Who wouldn’t like to get an airline ticket for next to
nothing? There are hundreds of websites that deal with discount airline
tickets. How does a person know where to look?
The internet is full of websites offering the world to us on
a silver platter! Many of them are not even legal businesses, just crooks
trying to make a few dishonest bucks! So we have to be very careful before we
make up our minds on buying tickets off the cheap websites. Its better to stick
with the tried and true websites.
Here are some tips to search the internet for bargain
tickets that will make your next vacation more enjoyable.
Be ready at all times
Night times may not be the most convenient to go on an
airplane, but the red-eye flights out of certain airports are the best deals
around. Even if the airline gives a discount on most of the flights, there is
always a larger discount for the flights that leave at unfavorable times. Just
get a soft neck pillow for the flight that will help you sleep through the
flight and you can reach home with lots more cash in your pocket!
Be ready on all days
Most people would prefer to travel on the weekends. Tickets
are much cheaper on the weekdays, with Tuesday and Wednesday being the lowest
traffic days at airports. This means that you should arrange business meetings
on Wednesdays and if you can leave on Tuesday and return by Thursday, you have
probably saved some money on the trip. Also, hotels and car rentals can be
cheaper during the same period which allows you to save a bundle on the bigger
package of airfare, hotel and auto rental fees! J
Be the early bird
The earlier you book the ticket, the lesser the price
usually is. Of course, you may find last minute deals at lower prices, but
there is no guarantee that you will get such deals. Airlines have booking
windows of twenty one days, Fourteen days and seven days in advance of the
travel date. Getting the tickets before 14 days may guarantee the prices in
most cases unless it’s a big holiday such as Thanksgiving or Christmas where
you may find out that all the seats are booked way ahead of time. Usually,
booking the ticket before 21 days guarantees the best price.
Enjoy the scenery
Instead of sticking to the same old routine of going to your
nearest airport, why not travel to the one that is less busy and take the time
to smell the roses in addition to saving a few bucks. You may find this new
route to be a better option for future flights too. And if you can get a buddy
to travel with you, you can share the car expenses too.
Take a longer route
If you have the time, choose a flight with more stops in
between. One advantage to multi-stop trips is that you may get additional
frequent flyer miles too which makes you closer to your free airline flight
tickets. Remember though that more connections sometimes mean more chances of
lost luggage. If you have no check-in bags and can absorb a few delays on the
way, this could save you hundreds of dollars on airline tickets and frequent
flyer miles.
Consolidators are our
buddies
Airlines sell tickets wholesale to agents who can offer them
at cheaper rates to the general public. These wholesale prices may be cheaper
than the ones that your travel agent can offer you! So first look at the sites
that compare the prices on different websites. Check out http://www.kayak.com , http://www.CheapFlights.com and http://FareChase.com
.
These sites will give you a basic idea of what the airlines
are offering at this time. If any airline is offering a promotion, it shows up
on this site.
When you find a reasonably good price, go directly to the
airline and see how much they offer. It is good to buy directly from the
airline so that we can get additional miles for booking at their website.
However, if you need hotel accommodation or vehicle rental, etc. its better to
go to sites such as http://www.travelocity.com
http://www.expedia.com or http://www.orbitz.com and search for the packages that will offer
deeper discounts when we bundle two or more services together for one trip.
Look for the rebels
Newer airlines and some of the budget airlines are not
included on the consolidators or other travel websites. Search the websites of
discount airlines that travel from your local airport. You can go to the
airport website and get a list of the airlines that fly from that airport. Then
go to their websites by Googling them or trying (substitute airline name)
http://www.<airline-name>.com
Make a bid
If you are still not happy with the prices, why not try your
luck on websites such as http://www.priceline.com
. When you have found out a reasonable price for the airlines or combo packages
such as hotel + airline ticket or airline ticket+ hotel + auto rental services,
then go to PriceLine website and put in a bid. Choose alternate airports,
alternate dates and multi stops on your route and enter the smallest bid you
can. The website may return with an “accepted offer” response in which case you
have just made a bargain on your travel plans. If they reject the offer, try
again with other options.
PriceLine.com is known for its sales of last minute airplane
tickets. If you are willing to wait until the last minute to book a flight and
don’t mind traveling on any airline, you may get a steal! Of course, this is
only advisable if your cancellation or the trip (in case you did not even get a
ticket) is not a big problem.
There are several ways to find the best deals on websites.
Remember, the most discounts are offered when you book the airfare, hotel and
auto rental, all together in one package. If you can get a similar deal on
PriceLine.com for a lower price, you are sure to have succeeded in your attempt
to save a bundle of cash!
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