Tips and Advice on Finding Budget Airfare and Flights
Use a Good Online Airfare Engine
You should start by getting a baseline for the cost of your flight by checking a with a booking engine like for example like CheapTickets or whichever is your favorite as they will list all the airlines, with a few exceptions like Southwest or more budget carriers, to see what the current prices are. Then if you have a preferred airline you go to that airline directly and compare the rates
Know What a Cheap Price Is
You need to be able to recognize a good price, so that you can buy the ticket whenever you see that great airfare rate. If you don’t know that $150 is a good price from say Miami to New York, then you’ll never know if the price you see is a worth it or not, and you’ll just be buying without really knowing.
Be Flexible with Your Travel Dates
Tickets are usually more expensive during peak travel times and during peak travel seasons. If you can adjust your travel plans to take advantage of “off” times, days, and seasons, or search over a period of time rather than for specific days and times, you’re far more likely to find the best price you can get.
Set Airfare Price Alerts
These are amazing for those who are flexible. They tell you when the price of a flight has gone down allowing you to take full advantage of low fares. Pick your favorite destinations and maybe some farfetched one and set up an alert – you might find some amazing deals.
Fly Budget Airlines
If you can travel light and don’t really need the amenities that these “full service” airlines offer you can save some big money.
Booking your Flights Certain Days
Trying getting flight on Tuesdays, and Thursdays and look at red-eye flights are two quick ways to save money
Avoid School Vacation, Holidays and Special Events
If you’re not traveling with children then I suggest flying outside of the school vacation breaks. You will save tons of money. The same hold true for travel during the holiday seasons and special events like the Olympics, World Cup etc.
Avoid Direct Flights
There is a good chance you can save money by flying with multiple airlines and/or doing a short stop in a airlines hub city. Keep in mind though that if you are flying different airlines, it is not the airline’s responsibility to help you out if your flight is delayed and you miss your second (or God forbid third) flight.