Get The Best Airfare

If purchasing your airline ticket online, try to get the best airfare by following these tips. Remember to always check with your local travel agency also.

There can be advantages to buying your tickets early or buying them at the last minute. If you buy them early, you won’t need to worry about availability selling out (most true during holiday travel periods). If traveling internationally, try to book at least 6 months in advance. Alternatively, if you are more flexible with your dates, airlines may discount the seats they haven’t sold closer to departure time. Try using sites like Last Minute Travel to get the best airfare.

Be sure to shop around at various booking sites.

Get a good idea of which airlines fly to your destination, read their restrictions, and see what the best fare seems to be. Then go directly to the airline website with this information and see if those flights are actually there.

Remember that airlines will often come out with specials on Tuesday or Wednesday, so you may want to do your homework on those days. Also, if you are in an area that has multiple airports, you may want to check fares from each of them. If possible, be flexible with your travel dates. It’s amazing how prices can change just by a slight change in travel dates.

Check your frequent flyer miles too. You may have enough miles to travel for next to nothing! Book as early as possible when using miles as the few seats available for mileage tickets go quickly. As a rule of thumb, you can usually book mileage tickets eleven months prior to travel.

If you have purchased a ticket and later you see the price has gone down, contact the airlines for a refund. You won’t always get one, but it never hurts to ask since policies vary by airline. If you have purchased you ticket from a major booking site and not the airline directly, many of them have fare guarantees and will pay you the difference if the flights are exactly the same.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL:

For international flights, always check on foreign “Air Passes”. They can save you a lot of money. Check with the 3 major airline “alliance” groups for the various types of passes: Oneworld, Skyteam or Star Alliance. Air Passes cannot be purchased online. Deal directly with the Airline or your local travel agency. Be sure to cover all the restrictions and rules before purchasing.

To get the best airfare for more extensive trips, check into “Around-the-World” tickets. Consider these if you’re planning on visiting several continents and making several stops. These may be booked through any of the airline “alliance” groups: Oneworld, Skyteam or Star Alliance. They allow you travel on their partner carriers throughout the world, always traveling in the same direction till you return home, with prices starting at around $1,500 for a basic 3 stop around the world ticket.

Back to Top of Page Get the Best Airfare