Here are some tips to keep in mind when searching for a cheap airline tickets, regardless of whether you are using a travel agent or the Internet. My favorite way to get great prices is to go directly to JetBlue and check prices. SouthWest Airlines also has great prices. Other incredible resources are HotWire and Orbitz. Please see below for specific details. I have found the JetBlue is the best airline for the price.
Latest Hot Deals on Discount Airline Tickets:
TheBest Resources that I have found To Get Discount Airline Tickets:
Hotwire is great for finding really cheap airline tickets and hotel tickets. I like this best for getting great deals on really nice hotels.
Hotwire's mission is to offer consistently lower prices on airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, vacation packages and cruises. Through partnerships with leading travel companies, Hotwire gets special prices -- Hot-Fares® and Hot-Rates® -- that can't be found anywhere else. How does it work? Our partners allow us access to their unsold inventory -- e.g., empty seats on flights, empty hotel rooms, and unrented cars -- at big savings. We pass these savings on to travelers who can be flexible about their plans.
Orbitz is a leading online travel company offering leisure and business travelers a wide selection of low airfares, as well as deals on lodging, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages and other travel.
Cheap Tickets is a leading seller of discounted leisure travel products online through its Web site, www.CheapTickets.com. Cheap Tickets provides consumers access to its exclusive collection of unpublished airfares, as well as regularly published fares on hundreds of airlines. In addition to air, Cheap Tickets' family of discounted travel products also includes hotel accommodations, cruises, rental cars, vacation packages, condo rentals, and Last Minute Trips. Founded in 1986, Cheap Tickets is part of the Retail Travel Services group within Cendant's Travel Distribution Services Division.
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. Read more about this in step 3.
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.
If you can adjust 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. Ask about these restrictions, so you'll know
what to expect next time so you can start your search
early when discounts seat are still available.
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.
Keep checking. It behooves airlines to have full planes,
so they may add discount seats without warning. A flight
you might have given up on could yield you a seat if you
checked back in a day or two or even a week or month later.
Use your age. Ask about senior discounts or student discounts.
If you're a member of Student Advantage, you can sometimes
find discounts too.
Ask about airports other than your destination's main
airport. Look into secondary airports outside the city
or even in a nearby city that is less popular. People
going to New Orleans for Mardi Gras who find no flights
available can get lucky by flying into Baton Rouge, an
hour away, or Mobile, Ala., two hours away by car.
Check smaller discount airlines that may not be included
in the central reservation systems. These smaller airlines
usually only have area-specific flights available (e.g.,
the Southeast), but they are much cheaper than the big
airlines. So especially consider them if you're not travelling
too far.
Join a travel club. If you fly more than twice a year, the price of joining can easily make up for itself in the long run.
Fly on a mid-weekday. Fridays and Mondays are the most
expensive times to fly. And weekends are obviously in
high demand. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest
days to fly. Also, staying overnight on a Saturday can
save you money, because then you'll get charged an excursion
rate, not a business rate.
Try a consolidator. A consolidator is an intermediary
company that buys tickets at a discount directly from
the airline. You benefit from their rates. However, while
the consolidator industry has gained respect in recent
years, be sure to use one that is reputable. Some have
gone out of business overnight, leaving customers in the
lurch. One way to find consolidators is to look for the
small advertisements with 800 numbers they place in the
travel section of any metropolitan newspaper. Some consolidators
specialize in overseas flights while others focus on the
domestic market and still others do both. Some even give
additional discounts to students. You also may want to
ask about cancellation charges as such tickets usually
carry stiff penalties for changes or cancellations.
Here are the web sites of some ticket consolidators. They use the central reservation systems to find cheap fares but also offer some tickets at an even greater discount.
Be-Airfare-Smart.com This website provides information about Cheap Tickets, Last Minute Cheap First Class Airline Tickets, Discount Airfare Business Class, and Private Jets.
