Traveling by plane, either for business or pleasure, can be extremely costly--these 10 tips will help you get the best deal to nearly anywhere.
Traveling has always been a costly venture, particularly by air where your options are often greatly limited. In past years, to book a plane ticket less than two months before departure often led to paying several times the original price, which was already expensive due to high operation costs.
More recently, many "cheap" airlines have broken into the competitive market, giving travelers more options and ways to cut costs. In addition to that, there are a few tips and tricks that everyone should know before booking any flight:
1 - When planning a trip during a busy season such as Christmas or a spring break, it is natural to assume that seats will sell quickly and thus be expensive. However, seat sales are often pop up around this time! A seat sale (a sale price applying to certain flights, destinations or travel times) can considerably lower your ticket price, and at heavy-traffic times of the year, they are marketed as ideal gifts. It is true that booking earlier will ensure your seat well in advance, but you must also keep in mind that new flights are often being chartered to supply the demand, and good sales are most likely to appear closer to the holiday date. Check with your travel agent often or simply price tickets online for the date you wish to leave, and hold off buying until there are signs of the inexpensive flights for that day beginning to sell out. (Keep track of the flights and times available for those days, so that if they begin to vanish, you will know that now is the time!) If a seat sale appears, take advantage of it only after researching the prices of other airlines to your intended destination. Once one airline offers a sale, many others will follow suit in order to compete.
2 - Not planning to travel during the major holidays? The best time to book, then, is just after them. New Year's sales are common, as are autumn discounts. People are less likely to travel at such times and less likely to buy just after a major holiday, so prices are lowered to entice business. Even if you are planning a trip for July, your best price may appear in January, just after the Christmas rush.
3 - The day of the week plays a large part of your base ticket price. The reason for this is that traveling over a weekend is more common than doing so in the middle of the week. Though Thursday is often still cheaper than Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are by far the most inexpensive days. You can often travel on a Tuesday for 1/3 of the Monday price. By being flexible with your dates, you can save yourself a considerable amount of money.
4 - Naturally, people sleep during the night and go about their business during the day. You can usually assume, for that reason, that a red-eye (overnight) flight will come cheaper than an afternoon one! Early departure times and late arrival times can affect ticket prices to lower your costs. What you save with these discounts will be easily worth a night of sleep!
5 - There are certain days of the year when people are less likely to want to travel. Though Christmas Eve and the week of Thanksgiving are popular, in particular for those on a tight holiday schedule, there is little demand for flights on Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and the early morning of New Year's Day. When booking around that time of year, those dates may be the cheapest times of the entire season. Additionally, most travel tends to be done at the beginning and ends of months, so look toward the middle of the month (the 16th, 17th, or 18th, generally) for a better price.
6 - Fare prices change from airport to airport, and most states (or other destinations) of course feature more than one. Some cities even have two airports. Price the cheapest one within range of your destination, and consider whether flying there is worth any extra inconvenience.
7 - Consider booking an entire vacation package. Whether it's through a travel agent, an online service or another special organizer, you may be able to acquire cheap airfare packed in with a rental car, accommodations, entertainment and other bonuses. Deals such as these are cheapest during the holidays, even when booking for a summer trip.
8 - Book through a travel agency that offers discounts. Students and the elderly usually have the best fortune in this field, in particular if you are a student at an institution that has a travel agent on-campus. They may even be able to offer you special package deals.
9 - Book through a travel agency that advertises "the lowest prices"--after doing a little research of your own on what these "lowest prices" are. If you find a lower fare than such an agency has provided, they will often beat that price in order to secure your business.
10 - Book online. Be sure to check fares over the carrier's website, as Internet fares are often discounted or the carrier may offer special Web deals. As mentioned above, travel agencies may even agree to beat such fares, but if they will not, then you will have already found the cheapest airlines and dates to book for yourself.
Along with a coach-class seat, these tips will help you save a huge amount of money on your next trip. Remember to price everything with taxes included, particularly if you are flying outside the country, and be flexible with your dates. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for, so do not anticipate an in-flight dinner and complimentary wine from your cheap flight, but you should be able to expect good service and a satisfactory price overall.
