What's the best place to find cheap airfares? - FindersFree: What do you want to find out?

What’s the best place to find cheap airfares?

- GVG

Posted on Jun 9, 2011 in Bargains, Money & finances, Travel

airfare budget flights saving money travel

I really want to travel, but it seems like I just can’t afford it with today’s high prices on flights. I’ve asked friends what kinds of deals they get, and it seems like they have no real strategy — it’s just hit and miss. Do you know of any secret sites that offer affordable travel?

Fly the inexpensive skies

When looking for cheap airfares, there are a few strategies to employ. One of the easiest ways to comparison shop between airlines is to search for fares using an aggregator site that searches multiple airlines at once. That way, you don’t have to go to each individual airline’s site to check prices.

Booking it

A few of my favorite aggregator sites, in no particular order, are:

Some things to keep in mind with aggregator sites: Not all airlines participate in all of them. Both American and Delta have scaled back their involvement with fare aggregator sites. So just because you don’t see them as an option, don’t ignore them or assume their price is too high! I’ve found several AA flights at lower fares than what other airlines offer on the third party booking sites, depending on the route or destination.

Also important to bear in mind, a lot of the “discount” airlines, such as Southwest, don’t participate in any of them. However, Southwest does have Ding!, their very own free desktop and iPhone app, which alerts you to low fares — and which are only available for customers who purchase via the app.

More travel tips

Keep your travel dates flexible: Sometimes by going a week earlier or a week later, you can save some cash. Check on either side of your intended travel dates for deals. Many aggregator sites offer this as a search option.

Avoid peak travel days: Flights on Fridays through Mondays are generally more expensive than midweek flights.

Avoid peak travel seasons: Don’t fly over major holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas being the top offenders.

Check nearby airports: Going to San Francisco? Check Oakland and San Jose, too. New York bound? You’ve got JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark to pick from. Visiting Sioux Falls, South Dakota? Okay, you’re probably stuck with Foss Field.

Go carry-on only: Most airlines now are charging for checked bags (jetBlue and Southwest being two notable domestic exceptions). You can squeeze a lot into your two allotted carry-on bags. Pare down if you have to — you don’t need 5 pairs of shoes for a weekend — or even for a week.

Most importantly, if you see a good low price on a flight you want — book it. Don’t wait to see if it goes down. It probably won’t. And almost more importantly… don’t look at prices after you’ve booked. It doesn’t matter anymore. Just smile and think about your fabulous getaway, and not that you could have saved another $20 if you waited a day.

Safe travels!

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