Today’s falling economy is leading to higher prices on everything – including airline tickets. Many people are finding it difficult to find cheap air fare and are abandoning air travel altogether. However, there are still things you can do to get the best deals possible. Read on for some tips:
Plan your trip early.
Most airline tickets will be cheaper if you buy them at least two or three weeks in advance. If you’re traveling internationally, you may need to book your tickets more than thirty days in advance to find the lowest price. As soon as you’ve decided on your travel dates, start searching for airline deals. There are only a select number of seats on each flight that are subject to discount fares – when all of these seats are gone, the fare will go up.
Fly during the week.
Flights that depart between Tuesday and Thursday are usually the cheapest, while travel on Monday or Friday tends to be the most expensive. Sometimes you may find a cheaper flight on the weekend, but traditionally they are more expensive than mid-week flights.
Stay at your destination overnight on Saturday.
Most of today’s lowest fares require you to stay a Saturday night at your destination before you fly back. There are fares, however, that will require you stay for several days to get the cheapest fare. Just be sure to balance the cost of staying longer with the amount you’ll save on airfare – it doesn’t make sense to tack on an extra $500 in hotel expenses just to save $100 on your flight!
Try a different airport.
You may be surprised at the fare difference between airports. If you can fly into a nearby airport, or even depart from another one, you could see a substantial savings on your airfare.
Try alternate dates.
If your fare is more expensive on one leg of your trip, try adjusting your travel dates by a day or two in either direction. The lowest fare seats may be sold out on that flight, but you may be able to get the discounted rate on another flight.
Search the internet.
You can find a wealth of information on the web about special air fares and discount travel. In fact, many airlines offer their lowest available fares on the internet through sites like Travelocity.com and Expedia.com. You can also find several review sites that offer tips for finding the cheapest travel sites and best discount airlines.
Use a budget carrier.
These “no-frills” airlines – like JetBlue – can offer lower fares because there are few amenities available. If you can live without an in-flight movie or free snacks, you might be able to see significant savings.
Use your frequent flyer cards.
It’s free to sign up for most of these programs, so even if you don’t travel often, you can still benefit from frequent flyer programs. In fact, many of these programs are now attached to credit cards – you may even have one in your wallet without knowing it! If you use your credit card regularly, why not earn rewards in return?