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Cheap Air Line Tickets

Insider tips for finding low cost airfare

Trying to find cheap air line tickets is a bit like gambling -- you will never know if the airfare deal you find is the absolute lowest price until after your cards are on the table, and you purchase the tickets.

Airplane ticket prices change quickly especially for the most popular routes and busiest travel times. Airlines add lower priced tickets, or take them away, seemingly at will.

And to further complicate finding your cheap air line tickets, the lowest priced tickets may add to your travel costs if you have long layovers in multiple airports.

Here are a few tips to help you plan your maneuvers to find the best airfare deals:

Buy early

The major airlines release their airplane tickets for sale 330 days in advance. If you are planning to begin your 2008 vacation on June 13 and return on June 27, the airplane tickets will be available for sale 330 days prior to June 27, 2008. (Some of the small and “discount” airlines, like SouthWest, do not follow this rule.)

For the most part, prices are lowest when the tickets are released. Seats on each airplane are assigned to different fare classes (each airline has its own system so this becomes very confusing very quickly) with only a fixed number of seats in each class. The lowest priced fare classes sell out soonest and once these fares are gone, the price of a ticket goes up – unless the airline assigns more availability to the class.

Supply and demand prevails. If the seats on the flight are selling well, the airline may decide to only offer the higher fare classes for the remaining seats. Or they might decide to lower prices to stimulate sales. There is no way to know before it happens.

If you are planning to travel during a major holiday or the popular school vacations, the lowest fares sell out quickly and few, if any, airlines have special sales. The earlier you buy your tickets, the more you can save.

Flexible dates

Mid-week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) travel tends to be less expensive. Many airlines add a surcharge, between $20 – 40 per ticket, for weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) travel. When searching for your cheap air line tickets, you will have more chances to find the best fare by using the “my dates are flexible” search to include 1 or 2 days before and after your preferred dates.

Hint: By including a range of dates in your search, you will also find fares for carriers that do not fly to your destination every day.

Alternate Airports

You will usually find that flights to and from the largest airports (JFK in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago) and airlines’ hub airports (such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Charlotte) have the best pricing - but not always. Check pricing and availability from alternate airports close to you.

When using airfare booking engines, use a wide search for airports to pull up as many departure choices as possible. For example, using the 3 letter airport code "WAS" will search for Dulles and Reagan airports in Washington, DC in addition to the Baltimore airport. Make a list of the airports near you to include in your search.

Changing Planes

Minimizing the number of plane changes can save you money. Every time a plane lands at an airport, taxes and fees are added to a ticket. Make sure you compare prices with taxes included – there can be a huge difference in total cost, depending on the route.

E-ticket or Paper

E-tickets are recorded in the airline’s computer system; paper tickets can be lost. Paper tickets also have to be delivered and most companies add delivery surcharges for shipping them.

Rules, Rules and Rules

“Rules” include all the conditions and fees associated with each ticket. Remember to read the rules to learn whether the ticket is refundable, cancellable, changeable – and the cost of penalties and fees for changes. Take the time to read the “rules” for the tickets to ensure you know exactly what you are buying. What looks like the cheapest air fare could become the most expensive if an emergency arises and the change fees are $350 per ticket.

Remember to reconfirm your flights 24-48 hours before departure. Departure and arrival times change; airlines overbook.

An airplane ticket has no value if it is not cancelled or used by the departure time for the flight. If you find that you are unable to make your scheduled flight, call the airline and cancel the flight or try to change it. If you wait until after the flight departs, your ticket will have no value; if you call before the flight leaves, the airline should work with you to find an alternative and salvage some of the value of the ticket.

Most important –

Set a limit on how much time you will spend on your search for cheap air line tickets. While you are checking for even lower fares, the ticket prices may rise.

Notes from the Flight Desk
While flying extensively a while ago, my expense accounts averaged $92,000 per year! Boy, did I learn a few things about how "buying power" could manipulate pricing and the value of a good travel agent... more