Plan on buying tickets as far away from the date you need them (at least three months), or as close as possible to the date (within four to five days). The airlines and discount travel sites prefer to book flights well in advance. However, if a lot of seats are empty close to the departure time, the airlines will offer lower prices since any ticket fee is better than none at all.
Book a midweek flight if possible. Ticket prices are generally cheaper at that time.
Do a check of all of the major discount travel sites, such as Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia. Keep track of the best site on each site and check it against the price posted on the website of the airline. Take that price to Priceline.com, where you may be able to bid for an even cheaper price.
Some organizations offer discount travels deals as a benefit of membership. Students may also find similar benefits with airlines or private organizations.
