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AIR TRAVEL -
Getting the Best Air Fares (continued)
e. Web sites like Farecast.com offer services that help predict fare changes for many destinations, and may be helpful in finding the lowest fares. There are also many “last minute deal” and “discount” web sites (like CheapTickets.com, Hotwire.com, Best Fares.com and Priceline.com) that may offer some real bargain air fares.
f. You might also want to visit a web site called Yapta.com. This web site will
track the airfare you paid at no charge, and notify you if the fare decreased after
your purchase. If the price drops, they will send you an email with step-
4. If you can be flexible with respect to your travel times and dates, try to avoid certain times of the year, certain days of the week, or certain times of the day when air fares are much higher and reservations more difficult to get.
a. Try to avoid flying close to holidays if at all possible. Even a few days can make a big difference. Consider getting the family together for Christmas or another holiday a few days earlier or later. The savings can be large. However, sometimes flying on the actual day of the holiday can yield very large savings.
b. Try to avoid flying during high periods of seasonal activity for your destination. Of course, how seasons impact pricing for air fares depends on the destination and why people travel there. You can save a lot by going during the off season.
c. Try to avoid traveling to a destination during “special event” periods such as spring break, sporting events, etc. If the special event is not why you are going to your destination, go some other time, if possible.
d. Some destinations are heavily traveled for business and some for pleasure. If the destination is business oriented, try flying during days of the week that are not favored by businessman, usually Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. If the destination is pleasure oriented, avoid Sunday, Friday and Saturday.
e. Fares can also vary considerably depending on the time of the day. If you can be flexible, see if you can get flights in off hours to save.
f. And, of course, if you are using frequent flyer miles for your trip, how far in advance you book and during what days of the year you book are very important. Some days of the year are “blacked out” when you cannot use your miles to certain destinations and even if you can use your miles, seats available for miles redemption are usually limited. So book early. And if no seats are available, ask the agent if another route to your destination might just be available. Often it is. But if tickets can be purchased at bargain prices, perhaps you should save those miles for another trip, or for a rental car or hotel. But be careful, miles can expire if they are not used. Unfortunately, airlines are starting to charge a fee (sometimes up to $100) to use your frequent flyer miles.
5. Generally, with the larger airlines, round trip fares will be somewhat cheaper
than purchasing one-
6. Sometimes direct flights are more costly than connecting flights (either with
the same carrier or different carriers). If your schedule is flexible, and you do
not mind spending more time on your travel, this may provide considerable savings.
When checking flight options on the computer, make sure to consider connecting flights.
But remember, if you have luggage, make sure the airlines will transfer your luggage
to the connecting flight, or you will have to retrieve your luggage after the first
flight and check-
7. And do not forget about potential discounts that might be available due to
age, service in the armed forces, etc. You may still be able to get a senior discount
(usually 65), or a student or child discount. While not as prevalent as they should
be, discounts for active-
8. Consider joining a last-
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