Do you enjoy traveling? I do and am perpetually on the lookout for new and innovative ways to find airline travel cheap. Rather than dropping a bundle on the price of the airplane ticket, I'd rather spend my hard-earned savings on other things like splurging on a great dinner or shopping. Given this, I have put together a few tips to help in your search for inexpensive airline tickets.
1. Purchase a package. Buy airplane tickets, hotel, and car rental together and often you can save when comparing individual prices.
2. Flying one way is great but also usually the most expensive. You can save money by opting for connecting flights.
3. Check neighboring cities. As an example, if you are planning on flying into Orlando, FL, be sure to check out prices for flights to Tampa instead, as these flights are almost always less expensive and usually not too far out of your way.
4. If you are not traveling out of the country, consider flying on one of the smaller airlines for the major carriers as you will usually save on the purchase price this way.
5. Be sure to use the Internet to check out last-minute discount fares on the airline's main website. Start looking midweek for the upcoming weekend.
6. Be patient and wait for an excellent price to come up. But when you do see a great price go ahead and purchase it, so always have in mind what your definition of a "good price" is so you'll be ready to grab it at a moment's notice. You never know when those awesome prices will show up.
7. If possible, you should be flexible with your leaving and return dates. Sometimes if you just adjust your dates by as little as one day you can get a cheaper price. For example, leave Wednesday and return Sunday instead of leaving Tuesday and returning Saturday.
8. If possible, book your tickets directly at the airline's main website. If you use a travel agency, even one online, they will charge you an additional fee. It will also be much more simple to correct any problems if you are dealing directly with the airline itself instead of a travel agency. Believe me, I speak from experience on this one!
9. Mornings are sometimes the best time to check for tickets, and Saturday and Wednesday mornings are good days to take a look for some great prices. And don't feel you have to stay over on a Saturday in order to get a better price. In the past this was thought to be helpful but not so much anymore.
10. Don't forget to sign up for frequent flyer miles. It's quite surprising how often people don't take advantage of this perk. Even if you fly different airlines, sign up for each airline's frequent flyer program. The miles add up faster than you realize.
11. Flying one way? This doesn't always work but be sure to check for round-trip prices as well as one-way since there are times where it is actually cheaper to fly round-trip.
12. If you plan to travel on a holiday, be sure to book your tickets well in advance. For one thing, you will have a difficult time getting the seats and dates you want if you wait until the last minute, but you also will save on ticket prices by purchasing early. However, be sure of your itinerary because if you have to cancel or change your travel dates you'll likely end up forfeiting any savings you had made.
13. Make sure you always book your flights at least 3 weeks in advance. This will get you the best prices. The earlier the better in this case. Never buy tickets within 7 days of your planned departure if you can help it, as you will usually pay a significantly higher price.
14. Consider traveling on the so-called red eye flights. Check with your travel agent to see if you can save with these late-night flights. You can often save as much as 25% or more off the ticket price this way. You'll miss out on seeing the scenery you might see during the day but you'll be more likely to snooze your way through the flight and time will go by faster.
1. Purchase a package. Buy airplane tickets, hotel, and car rental together and often you can save when comparing individual prices.
2. Flying one way is great but also usually the most expensive. You can save money by opting for connecting flights.
3. Check neighboring cities. As an example, if you are planning on flying into Orlando, FL, be sure to check out prices for flights to Tampa instead, as these flights are almost always less expensive and usually not too far out of your way.
4. If you are not traveling out of the country, consider flying on one of the smaller airlines for the major carriers as you will usually save on the purchase price this way.
5. Be sure to use the Internet to check out last-minute discount fares on the airline's main website. Start looking midweek for the upcoming weekend.
6. Be patient and wait for an excellent price to come up. But when you do see a great price go ahead and purchase it, so always have in mind what your definition of a "good price" is so you'll be ready to grab it at a moment's notice. You never know when those awesome prices will show up.
7. If possible, you should be flexible with your leaving and return dates. Sometimes if you just adjust your dates by as little as one day you can get a cheaper price. For example, leave Wednesday and return Sunday instead of leaving Tuesday and returning Saturday.
8. If possible, book your tickets directly at the airline's main website. If you use a travel agency, even one online, they will charge you an additional fee. It will also be much more simple to correct any problems if you are dealing directly with the airline itself instead of a travel agency. Believe me, I speak from experience on this one!
9. Mornings are sometimes the best time to check for tickets, and Saturday and Wednesday mornings are good days to take a look for some great prices. And don't feel you have to stay over on a Saturday in order to get a better price. In the past this was thought to be helpful but not so much anymore.
10. Don't forget to sign up for frequent flyer miles. It's quite surprising how often people don't take advantage of this perk. Even if you fly different airlines, sign up for each airline's frequent flyer program. The miles add up faster than you realize.
11. Flying one way? This doesn't always work but be sure to check for round-trip prices as well as one-way since there are times where it is actually cheaper to fly round-trip.
12. If you plan to travel on a holiday, be sure to book your tickets well in advance. For one thing, you will have a difficult time getting the seats and dates you want if you wait until the last minute, but you also will save on ticket prices by purchasing early. However, be sure of your itinerary because if you have to cancel or change your travel dates you'll likely end up forfeiting any savings you had made.
13. Make sure you always book your flights at least 3 weeks in advance. This will get you the best prices. The earlier the better in this case. Never buy tickets within 7 days of your planned departure if you can help it, as you will usually pay a significantly higher price.
14. Consider traveling on the so-called red eye flights. Check with your travel agent to see if you can save with these late-night flights. You can often save as much as 25% or more off the ticket price this way. You'll miss out on seeing the scenery you might see during the day but you'll be more likely to snooze your way through the flight and time will go by faster.
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