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 have daily flights to your destination.
Pricing for international flights according to the season. Flights to Europe are always less in winter; seasonal pricing for cheap flights to Australia is based on demand and the time of year.
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.
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