Sign up for newsletters and alerts on several airline websites. The main goal of an airline is to fill every seat on a plane, even if they cannot do so at full price.
Look for red-eye flights or flights when most people are busy at school and work. When there is less traffic, you are bound to find better deals.
Call the airline to ask for specials, deals and discounts. Specify that you would like the cheapest possible flight. If you get the regular economy seat price, call again the next day. Monitor changes, as prices likely will go down when the flight date approaches.
Bookmark flights on several Internet travel sites, such as Travelocity, Expedia, Priceline, Orbitz and Hotwire. When you bookmark flights on these sites, they will show you their ticket prices compared to several other sources, making your research easier.
Mark a flight and wait for e-mail alerts. As the flight date approaches, these websites will alert you to price drops. The closer you come to the flight date, the cheaper the ticket typically will be.
Search these same sites for car rentals. If you plan to drive while in Los Angeles, these sites may offer cars at the best daily rates.
Calculate the cost of driving to Los Angeles. Remember to use gas prices on your route, the total miles from your house to the hotel, and the amount of miles your car gets per gallon of gas. Also include oil change and maintenance costs if the drive is long enough to warrant this.
Compare this cost to renting a car by removing maintenance costs. Look for rental car deals on the Internet travel sites listed above.
Shop for Greyhound tickets instead of flying or driving. Greyhound offers cheaper tickets to kids, seniors, veterans, active military personnel, companion riders and students. If you are traveling at an unpopular time of the year, Greyhound tickets may be even cheaper than usual.
