PlaneTicket.com - airfare tips from experts

Both Southwest Airlines and United Airlines are offering special fares for traveling through October 28, 2009. For the lowest fares, fly on Tuesday and Wednesday. Offers end May 14, 2009.

If you plane to fly this Spring by May 20, check out these airlines below. They are offering ticket sales right now.

AirTran Airways (offer expires 2/10/2009)
American Airlines
Delta Air Lines (offer expires 2/10/2009)
Southwest Airlines (offer expires 2/19/2009)
United Airlines

New Year Sale from United Airlines is extended through January 16, 2009. Accordingly, American Airlines continues to offer New Year Sale. For best savings, plan to travel from mid-January through March 4.

United is offering New Years sale for travel throughout the U.S., and to Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Book airline tickets by January 7, 2009.

• For travel within the U.S. and to Canada: Travel between January 14 - March 4, 2009.
• For travel to Europe: Travel on Monday - Thursday between January 7 - April 2, 2009
• For travel to Asia: Travel on Monday - Thursday between January 7 - March 31, 2009
• For travel to Australia: Travel between January 14 - April 30, 2009

If one airline offers a sale, usually other competitors follow too offering matching sales. This is good for consumers…

After Southwest’s big sale announcement, American Airlines is now offering matching sales too. You can travel January 6 through March 11, 2009. For best savings, travel Monday through Thursday and Saturday. Tickets must be purchased at least 14 days prior to departure.

Southwest is offering nationwide year-end sale for traveling January 6 through March 11th, 2009. 14-day advance purchase is required. Fares range from $49-$109 one-way for Monday through Thursday, & Saturday flights. Friday and Sunday flight is $59-$159 one-way. If you plan to fly after busy holiday season, this could be a good saving.

Because fare prices may vary depending on where and when you purchase your ticket, we recommend that you do a bit of comparison shopping before you buy. Research takes time but always pays off. When you search for the best price, keep in mind that good fares disappear fast. This is one of the most frequent feedbacks we get from our site visitors. So, if you think it’s a good price for your flight, you might want to book it right away.

Many factors will apply such as supply and demand which influence airfare prices. Competitions also take a big part in fare fluctuations. These are beyond any consumer’s power to control. However, there are some reliable rules to follow when you want to find a good bargain on your flight. What are the rules?
 
Keep in mind that there are two things that all airlines want. They want each seat to be booked at the highest price but at the same time they want all the seats filled. Your fare price really depends on when you buy and from whom you buy.

So, what is the best advice to save money on your next flight? Our recommendation is “know what good price is & shop around”. When you shop around remember these bargain tips. Here are some practical rules to consider when you want to find cheap plane tickets…

Start as far ahead as you can.
When you want to find cheap tickets, time is everything. The real cheap discount airline tickets often sell out very quickly. You might have to pay double the price if you book only a couple of days before your departing day. You may be able to save significantly by booking 21-day advance than booking at the last minute. Remember, last minute shoppers are usually business travelers who are willing to pay much higher price for their seats.

Sometimes, airlines make good discount tickets available toward the end of advance-purchase time limit. But in general, you will have a better chance of finding good bargains if you start looking early.

If you see a good fare to your destination, book it right away.
Do not expect good fares to stay the same. Sale fare price in the beginning of the sale may not be the same as the one toward the end of that sale. Let’s say you came to our site and saw your favorite airline having a big holiday sale. You found a good deal to your destination and the deadline is weeks away. At this point, you may think the price will stay the same all the way until the offer ends, right? You’re probably thinking, it’s a sale so the price will stay the same. Well, our experience tells the story that the price you saw is not guaranteed to stay the same. Let’s hear a real testimony from one of our site visitors.

Stay over Saturday night.
You may be able to save some money by staying over a Saturday night. Why? Business travelers are preferred and ideal customers to airlines because they book seats usually at a short-term notice and they must travel to take care of their business. They are usually willing to pay higher price to get to the destination in time. And many business travelers want to return in the same week usually by Saturday, at the latest. By avoiding times that business travelers prefer, you may save a lot. For example, departing on Monday and returning back in the same week such as on Thursday, Friday or Saturday may cost more than returning on Sunday. You may save even more by returning on Monday rather than returning on Sunday. So, the rule is stay over Saturday night or even the entire weekend. Also, if you are departing on weekends and coming back on the following week days, make sure to compare air fares for Saturday departure and Sunday departure. You may be surprised to find Saturday departure is less expensive in some cases. Again, the rule is staying over Saturday night.

Use off-peak flights and travel on week days.
Lowest fares are usually found in mid-week days such as Tuesday or Wednesday when the traffic is light. This is because most leisure travelers like to get away on weekends. For example, departing Wednesday and returning on the following Wednesday may cost significantly less than Sunday-Sunday round trip. Off-hour flights such as late night or very early in the morning departure may also help. Also fare prices tend to go lower in off seasons. Typical off seasons are mid-January through March and October through mid-December except for thanksgiving weekend. During holiday periods fares are expensive. However you might be able to get a discount plane tickets if you fly on the holiday itself (e.g., Christmas Day).

Use alternate airports and routings.
In a large metropolitan area, the fare could depend on which airport you use for both departure and arrival. Make sure to include all the small local airports when you shop around. Some of these smaller airports are some times located conveniently closer to the metropolitan area. One such example is Midway vs O’Hare airports in Chicago area. So, to get the lowest fare, find out about alternate airports and routings and be flexible with your scheduling.

Check if there is a special discount for certain groups of people.
Sometimes airlines offer special discount for certain groups of people such as senior citizens, students, military families, etc.