Looking for good airfare? here are some tips...:)

[Esmerelda]

I have read many posts lately with questions on how to find good airfare.

There are some good sites out there and I will share a few of them with you.

Sidestep.com (all but Southwest are on on here)

Bestfares.com (go to quickfare finder down left column of page)
(according to Tom Parsons, airfare changes are usually at 3pm, I'm not sure of what other time he lists but there is another)

go to Travelocity or Expedia and set up fare watchers. They will come directly to your email every time the airfare you are watching changes!

Be flexible...some times just by changing your dates of departure and return can make a huge price difference.

When you find a good airfare....jump on it!! This stuff changes as fast as Wall Street does!! I just found Indy too MCO non-stop last week for $118 RT each for October on SW...yippeeeeeeeee..!!

happy planning,
Esmerelda <former travel agent in anther life..for now still in medical field

 

[Esmerelda]

I went to Bestfares...did a quickfare finder from Baltimore to Orlando....look at what I found...


http://quickfares.bestfares.com/qui...partureCode=BWI&ArrivalCode=MCO&o=DBWI&d=AMCO


hope my link worked....thats 4 different airlines that show Baltimore for $97 RT...thats great!!!! You just have to watch how long the airfare is good for...and what are the rules ie: dates of flying...etc.


Esmerelda

 

[disneydebi]

Actually, SWA is on Sidestep... they just havent released dates past 10/29 yet.
I did see them on there for earlier dates however

 

[Lewisc]

The airlines only have a limited number of seats available for the deeply discounted fares. If you see a great fare BOOK IT. If you go back the next day (or even just an hour later) there may not be any more seats available at that fare.

Know what's a good fare; from NY anything under $200 is good and anything under $150 is great. Great fares sell out fast.

 

[PRaffen]

Esmeralda - I was nervous about using best fare. What has your experience been booking one of their fares?

What bothered me is the US Air flight they advertised, was not listed on the US airways website flight schedule.

Just wondered what your experience was. Thanks.

 

[NotUrsula]

Bestfares is a membership agency; if you want to book through them you have to pay to join. However, when they actually list airfares and identify the airline, you should be able to go to that airline's website and find the same fare. If you can't find the flights, then that fare is on a chartered aircraft, and you have to buy through Bestfares.

The best comparison site I know of for specific dates is itasoftware.com. You cannot buy through them, but the engine is super-flexible for allowing you to explore ways to save on a given itinerary. SWA is on itasoftware. Once you see something that looks good, click on it to get all the details, then go to the airline's website and specify exactly the same flight details. It almost always works. The cool thing about this site is that it will even show itineraries that combine OW flights on 2 different airlines.

If you are wide open and just starting to make plans, using the flexible dates feature on Travelocity. It will give you a low price that is available *sometime* in the range of dates you specify, and then lead you to the possible dates and flights you can choose to get that fare. They may not be your first-choice dates, but if price is a dealbreaker, you need to go with the dates that will give you the deal. If SWA is in your market, always compare to see if they can beat these deals for the dates offered.

 

[Esmerelda]

thanks NotUrsula...I'd forgotten about itasoftware.com also. I have so many sites downloaded even I can't keep up.

PRaffen, I have used Bestfares in the past many times. While at current I am not a paying customer, I still do use their quickfare finder to help out. I have never had problems with their rates...its just some of the airlines I won't use due to personal bad experiences. (I did neglect to point out that at the bottom of the quickfare finder is "members only" quotes...so if you are not a paying member, those won't help) All other areas are open to anyone. Just watch your dates of expiration. Sometimes there will be a great fare listed starting today and ending June 15 so if you are traveling in those dates....jump on it!! To answer your question: if I've seen something listed on Besfares that the actual website does not, I would just call US Air and give them the fare code and see if they have it. This has worked for me in the past.

DisneyDebi...thanks...somehow I overlooked SW on Sidestep...its a great travel tool!!! I use it all the time.

hope this helps someone save a buck!!
Esmerelda <frugal yet nutty single mother of two...

 

[Lewisc]

Originally posted by NotUrsula
Bestfares is a membership agency; if you want to book through them you have to pay to join. However, when they actually list airfares and identify the airline, you should be able to go to that airline's website and find the same fare. If you can't find the flights, then that fare is on a chartered aircraft, and you have to buy through Bestfares.

Some of the fares Bestfares list are consolidator fares similar to cheap tickets. Those fares may not be available on the airlines website.

I've read posts of non-members being allowed to book the tickets. Bestfares still gets their commission. Basically the person said they were going to join (or were thinking of joining) and was allowed to book the tickets.

 

[Chicago526]

all of the above AND call a travel agent. Many agents can meet or beat web fares (not always but it's worth checking) and then you can book with a person and not a dot com. Web fares can be (not always but it can happen) so restrictive that you cannot make any changes, or changes are permitted but the change fee is higher than the standard fee for a ticket bought through the airline or an agent.

At any rate, if the agent finds a better deal, great. If not, you can still book online and it only cost you a 5 minute phone call.