How can you get airline tickets cheaper?

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Amy

Oh this is a tough question because so many things come into play in how airfares are presented to the public.

Best days to travel are Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. If you are planning a long weekend, go on a Saturday come back on Tuesday that will normally give you a better airfare. Most expensive days to travel: Friday and Sunday, because of supply and demand.

Best time to book travel Check Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Most airlines throw special fares in on Tuesdays and realize that people pay for tickets on Friday. Make sure you also book at minimum 2 weeks prior to your travel. If you are planning to travel during the holidays book 3 months in advance minimum. Sometimes flights book up as soon as they are available though, especially to popular destinations and during holidays and peak travel time.

Is there an alternate airport that is close by? Check to see if there is another airport you can go into. The smaller the airport the higher the price for the ticket will probably be, depending on the distance from your airport to the one you are heading to.

Make sure you don't cut too many corners with your airline. A lot of airlines are still having major problems with ontime performance and watch out for carriers that have filed bankruptcy recently. Frontier Airlines flight prices may be great right now, but if you book them for next month there is no guarantee they will still be flying no matter what the airline says. Look at Aloha Air and ATA they both went under in a matter of days. Getting stuck with a ticket you already paid for on a plane that isn't flying would not be fun.

Also subscribe to the hot prices for airlines you fly the most. They normally have an email or with SW they offer a hot button that lets you know immediately when the great fares you are looking for are available.

I hope this helps. The airlines are definetely making things more complicated and prices are rising. You may find some prices still showing at a rock bottom rate, but once you add taxes and the gas surcharges, these prices climb quickly.

Also remember the teaser fares that are printed on websites and such are one way fares based on a round trip. Probably one of the worst ways to advertise, but nobody says anything so the airlines just continue doing it.

Edit: What's up with the thumbs down? If you ask a question you get an answer. I have worked as a travel res agent at an online site, was a travel agent for 5 years and am now a travel coordinator for 16 trainers. My answer is the truth. Everybody wants cheap tickets but nobody wants to really know how to do it.

greyman

Try going to Orbitz.com. I know they help with airfare.

spudley69

book well in advance and subscribe to offer e-mails from such airlines as easyjet

Annie M

See http://www.travelbargainsites.com for a list of great, cheap travel sites.

Kevin M

Fly when there are fewer people flying. This includes taking flights:

- Departing before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m.

- Departing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Also, you can try flying on the weekend if you're flying on a route that usually gets more business travelers than tourists.

- Outside of the "high season". If you can, avoid flights going to Europe in the summer and flights to Florida or Hawaii during the winter.

Also, don't assume that low-cost carriers necessarily offer the best price.