Wanderlust World Wanderlust World With the widespread use of the Internet, the travel agent is no longer the best source for cheap plane tickets. Instead, travelers are left to their own devices to buy plane tickets for domestic and foreign trips. With a few simple strategies, travelers can find the best prices for their desired itineraries.
Plane ticket prices tend to increase as travel dates get closer; the ticket that was $300 in March might be $500 three months later. In general, the cheapest times to fly to any destination are in that country's off-season. The most expensive plane tickets to Europe are in May-August, and the cheapest are often in January and February. During holidays, ticket prices also increase. Search a variety of dates to be sure that the plane ticket price will not drop significantly if you leave a few days earlier or later.
The best time to start searching for plane tickets online is the moment you have a general idea of your itinerary. Because ticket prices change over time, you will be able to get a sense of the general trend, and will therefore be able to spot the best bargain. Search several websites to get an idea of the trend; trustworthy sites are Kayak, Expedia and Orbitz. With that base price established, you can continue to run searches over the coming days and weeks; prices can change based on time of day, day of week and day of month.
Take advantage of online search engine features. Kayak, for example, allows you to search up to three days before and after your departure and arrival dates. Both Kayak and Orbitz allow you to sign up for email alerts for a given itinerary, which will send you an email when the price for a plane ticket drops below a certain price.
Online plane ticket search engines are powerful because they allow passengers to run specific searches or general searches. This capability allows you to plan your itinerary down to the last detail, from departure and arrival times to specific airplane seats. It also allows you to compare search engines for the best prices on plane tickets.
When searching for plane tickets, you will get the best price if you are flexible. Consider flying into alternate cities and on alternate dates. A round-trip ticket from Chicago to Dublin is often cheaper than a round-trip ticket from Chicago to London, and the two cities are located a quick ferry or in-country flight from each other. You might also consider multicity options, which allow you to fly into one city and out of the other. This is particularly effective if you want to avoid the additional cost of traveling back to your arrival airport.