Easy Ways to Locate Cheap Airfares
Friday, March 5th, 2010
Sometimes locating cheap airfares requires a little luck. You stumble across the deal of a lifetime by accident. However, mostly you can be successful by following these simple suggestions.
Not all air travel bargains are located on third party websites. Don’t think that you cannot get a good deal directly from the airlines’ websites. Airlines often have great deals on their own sites. Many airlines will let you register the kinds of deals you are looking for with them, and then send you an e-mail when the match comes up.
Don’t be fooled by prices touted as fantastic bargains. Sometimes sites offer “bargain” fares that are not that much better than regular fares, and they have restrictions on them too. Check the so-called normal price range for the route that interests you.
Be detail oriented. You might save $100 for example on a particular routing to your destination, only to find out that the intermediate city transit tax is, you guessed it, $100. You have traveled out of your way and saved nothing.
Get all the information on the policies of the carriers before you book. Often budget carriers charge extra for food and still more for baggage. All this may be just fine with you, as long as you know in advance what you are getting.
If you are a member of one or more frequent flier programs, look to how you use your miles. Often, the carriers offer special deals if you redeem your miles for a certain flight. Also, look to when and how you receive those miles. Sometimes the discounted fares are disqualified from earning miles. On occasion, it may be better to actually buy a ticket for a higher fare than one at a steeper discount.
Get creative with the Internet. Most people know how to use the Internet for checking fares and availability, but you can take it a step further. Save your search and repeat periodically to track changes. Also, log-on to more than one discount website and compare the two. They are rarely identical and sometimes the differences are substantial.
The major carriers offer credit cards that earn miles. You don’t even have to fly with the airline named on your card. Sometimes these cards carry an annual fee or a higher rate of interest so you need to read the fine print and balance their offers against your own needs.
Many cities have more than one airport that services it. Fares to the different airports are often not the same, so check nearby airports when you check fares. Compare your savings with any inconvenience that the alternate airport may create.
Be flexible, if you can. This is not always easy but fares are less when you can adjust your schedule to fit the best deals.
Look for package deals. If you need a hotel, a rental car or perhaps attraction tickets, you may be able to save with a package that includes them all. Sometimes you can save enough to buy the package even if you don’t use all the parts.
Always buy round trip tickets. Two one-ways will nearly always cost more. On occasion, you may find a round trip ticket is better even if you only need a one-way and throw away the second half.
These are a few of many tips to help reduce the cost of your air travel. It’s worth the effort.