Choosing an early flight over a late one could earn you extra cash and a seat in First Class
In case of overbooking on the plane, an earlier flight gives you the upper hand with the airline
There are plenty of plane hacks for saving money and getting upgrade, but if you can't be bothered with air miles and don't know how to cheat online booking systems, there is another basic rule that might get you some extra cash.
According to one expert, when booking a trip - if you can take an earlier flight or a later one, take the earlier one.
Frequent flyer Dan Birchall reckons that in case of overbooking on the flight, an earlier flight gives you the upper hand with the airline.
On the knowledge-sharing forum , he revealed how he had used the nifty trick several times to get some extra money in his pocket.
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Dan said: "If you show up for the early flight and there's some sort of problem, the airline can move you to the later one.
"But if you show up for the later flight, they can't move you to the early one unless you've brought a time machine with you.
"If you show up for the early flight and it's oversold, so there are more people than seats, then the airline will probably ask for volunteers to take the later flight.
"Those volunteers will typically get at least a certificate worth two hundred dollars toward a future flight."
Not only are you in with a chance of some holiday spending money though, you could also end up with a First Class seat on the next flight.
Dan said: "The first time I volunteered, [in addition to the money] I was also given a (domestic) first-class seat on the later flight.
"You might also be able to get vouchers good for food at airport eateries during the time you spend hanging around."
In addition, if you have a connecting flight then flying earlier leaves the airline with more options for re-booking you if there are problems.