© 2008-2010 SavingsNut.com.™  All rights reserved.

SavingsNut.com™ – The Best Site On The Internet For Money Saving Tips & Frugal Living Ideas

Also Visit

AutoSavingsNut.com

CollegeSavingsNut.com

EnergySavingsNut.com

HealthcareSavingsNut.com

InsuranceSavingsNut.com

ShoppingSavingsNut.com

TravelSavingsNut.com

WeddingSavingsNut.com

“A Detailed Guide of Money Saving Advice & Budgeting Know-How On How To Be Frugal & Spend Less”

Facebook

“The best resource on the Internet to teach both young and old how to reduce everyday household expenses. Simply the best.”   TSN

AIR TRAVEL - Page 2

Getting The Best Air Fares (continued)

c.  But remember, if you do “compromise” on either the departure or destination airport, make sure it is worth your time and any extra expense (although sometimes parking is considerably cheaper at smaller airports) before you make your decision.  The cost of your flight is not the only cost you need to consider.

3.     But do not forget, when it comes to air fares, timing is extremely important.  Once you have found a couple of airline, airport and flight choices that appear well-suited to your travel plans and offer great fares, you may still be able to save considerably more money. Air fares are impacted significantly by both when you fly and when you buy your ticket.

a.  Because air fares can change dramatically for the same exact flight, it pays to start early when you are searching for (but not booking) air fares; usually 3-4 months before the flight, if possible, to start getting an idea of fare ranges.  However, if you purchase your ticket earlier than 3-4 months out it may actually cost you more, because airlines have not yet started to manage their load levels by offering reduced fares.  But, on average, once you get to within 3-4 months of the flight, purchasing tickets well in advance of your travel dates will lead to lower prices. Airlines will often post lower prices during the 2-4 month time frame to initially to attract passengers and sell a certain minimum number of seats on the plane.  After this minimum number is sold, they will often raise prices at about 30-40 days out. So early purchases can pay off in making sure you get a reservation, as well as reasonable prices.  However, purchasing at the last minute, on flights that the airline is having trouble filling, can lead the airline to provide some very low last-minute fares.  Consider checking airline special offer pages on the Internet to find bargains.    

b.  Also, believe it or not, tickets on the exact same flight on the exact same day change prices all the time, sometimes more than once during the day and sometimes dramatically.  This is particularly true of discount airlines, and seems to happen even many weeks before the scheduled flight, and well before the flight is sold out. So, to be prepared to take advantage of potentially favorable price shifts, it’s important to know what flights you want to book well before you need to book them, so you can check prices often before you absolutely need to purchase.  You just might find a real bargain and, if you do, be prepared to book the flight right then.

c.  It is important to note that the “old rules of thumb” about buying tickets 21 or 14 days in advance, staying over a Saturday night, or trying to fly stand-by in order to get the cheapest fares do not have near as much impact on airline pricing as they did in the good old days.  Although some airlines are considering re-implementing the Saturday night stay over requirement.  While often the major airlines will still give lower pricing for advance purchases based on the 21 day and 14 day limits, that is about it.  And with the discount airlines, the price of a ticket is generally whatever they are quoting at the moment.  With Internet booking and instant pricing changes geared to business conditions being so prevalent, knowing your flight options and checking prices often will generally lead to the best fare pricing.  This is tough to do if you are using a conventional travel agent but, if you are, ask them to tell you when the best time is to purchase, let them know you are flexible on timing and ask them to get you the lowest fare they can.

d.  Some good Internet sites for checking airfares offered by most airlines are Kayak.com, AirfareWatchDog.com, SideStep.com, FareCompare.com and Momondo.com.  While you cannot book fares directly through these sites, they do provide an easy way to keep track of the latest fares offered by the airlines.  A new site, InsideTrip.com, also assigns a rating based not just on price but also on number of stops, legroom, aircraft age and more.  However, keep in mind that Southwest Airlines’ fares are generally not tracked by these sites, nor are some of the smaller discount airlines. You will need to go directly to the airline for this information.

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-by-step instructions on how to claim a potential refund.  Many airlines will give you a rebate voucher for the difference if the ticket price drops before you travel.

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.

Next Page