to-read monthly view highlighting the cheapest dates to fly for your desired route. With just a few clicks, you can quickly identify cost-saving opportunities before booking.

How the Low Fare Calendar Works

The Low Fare Calendar lets you visually compare fares across an entire month for any route KLM flies. To use it, start by entering your departure city, destination, number of passengers, and if you have target travel dates in mind. You can search one-way or round-trip flights.

The calendar will then populate with the lowest economy fare available for each date that month on your city pair. Dates are color-coded based on price, with the cheapest days highlighted in green, descending to yellow, orange, and red for higher fares. Hover over any date to see the exact fare amount.

You'll notice that fares can fluctuate quite a bit from day-to-day. Even flying a day earlier or later can sometimes save you $50 or more per ticket. The calendar makes it easy to identify these low fare "sweet spots" so you can plan accordingly.

In addition to fares, the calendar also displays icons indicating any special promotions or discounted packages KLM is offering for those dates. For example, you may see an icon for "Final Few Seats" at the low fare or deals on vacation packages bundling air+hotel for certain dates.

Using the Low Fare Calendar Strategically

While the tool is very straightforward, there are some tips and strategies for using KLM's Low Fare Calendar effectively:

Be Flexible With Dates

Having some flexibility with your travel dates will allow you to take full advantage of the lowest fares highlighted on the calendar. If you have a set timeframe but can adjust dates by a day or two, you may be able to save significantly.

Check a Couple Months Out

Don't just search the calendar for travel next week. Give it a look 2-3 months out as well, as affordable flights often get snapped up fairly early depending on the season and route. Planning further ahead maximizes your savings potential.

Compare to Other Search Tools

While the Low Fare Calendar can quickly show you KLM's lowest fares for a given route, don't book right away. Also cross-check dates using KLM's Best Fare Finder tool and other third-party air search engines like Google Flights and Skyscanner. Make sure you're truly getting the overall lowest price before finalizing your ticket purchase.

Understand Demand Patterns

Like any airline, KLM's cheapest fares tend to follow predictable low/high patterns of demand. For many routes, Tuesday/Wednesday tend to have lower fares, while weekends are often the most expensive days to depart. Holidays, summer months (peak travel season), and other factors can also drive up prices. Getting familiar with these trends will help you better decipher the calendar and time your bookings correctly.

Check Bags and Other Fees

While the KLM Low Fare Calendar is focused on base economy fares, don't forget to factor in any baggage fees, seat selection fees, etc based on your specific needs. Sometimes a fare that looks great may get negated by high additional fees.

Combine With Fare Deals/Promotions

In addition to the fare calendar, KLM also offers periodic short-term promotions and sales that can further sweeten certain deals. An icon on the calendar may indicate these promotions for select dates, but you can also check KLM's dedicated deals page. Stacking a sale with already low calendar fares is the ultimate win!

The KLM Low Fare Calendar is a fantastic tool for taking much of the guesswork out of finding low prices. By visually comparison shopping across an entire month, you can quickly identify windows of opportunity and snag affordable fares. With some flexibility and strategy, budget travelers can use the calendar to make booking cheap flights a breeze.