Getting the best deal on Airfares

I came across these good tips for getting the best airfares at TheStreet.com.

Be Flexible

Flexibility in your travel plans will go a long way in helping you find cheap airline tickets. Here's a look at some of the considerations:

Departure times: Most people don't like to fly in the very early morning or on "red eye" overnight flights, but sometimes airlines need to schedule these times to get their planes to a different destination. If you are willing to fly at odd hours, you may be able to save some money on your ticket.

Days: If you don't have to arrive or return on specific days, then you can usually get a better rate flying on a day that is less crowded (usually Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays). Many of the top travel sites allow you to factor in a window of a few days into the travel dates you search. If you do find a better deal on one day over another, be sure to take all factors into account. If you save $50 by flying in on a Wednesday instead of a Thursday, but then have to pay an extra $100 for a hotel room and have to rent a car for an extra day, you can actually end up losing money.

Booking windows: The earlier that you know you will need a ticket, the better chance you'll have of getting the best price. Airlines have booking windows of 21 days, 14 days and seven days in advance of a travel day. Ticket prices usually increase when these windows come and go. In addition, if you want to use frequent flier miles to get your ticket, you must reserve as far ahead as possible, since getting these seats is quite competitive.

Alternate airports: Smaller airports on the outskirts of cities often are less expensive to fly into and out of than the main airport. This is the concept the new airline Skybus, which offers ten $10 tickets on every flight, uses. Check prices at all the airports near your departure city and arrival destination to find the best fare. Again, be sure to do the cumulative calculations. If you save $50 on the ticket, but the extra travel costs to and from the smaller airport exceed this, then you really aren't saving money.

Time: If you're not on a tight schedule, sometimes flights with stopovers will be less expensive than direct flights. This will mean you'll have to spend more time traveling to your destination, in exchange for a less expensive fare. Be sure to calculate what your time is worth. If you're saving $25, but spending five extra hours getting to your destination, it probably doesn't make sense to get the lower fare. Also be aware that stopovers will increase the chances that your luggage gets lost or delayed, possibly costing you more time and money.

Let's Make a Deal

Once you have determined how flexible you can be, it's time to start hunting for the best ticket prices. Unfortunately, this will take some digging. It is worthwhile doing each of the following steps in order to find the best price.

Comparison Web sites: Your first step should be to head to the main airline comparison sites, such as Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity. They do a good job keeping up with the latest fares, but they don't list all the airlines. Prices may even vary between these sites.

Airline aggregators: These sites look for the best deals from among all the travel sites. Some of the ones you may want to try are Booking Buddy, Cheap Flights, Fare Chase, Kayak and Mobissomo.

Airline Web sites: Once you have found the best deal from the main comparison sites and the aggregators, visit that airline's Web site directly. Since the comparison sites charge booking fees to make their money, you can often find the same ticket on the airline's site at a cheaper price. Also check the Web sites of discount airlines like Southwest Airlines and JetBlue, which are not available on the comparison sites. As mentioned above, Skybus is the newest player in the discount airline business. All flights must be booked through its Web site.

Travel Once you have found what you believe to be the best ticket price, contact a travel agency to see if they can come up with an even better one. If you find a good travel agent, it's surprising the number of times they can find something that you missed in your own searches.

Travel packages: If you are going to need a hotel and rental car once you reach your destination, be sure to compare the cost of bundling them with airfare in a travel package. Such packages often will offer a price less than you can get by securing all of these needs individually, even at the best prices.

By understanding that there is no one place that will get you the best price on a ticket and taking time to search various options, depending on your flexibility, you will greatly increase your chance of securing the best price on your airline tickets in the future.