We all want to buy the cheapest airline ticket, however, what we don’t want is to end up with cheap service. So please read our guide below on how to buy the cheap air travel tickets where we take a balance approach and try to balance cheap air travel tickets while still getting a good deal and decent travel service.
1. The best way to buy the cheapest air is to plan ahead months in advance. As soon as you know an approximate date to fly, start shopping around. Use a combination of the following three sources: 1) Get travel rates directly from the major airlines, 2) Call a local trusted travel agent, 3) Check out discounted travel sites like Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia.
2. Try to be flexible with the day of the week that you want to fly. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are typically the cheapest days to fly. Late night flights (called “Red Eyes” in the travel industry) is also cheapest.
3. Flights with at least one stop over are usually way cheaper than non-stop flights. I personally hate stop over flights and almost never choose them. But if this is something you can overlook, you will save lots on your airfare.
4. Try to combine your airfare with a rental car and hotel stay. In my experience, Jetblue flights from the New York City area to South Florida is not the cheapest, however, when combing with a car rental and hotel stay, they are way cheaper. I have gotten deals with Jetblue for airfare, car rental and a week hotel in Miami Beach for around $790 when at that time the closes other deal, no matter if booked separate or together was almost $2,000.00.
5. Use a discounted travel booking site like Expedia to compare dates and airports. I love to book with Expedia because it gives me options on my ticket searches where I can save tons of money. For example, it will recommend “Nearby Airports”. My primary search might be for a flight out of JFK Airport but it will suggest similar flights out of LaGuardia Airport (LGA) which is very close by.
Please note the following tips and warning:
Most flights with discounted travel sites are final and non-refundable. What I like to do if I am not firm with my travel plans, is to look up flights on Expedia and then call my local travel agent, who will up charge the same flight for approx $50 but if I need to cancel he will work with me to book other flights.
Be sure to compare luggage allowance and fees. You may get a super airfare deal with a discounted airline like Spirit Airlines but will lose the entire discount on luggage fees. If you take lots of luggage for an extended vacation, etc, you should make sure to check out in advance the luggage allowances with the airline.
Some airlines only discount you if you use electronic check in. Make sure you understand any special terms.
Last, I want to REPEAT again that you need to be aware of strict refund and exchange policies on airline tickets bought on discounted travel websites. The tickets might be non-refundable and you will lose the entire purchase price of you cancel or can’t make your flight.
By the way, we want to hear from you where you buy your airline tickets! Please take our 2 second poll “Where do yo buy your air travel tickets” here:
We want to wish you happy and save travels.
