How to Get Cheap Air Fare Deals

Posted on | December 13, 2009 | 9 Comments

There’s no one who travels who doesn’t like to find deals on cheap air fare. Saving money on air travel one of the first things everyone tries to do when planning their next business trip or vacation. Unfortunately finding the lowest price feels much like playing the lottery, you might win but most of the time you don’t. And the one time you get that cheap ticket you find out the guy in the seat next to you paid even less for his.

With this in mind just remember that getting a cheap air fare is not a competition with some unknown fellow traveler, but a way of stretching your traveling budget farther. If it works for you then all is good when you step onto that plane. The question then becomes how does one find the cheapest prices for air travel.

Probably the easiest way to get good deals on plane tickets is through a budget airline. These are the no frills carriers that specialize in simply moving people from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time for the lowest price. Nearly all of the ticket reservations and purchases are done online which is cheaper and more efficient then having ticketing agents deal with customers. The flights are also no frills and may only offer a beverage service and little else. The whole idea of a budget airline is to keep operating costs to a minimum and pass the saving to their customers.

If a budget airline is not your idea of air travel then there are other ways of finding cheap air fares from the major airlines. Here are some tips to help you get those cheap tickets.

1. If you plan far enough ahead get your tickets far in advance of your trip. The farther out you make your reservations the cheaper the tickets generally are. This isn’t always possible because sometimes trips seem to pop up out of no where but if you make your reservation at least 10 days in advance you will save some money.

2. Choose your travel dates and times carefully. By traveling at off peak times during the week or early in the morning you can find some good deals simply because the airlines want bodies in those seats.

3. If you have a group or family traveling at the same time book the same flight as a group. Many times you can save on processing fees in this situation.

4. Be sure to check online often. The internet is one of the best places to find all sorts of travel discounts, not just on airline tickets.

5. Be sure to check all your options. In other words shop around and compare prices along with any restrictions that may be attached to these discounts. If you take the first deal that you find you may not be entirely happy with the service provided the day you travel. Be sure to know what you are getting for the price you are paying.

Getting cheap air fare deals is easy once you know where to look and what to look for. If you follow all or some of the steps above before long you’ll never pay full price for an airline ticket again.

Comments

9 Responses to “How to Get Cheap Air Fare Deals”

prabhakar d
December 13th, 2009 @ 10:17 am

Great question. I always use Kayak.com to look up flights. Since you're flexible, there are many options you can take. The average price appears to be around $165-$190 round-trip, which is pretty good. Delta, Continental and US Airways all do it for about the same price, but none do it direct.

All the flights will be small, so there is no difference on this part of the airlines. They all three charge bag fees, so really, this is your call. I have only flown US Airways and Delta on flights that were not of this size (the flights I flew on these carriers were bigger) so I can't comment on that part of it. I will say that I live near Cleveland, and I am not the biggest fan of the airport, which is the airport you would have a layover in if you chose Continental. The layover for Delta is in JFK, which may be too big, so your best bet is probably US AIrways. Of course, if price is what matters, than all three will do fine.

Hope that helps!
Pika_pj
December 13th, 2009 @ 10:57 am

airgorilla.com, the airlines websites- my favorites are southwestairlines.com and jetblue.com(cheap), cheaptickets.com, travelocity.com, expedia.com, hotwire.com, orbitz.com, priceline.com (regular or name your own price), cheapoair.com. It all depends on where you are flying from. If I were you I would check wikipedia and find the airlines who have a hub at the airport you are flying out of (there are cheaper flights out of certain airline's hubs). Make sure you try all options…you don't want to find out right after you buy your tickets that there is a better deal. Good luck!
ejtl
December 14th, 2009 @ 9:53 am

try southwest it also depends from which city in Texas
Consider the Lilies
December 14th, 2009 @ 11:37 pm

Please check:
Tips:
a- use flexible dates
b- use alternative airports

http://www.yapta.com/

http://www.cfares.com/

http://www.kayak.com/

http://www.orbitz.com/

http://en.momondo.com/

http://www.expedia.com/default.asp

http://www.farecompare.com/

http://www.farecast.com/

http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/
Unity
December 15th, 2009 @ 5:48 am

I just checked San Jose to Richmond and it looks good. CheapO is a great site to try for flights, hotels, cars, cruises, and package deals. They get data from various sources, and have been a Hitwise winner three consecutive times.
Smile Like U Mean It
December 15th, 2009 @ 1:03 pm

I've tried a lot of them over the years, but the one that alerts me earliest is http://www.farecompare.com
longhornsvball9
December 16th, 2009 @ 1:38 am

This site lists great cheap travel sites: http://www.travelbargainsites.com One site compares all the airlines for the cheapest flight.
MIRAV R
December 16th, 2009 @ 6:48 pm

Too many variables here.

We dont know where you are coming from, what day of the week you are flying, ect ect.

But in general tickets to India from the USA bottom out around 1k these days.
f9
December 16th, 2009 @ 7:05 pm

http://www.cruiseasy.joystar.com is about the best for discounts..good luck..Rob

bor-scouts.com

The Advanture Vacation Guide

How to Get Cheap Air Fare Deals

Comments

Archives

Recent Posts

Categories

Most Viewed

Security Code: