Ever wondered whether it is possible to buy airline tickets in bulk?

You can find a wealth of information on finding the best flight deals, such as signing up to curated newsletters or using a comparison site.

Around 2010, flight aggregators were the most popular way to search for a cheap flight. The aggregators search dozens airfare booking engines and websites, as well as airlines and OTAs.

In 2017, the advice I heard was to make your bookings around 50 days prior to departure to get the best price. Email subscription services were a big deal in 2018 and 2019. You sign up for emails that offer weekly discounts.

Recently, I have been frustrated because it appears that getting a good deal is becoming more difficult. Most online search engines return the same prices for airfare. Although I see some great deals in my emails, they are usually at times that don’t work for me or depart from the wrong airport.

How to book wholesale airline tickets for cheap flights

FlyLine sent me an email inviting to test out their services. I immediately responded. FlyLine claims that flights booked through their service are the cheapest, because the airline wholesale prices they obtain from them have not been marked up.

FlyLine – What Is It? FlyLine offers a service that is subscription-based and does not charge any booking fees. Paying a subscription yearly allows you to get wholesale prices on flights. FlyLine has more information on its website.

How can FLYLINE save you money?

If you buy flights online or through an agency, the wholesale price is often sourced from a GDS (computer database). Travel agencies or search engines add their markup and charge you for the cost.

FlyLine offers you wholesale prices directly and without markup. FlyLine’s revenue is generated by an annual membership.

What airlines can you search?

FlyLine is a network of over 250 carriers, such as Delta, Alaska Airlines, jetBlue KLM easyJet Southwest Air France, Delta, Alaska Airlines, jetBlue KLM and easyJet.

FlyLine offers wholesale tickets at zero-margin from every airline. FlyLine allows you to connect flights one way from different airlines.

Wholesale international or domestic flights as well as wholesale flights in business or first classes, premium economy and economy are available.

What is the Flyline Membership like?

FlyLine operates on a subscription-based model, meaning that wholesale prices for flights are only available to members who have subscribed.

JoinFlyLine has two membership types: Basic and Premium. The two memberships include flight booking and searches, automatic check-ins, and deal alerts.

Basic membership. The Basic Membership gives you six bookings per year. A Basic subscription costs just $49.99 per year.

Premium membership. The Premium Membership offers an unlimited number of bookings each year. The Premium Subscription includes a companion Account for a more exclusive experience. A Premium subscription costs $79.99 per year.

Is there a free trial of Flyline?

There’s also a 14-day free trial if you’re not ready to sign up right away. For the free trial, you’ll be required to enter your credit card information.

FlyLine will send you an email three days prior to the trial ending. You won’t have to pay until after the trial. FlyLine does not allow you to book during your trial period, but you can look at wholesale prices to determine if they are right for you.

Can I cancel my order?

FlyLine can be cancelled online if it’s not for you. Click on the Subscription Management tab and click Cancel Plan.

How much can you save?

FlyLine’s claims are impressive, but we wanted to test them out before booking some flights.

In April, I flew from my hometown in Canada to Barcelona.

KAYAK also shows USD flights, since FlyLine does.

FlyLine’s price was $745, but KAYAK had a much higher cost of $963. This is a difference of $218 per ticket.

Google Flights, my usual booking engine, displayed a $968 US price.

FlyLine is $223 cheaper than the original price! This is a savings of more than 22%.

We fly four people, so we save $892. Wow!

The next test was a FlyLine flight on an internal flight between Kelowna and Winnipeg, for a trip in the summer from August 2-9. FlyLine’s price was $281 USD with many options available for under $325.

The cheapest flights were $297 on KAYAK.

This is a savings of about $16. It’s not much of a difference but it is still a saving.

FlyLine has a lot of flight options for under $325 US. KAYAK’s next-cheapest flight was $436.

FlyLine may not always be the most affordable, or you might even find that there are rare instances where you cannot get a quote.

In order to check the prices between smaller airports and Canada, I checked prices from Kelowna, British Columbia to Sudbury (Ontario), where I plan to attend a June conference. FlyLine was unable to provide me with a price.

All taxes are included in the price of your flight. Checked baggage and carry-on can incur additional costs.

The search engine of FlyLine sometimes took a while to find the airport code. The service is still relatively new, but I’m expecting it to get better.

Is Flyline right for you?

FlyLine’s suitability for you depends on what flights you are looking to book.

You can save if your international travel is planned or you are flying a lot.

FlightLine offers a wide range of wholesale prices, which can save you a fortune. However, some flights may not be as cheap. Online travel agencies will sometimes sell below wholesale price, to gain market share or to compensate for the loss when booking hotels and cars.

FlyLine says that when this happens, they will show these discounted sale flights before their own so subscribers can see the best deal first. FlyLine claims that, when that happens, it will show the discounted sales flights before their own so subscribers can see the best deals first.

ARE YOU CONFUSED by the Airline Booking Symbol?

Understanding how the airfare system works requires a basic understanding of a few technical terms. Here are the codes for airlines to assist you.

GDS. A Global Distribution System, or GDS in the airline industry is an electronic database that airlines offer (as well as hotels and car rentals). Kayak and other online travel agencies (OTAs), as well as human agents who book flights, use the GDS to find the best deals. They then mark up the price to pass on to the consumer. They source flights to sell you. Amadeus CRS is an example of a GDS airline, but there are many others.

FlyLine has direct access to the GDS, so there is no middleman or intermediary to add their margins or markup.

OTA. An Online Travel Agency is a business that offers flights on the internet. Expedia, Kayak and other OTAs are examples. The OTAs find the flights, hotels and rental cars through wholesale GDSs and sell them at a premium.

Interlining. The agreement allows multiple airlines to offer tickets for passengers that are required by multiple airlines. The interlining allows passengers to change flights from one airline to another without needing to collect bags or check in again. The first airline allows passengers to buy one ticket rather than two separate tickets.

Codeshare. When a flight number is assigned to an airline code, even though it is being operated by another carrier, this is called Codesharing. It’s a deal between two airlines that allows them to offer the same flight under a new flight number. This increases business for both.

Alliance. A airline alliance is a contract between airlines that allows them to share overhead. Codesharing allows for more flights, lower prices and more reward points. Interline agreements are almost universally found in alliances such as Star Alliance and oneworld.

Wholesale prices. Wholesale prices are those offered by the GDS or supplier directly.

A wholesale airline consolidator. The sale of airfare by an airline consolidator is at wholesale prices. A consolidator’s tickets often have different rules for fares, and may not qualify for rewards programs.

Have you got any tips for getting cheap airline tickets? Tell us what you know!