January 29th, 2010 - Discount Airfares - Where To Find Them!
With the too-many-to-count options available to today’s business and pleasure travelers alike, to buy airline tickets at a truly discounted price can be both elusive and sometimes frustrating. How do you know you got the best deal available?
If you can remember just a few key tips, you can save money and find the best discount airline tickets for you at that time. Here are some of the secrets that the more experienced travelers follow when making their own airline reservations:
Do it yourself unless you need help from a professional in making your airfare reservations. Everyone now has access to the many online booking tools that allows them to bypass having to use a live (i.e., costly) person like a travel or airline reservation agent. Airlines frequently will price some of those self-serve savings into your airfare. You can either choose to book your airfares through the airlines’ own websites directly, or you can use one of a number of online travel agencies such as CheapOAir.com or Priceline.com to find - and even bid on - discount airline tickets.
Because of scheduling and logistical reasons, airlines can offer cheap airplane tickets to customers by encouraging them to book their travel well in advance. Ticket purchases made 7, 14, 21, or 30 days in advance will usually save you money. (Last-minute reservations, generally speaking, are the costliest type of reservations to make. More on that below.)
Since travel during the typical Monday - Friday week is heavily business-related, those airfares are generally higher than those at other times. If you’re able to, schedule either your departure or return on a Saturday or during the weekend. Plan on staying overnight at least one night to be able to buy airline tickets at a meaningful discount.
The more flexibility you have in your travel schedule, the easier it becomes to find discounted airplane tickets. If you can fly before 7:00 AM, between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM, and after 7:00 PM, you should be able to find better prices during those periods during the normal business week.
If you ever find yourself needing just a one-way ticket, you may actually save some money by purchasing a round-trip ticket and just discarding the return half of the fare. Be aware, though, that if you’re a no-show for the initial leg of your trip, the airline can, and frequently will, cancel the return leg. Always make sure you fully understand what the airline’s policies are on granting refunds, credits, etc. before buying discount airplane tickets.
Put some of these tips and techniques to work the next time you’re looking for cheap airplane tickets and see for yourself just how much you can save on airfare!
Hemante Garces is an infrequent leisure traveler who has finally learned how to find cheap airplane tickets. Avoid the errors he used to make and save yourself some serious money! Also, here are some of Hemante’s favorite sites to find those sweet discount airfares…
