Book well in advance. Travelers can who purchase a ticket several weeks or even months before they travel can find major deals on airline flights. A tourist who can commit to an airline is a valued customer. Booking in advance allows you to get access to lower prices. Read the fine print on any ticket you buy. Find out what restrictions apply in case you get sick or the destination experiences bad weather.
Travel standby. Standby travelers purchase a ticket but have no guarantees that they will be allowed on a flight. A standby ticket can cost far less than a regular ticket. Standby flights are ideal for the traveler without a set time frame. If you are a student who has the summer off or a retired senior on your way to see the country of your grandparents, standby travel can be the perfect solution.
Work with a travel agent. In the age of Internet bookings, a travel agent can still be one of your most vital allies. Travel agents understand the rules of airline travel thoroughly. A travel agent can work with consolidators and charter flights directly on your behalf and even negotiate with airlines for you. Some airlines will reserve specific tickets for travel agents who do a lot of business with them at reduced prices. A travel agent can pass these savings on to you.
Remain flexible. Avoid staying wedded to a specific time or even a day or date. An airline deal might require you to book a red eye flight, travel in the middle of the week or early in the morning. Even if you must travel on a specific day, if you can be flexible about exactly when you want to leave or arrive, you can find an airline deal.
Use less popular airports. Many cities and metropolitan areas have more than one airport. Flying to an airport that is a bit farther from your actual destination can save you money. Investigate options to get to you to final destination. Even an out of the way airport may have good rail service to midtown or easily available taxis.
Work with online travel consolidators. A travel consolidator is a website devoted to helping users find discounted travel. Many allow you to input data about your starting point, desired destination and preferred time of arrival and departure. Once you've filled in the fields in question, a list of possible airline trips will pop up. You can read each offer carefully and decide which one you like. If you don't like any of the deals offered, you can change the parameters of your request and get different results. Putting in different times or even dates may yield highly significant discounts. Compare and contrast various options to decide which one you prefer.
