5 Tips To Get Cheap Airline Tickets
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Here are 5 tips to help you get cheap airline tickets.
Tip 1
Stay flexible when you are scheduling flights to get the best deals. Usually, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are the days with the cheapest flights.
In addition, the following types of flights are often discounted as well:
- late-night flights
- early morning flights
- flights with at least one stop
Note that standby fares work better if you’re flying off-season, because during high season most airlines overbook flights, making it difficult to find a standby seat.
Tip 2
Read and watch the news to stay up to date on airfare trends, special offers and limited-time promotional fares.
Tip 3
Always get comparison ticket prices from so-called consolidators. These organisations buy blocks of tickets and then sell them at a discount to help the airlines fill up all the available seats.
Consolidator fares offer a great deal most of the time, although . However, sometimes airline fare wars and special promotions mean you can get cheaper from the airlines direct.
As with regular airfares, consolidator tickets can sell out quickly and may not be available all of the time.
Examples:
- www.bargaintravel.com
- www.travelhub.com
- www.airlineconsolidator.com
Tip 4
Look for travel packages as a way to save money in other areas of your trip. If you can bundle a rental car or hotel at a discount along with the airline ticket, you’ll pay les soverall than buying the items individually.
Also, it can be cheaper to stay with the same airline for your entire trip to so you get round-trip or connecting fare discounts.
Tip 5
Book as early as you can. At the least, purchase advance-ticket discounts 21 days ahead. Book earlier for major vacation flights. Most flights get full in November and December.
Also if you want to use frequent-flier miles, holiday ‘blackout periods’ can prevent you from using them.
Good shopping!
Airline pricing is a complex, unpredictable system that is driven by three factors: competition, demand, and inventory.
Here’s how it works. All the major airlines feed their available seats and prices into four central reservation systems that are owned by airline conglomerates. The systems are Apollo, Sabre, WorldSpan and Galileo.
Airlines then change their prices based on demand. If a certain flight is selling well, the price will increase. If another flight has no takers, the fare will drop until the airline gets some. As a result, fares and inventory are continually changing.
Here are some tips to use when searching for a cheap ticket, regardless of whether you are using a travel agent or the Internet:
1. Start your search as early as possible (at least a month in advance).While better rates may come along, it’ll give you a starting point. Also, many deals involve making your reservation at least 21 days before departure. But last minute tickets can sometimes be the cheapest, if you buy a last minute e-fare. These are listed by individual airlines on their websites, or at a travel website such as www.webflyer.com. These last minute fares give you very little flexibility, but they are often very cheap.
2. Stay vague about your dates.
Ask for the lowest fare, saying that your dates are flexible. That lets you know the best fare you could get so you can change your dates if price is the most important factor. Just to let you know, the cheapest dates to fly are usually in the winter, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year’s time. So if you can be really vague, try to arrange for your flight sometime during the cold season.
3. Adjust Your Times to Fly
By adjustig your times to fly, you increase your chances of getting a cheap fare. Taking the “red-eye” flight can pay off for your wallet because no one wants to depart at 2 a.m. and arrive at 6 a.m.
Airlines typically attach restrictions to discount fares, like a 7-, 14-, or 21-day advance purchase and/or a Saturday night stay.
4. Check Into Ticket Restrictions
This way you’ll know what to expect next time, so you can start your search early when discounts seat are still available.
5. Use the same airline for both directions.
Since round trips are about the same as one-way tickets, it doesn’t make sense not to.
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