Tips for Finding the Best Airfare Deals
Most of us know about the websites that offer low cost airfare and use them when we travel. Some of the more popular sites used to search for great deals are Travelocity, Orbitz and Cheaptickets. You can also download Sidestep, which will search a large number of these sites all at once to find you the very best deal available. What you may not know is that there are a few more tricks that will save you even more.
Be Flexible
If you remain rigid in your departure and return dates you may find yourself paying more for your tickets. If you search for dates within a range you may find yourself saving a hundred dollars or more just by leaving a day early or staying a day later. Keep in mind however that if you stay a day longer on your trip your extra expenses may out-weigh the savings. If you are staying with relatives and have no hotel expenses this tip can save you some money. Flights tend to be cheaper during the weekdays. Weekends are busier days for travel so the fares are more in demand and can be substantially higher. You will also save money by flying out at 2 AM rather than 10 AM.
Airfare works on the supply and demand principle. The more popular a flight is, the more tickets it will sell. This will cause the price of the tickets to go up because they know the remaining seats will sell at a higher price. If you book early and choose a less busy travel day chances are your price will be lower.
Buy in Advance
You should try to buy your tickets at least three weeks in advance. Online ticket prices will slowly go up as the date of departure nears. When I flew to Nashville from a small airport in upstate New York in July of 2004 I paid $245.00 for a ticket that went up to $800.00 a week before I was due to fly. I may have found a great deal at the last moment but I didn’t want to chance it. I saved myself a lot of money by planning and buying early.
Buy Last Minute
This is risky because you may end up paying full price for your ticket or have to stay home. If you are willing to take the gamble you may score an unbelievable discount just days or even hours before a flight.
Other Airports
I live in a smaller city and we have a small airport. Only a few airlines offer service in and out of my airport. If I am willing to drive two hours to Rochester, Syracuse, or Binghamton, NY I may be able to save money because of the larger variety of flights available. If you don’t mind driving a few hours be sure to search all of the airports surrounding your area for the best deal possible.
Ask Around
When you find a great deal Online be sure to check around. Go to the airline’s official Website and see if they can beat the deal you have just found. You may be surprised to find an even better deal. You can also try calling a travel agent to see if they can beat the price you have found. Travel agents are trained to find the best deal possible and know how the system works. At the same time remember that they work on commission so it may not be in their best interest to get the best deal possible. Travel agents are great if you simply to not have the time to search for yourself.
Stay Up Late
Many airlines refresh their databases at midnight. This may mean that cheap tickets that have been reserved but not paid for may pop up. Airlines may open up other discounted seats at this time as well.
Discounts
If you are a student, in the military, a senior or a member of a travel club you may be eligible to receive a discount. If you know someone who works for an airline ask them if they can get you discount travel. This often involves flying standby. This means you will get a seat if the flight is not full. In many cases you will get a seat unless it is a heavily traveled time of year such as Thanksgiving or Christmas.
