Booking Flights

[Nazran]

I am not well traveled and the only 'trick' I know for cheap airfare is to book in advance and do multi-stop tickets. What are some other tips to get cheap airfare? Flying on certain days, times of years, etc?

I really would only be interested in non stop flights and chances are I would be booking 6+ months in advance.

 

[bnk1120]

We usually fly Southwest. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest (I think). The cheapest tix sell out fast though at holidays and busy times -which is usually when we're flying. We got a great deal in May- $59 each way from Buffalo to Orlando.

 

[DisneyDadNY]

If Southwest is an option for you I would go to their website and download their DING program. This program lets you know when super cheap (normally anyway) fares are released for specific cities you choose. My last trip I got a DING fare from Albany, NY to MCO for 47.00 per person. I ended up paying 615.00 total for roundtrip tickets for a family of 5. The only down side is the special fares usually come out close to the dates they will be valid for.

I usually buy my tickets as soon as they are available (Currently 99.00 per person each way for my December trip) and then keep checking the SW site and DING for cheaper fares. I may end of having credits at SW but that just means I need to plan another trip.

 

[hygienejean]

If Southwest is an option for you I would go to their website and download their DING program. This program lets you know when super cheap (normally anyway) fares are released for specific cities you choose. My last trip I got a DING fare from Albany, NY to MCO for 47.00 per person. I ended up paying 615.00 total for roundtrip tickets for a family of 5. The only down side is the special fares usually come out close to the dates they will be valid for.

I usually buy my tickets as soon as they are available (Currently 99.00 per person each way for my December trip) and then keep checking the SW site and DING for cheaper fares. I may end of having credits at SW but that just means I need to plan another trip.

If you find a DING fare do you call SW customer service and have them hamble the credits? OR do you book the Ding fare online first and then call Customer service? Thanks, I am not sure how this works.....

 

[DisneyDadNY]

All I do is cancel my existing flights - this leave me with a credit on southwest.com and then I quickly buy the DING fare tickets. Some classes of SW tickets will allow you to get a refund but since I only buy the cheap internet fares I always end up with a credit that I use for a future trip.

 

[nsudisneyrep]

I always check travel sites like expedia or travelocity first and see who is the cheapest, then I go to the carriers website and check rates because it is usually cheaper directly through the carrier. Also don't forget airlines that aren't in the searches through expedia like Frontier, Jet Blue, and Air Tran... I have found some cheap ones through Air Tran lately.

Be flexible with dates if possible, that gets you low rates as well, I have found traveling on Tuesday or Thursday to be cheapest... just be flexible if possible and that can get you some low rates! Good luck

 

[fishfish]

Here are 3 sites I've been using to find cheaper flights:

yapta.com - let's you track the price of flights you may want to take (including southwest)

farecast.com & farecompare.com - both sites provide historical pricing so you can determine when the current price is at a low and you should buy it