Cheap Airline Travel
My father always finds the cheapest airfare when we go on vacations. He is the master of using HotWire, Travelocity, and Priceline. It is amazing the hotels and airline prices you can get when you are smart. You can usually save over 60% just by being smart. Below are a few tips on how to get the best prices and cheap airline tickets.
1. Book way in advance. The concept of last minute specials is great in theory, but usually you do not get good prices on airline tickets unless you book far in advance.
2. Since most discounted round trip tickets require that you complete travel in 30 days, check out a pair of one-way tickets if you want to stay longer
3. If possible, travel over the weekend to get the best airfare price. I have also found that staying over a weekend gives you better prices.
4. Try several different airline booking web sties to check prices. Some of the really good booking engines that discount are hotwire.com and priceline.com
5. If you're quoted a ticket price that's too expensive and the flight connects through an intermediate city, price two separate flights; one to the connecting city, and the other to your final destination.
6. Check for available airline discounts that could apply to you, such as senior or traveling with young children discounts.
7. Use your frequent flyer miles so that you might be able to get a free ticket.
8. If you or a family member is in the military, you may be able to get a Space-A flight through the armed services, at a tiny fraction of the usual ticket cost (an international flight for $25!). Also, if you fly in uniform, some commercial airlines will give you a discount.
9. If you want to fly in style, buy a first class upgrade for as little as $25 on some small regional airlines
10. Get faster service (and often, better compensation) by calling the airline's toll-free number if there are problems at the airport, rather than rushing the service agent along with 200 other stranded passengers.