Soaring fuel prices, exorbitant ticket-change fees, luggage surcharges, and even fees for seat selection—it seems that travelers just can’t catch a break on airfare prices these days. Don’t let these “gotchas” get you down: There are still tons of bargains to be had on flights. You can find amazing ticket prices with just a few clicks on your computer or a few phone calls. The next time a beach in Hawaii (or your family reunion) beckons, follow our secrets to getting the best travel deals:
1. Browse the big travel websites first. There was a time not so long ago when, if you wanted to book a flight, you would either book directly with the airline or through a travel agent. These days, trip planning through Internet travel sites like Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz is more the norm than the exception: You’ll not only get a sense about which dates have the best fares to your destination, but you’ll also get a ballpark estimate for how much your preferred itinerary will cost you. But wait! Don’t book your ticket quite yet . . .
2. Try mixing and matching airports. It’s sometimes cheaper to take a return flight to a different airport than the one you flew out of. Try this little trick: Say, for example, you want to fly from Newark, New Jersey, to Los Angeles. Just for kicks, search for a return flight to a different airport in the region, such as John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. (Some airline websites allow you to search this way by clicking a “search nearby airports” button on their reservations pages.) You’d be surprised to find how often ticket prices plummet if you have this kind of flexibility. Of course, this plan doesn’t work if you’ve parked your car at the other airport!
3. For even deeper discounts, click on your preferred carrier’s website. Now that travel sites like Expedia are doing such brisk business, airlines are fighting for their own pieces of the profits. Many carriers now offer lowest-price-guaranteed fares on their own websites, and waive the booking fees that the big travel sites often tack on to your reservation. And if you’re wondering why you’re not finding fares for some of your favorite bargain airlines—like Southwest or JetBlue—on these big travel sites, it’s because these airlines don’t always release their inventory to travel superstores. That’s yet another reason to do some extra sleuthing on your preferred carrier’s web page before finalizing your reservations.
4. Fly in the morning. Early-morning flights are generally much less expensive than midmorning and afternoon flights because later flights are more convenient for many travelers. Taking an early-morning flight also reduces the likelihood that your plane will be delayed—there’s no flight before yours to hold you up! And because there’s nothing good to eat on planes anymore, you can catch up on your z’s and arrive at your destination refreshed and ready to see the sights.
5. Pretend that you’re flying solo. Airline search engines mess with your head a little when it comes to booking your family’s travel. Consider: If you’re booking a flight for you, your spouse, and your cousin Larry, you’re going to type “3” when the site asks you how many tickets you want to buy. The truth is, sometimes you’ll get a cheaper rate by booking seats individually, because single seats (especially middle seats in the back of the plane) often go unsold. Airlines jump at the chance to get rid of them. If you’re booking over the telephone, ask the reservationist to check the prices of two single seats versus two together.
6. Make it your “business” to get a first-class ticket for the price of a coach ticket. Airlines don’t exactly advertise this fact, but it’s possible to book a business- or first-class ticket for the same price as a regular (not discounted) coach fare. They’re called Q-up, Y-up, or Z-up fares, and they all amount to first-class upgrades of coach fares, according to Laura Powell, a longtime travel journalist and expert. Airlines created the fares to benefit business travelers, many of whom work for companies that don’t allow them to buy first-class tickets. The website farecompare.com helps you search for those deals.
7. Redeem frequent-flyer miles wa-a-a-a-a-y in advance. Here’s a fact that airlines won’t be advertising anytime soon: They release their booking schedules a whopping 330 days in advance, according to Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com. If you want to use your frequent-flyer miles during a peak travel time—say, Christmas—you should start dialing those airlines up around Valentine’s Day.
8. Know that procrastination sometimes pays off. Generally speaking, prices on airfares are relatively constant until about 21 days before a flight is set to take off. At this point, prices start to climb. But occasionally prices drop, if only for a short while, 72 to 48 hours before your flight takes off. Why? The industry term is “distressed inventory,” which translates as “empty airline seats” to you and me. If you have nothing to do this weekend, it’s worth calling a few carriers or checking their websites (some even send e-mail alerts about last-minute bargains). You may score that $400 flight to Miami for $200 or less!
Should I book my flight on Priceline.com?
Nowadays Priceline.com offers standard packages without bidding, like the other major travel sites, and is worth checking out for their own unique deals. But their fame, of course, came from users bidding for services offered. Though some folks might be intimidated by the “name your own price” gimmick, Priceline is a great way to save some dough on flights that originate in the United States. That said, keep in mind when booking airline tickets that Priceline can place you on any flight (3 a.m. does count) during the 24-hour period of your departure date.