Cutting Costs on Flights
Cutting costs on flights can put big money in your pocket. Best of all saving money on flights can be easy and fast. Here is how to cut costs on flights-
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- Use an internet aggregator-These are search engines that will go across several sites to find the best flight for you at most importantly the cheapest price. Aggregators will check airfares for many different airlines. They do not generally charge a fee but instead rely on affiliate hotel deals and on-site advertising to make their money. These are historically the best bets for finding airfare that will cut your travel costs. While the amount of money you will save will vary widely from flight to flight (keep in mind that popular flights are usually less discounted) you will be able to view the cheapest flight and then pocket the difference. In addition you should know that while some people may tout the benefits one aggregator over another travel experts recommend trying several and then focusing on using the one you like best. Popular flight aggregators include: Farechase, Kayak, Sidestep and Farecast.
- Internet booking engines-Traditional booking engines check multiple websites and take a small fee (usually about $6 in addition to the price of the flight). They then process the sale on behalf of the airline and keep the fee. These web sites offer better discounts than the airlines themselves and travel experts recommend using them over contacting the airlines directly. Examples of internet booking engines are: Travelocity, Orbitz and Expedia.
- Discount airlines-Spirit Airlines, Jet Blue and Southwest are three of the most popular discount airlines. Travel experts recommend that if you find a flight on any booking engine, check the airline's own site so see if you can get it for the same price minus the booking fee. An important note here is that these airlines are a subset of carriers who do not play nice and do not always offer their fares up to aggregators. You usually have to check their sites individually.
- Be flexible on your travel dates-While this does not work every time it pays to be flexible if you can. If you can fly during off-peak times you can save anywhere from 20-50% depending on your destination. Travelers should understand that this usually means less than peak weather or services where you are gong but if you can give up a little you can save a lot. Keep in mind that too that a benefit of traveling off-peak means less crowds and lines when you reach your destination.
- Be flexible where fly into. Certain airports (larger and more popular) charge more to land planes on their runways. The airport costs are then passed onto you the flyer. If you are flexible enough to fly into a nearby airport (for example: Los Angeles has 5 airports in close proximity) you can save up to 10-15% off the price of your ticket.
- Be flexible about how many times you land and when you fly. While flying direct is always the easiest if you do not mind landing (and switching planes) you can save considerably. Airlines want to load up every plane so if you are willing to put up with a layover (or two) you can find your ticket much cheaper. Think of it as an adventure you are seeing more cities as you go! In addition if you consider flying at night, on a holiday (especially Thanksgiving or Christmas) or any other time that is not considered "convenient" you can save up to 25% of your of ticket. Picking a time that no one else wants to fly can save you big bucks that can go straight into your pocket.
