The Quest for Cheap Mission Trip Airfare

Airfare can be expensive, and sometimes complicated and stressful. We know booking airfare is one of the biggest hurdles of a mission trip, both logistically and financially. We’ve helped mobilize churches for many years, and we know what a big sigh of relief it is to get your mission trip airfare booked. That’s why we want to address some airfare myths and share some of our best tips (and our recommended process) to help your group land the most economical mission trip airfare possible.

First, we have to address what “cheap airfare” really means. If you’re expecting to find a 40% off coupon like you might find for some other online store, think again. Airfare just doesn’t work like that, as prices are strictly controlled. Instead, what we are looking for is to get your entire group booked for a good price on an itinerary that works for you.

Many groups also make the mistake of thinking, “There are a lot of us; shouldn’t we get a group discount or something?” This might work at a baseball game or the bowling alley, but airlines don’t offer bulk pricing like this. Airlines generally operate under the assumption that close to 100% of seats will be filled. That means as more and more seats are booked, the remaining seats are priced higher; in other words, they want to start charging you more per person the more seats you fill up!

You can quickly see why booking airfare is complicated. But fear not, as we have some great tips to help you through the airfare purchase process:

•  Prioritize getting the bulk of your team members to commit to the trip EARLY, including a financial commitment of $50 (Domestic) or $100 (International) to cover the required airfare deposit.

•  If possible, collect names early for your group as you may be eligible for humanitarian rates that can have more savings over a group rate.

• Consider multiple airports in your region that may be an option for departure points. If you are near an airline’s HUB, you may have more options.

Ready to start booking your airfare? Our team at Servant Life is ready to help! For groups

traveling on one of our Servant Life mission trips, we are ready to assist you with airfare.

Mission Assist Program

Already have a mission trip lined up, but need some help making it happen? For groups of 6 or more, our team of mission trip experts will help...

For groups of 6 or more, our team of mission trip experts will help...

•  Secure your airfare with our professional travel agent.

•  Protect your group with international travelers insurance.

•  Equip your team members with mission trip devotionals.

•  Provide a custom mission trip t-shirt for every participant.

•  Prepare your group with pre-trip training materials.

•  Consult about visas, travel, prep, and other logistical details.

Learn more about our Mission Assist Program by visiting https://www.servantlife.com/mission-assist!