Finding cheap airline tickets is almost an art. The more inventive you are, the better your chances of landing a great deal. Always try to be flexible: If you’re used to flying with the same airline all the time, it might be time to look somewhere else. And if you usually buy your tickets through a travel agency, changing to online shopping can make all the difference.
Flying on weekends or mid-morning will cost you, as these tend to be the most expensive times to fly. If you’re traveling inside the U.S., the cheapest days to fly are Wednesdays, Tuesdays and Saturdays, in that order, according to Fare Compare. Flying midweek is cheaper because most people are working, so flights tend to be emptier. Flying on Saturday is cheaper because it cuts the weekend in half, and most people who are going away for the weekend will travel on Friday. Early- morning or late-night flights are also cheaper because most people don’t want to get up at 4 a.m. or arrive at their destination at 10 p.m.
Use websites such as Travelocity, Priceline or Orbitz to compare ticket prices. The best way to get great bargains is to click the box that says “flexible dates.” This will give you different options based around the date you enter. Sometimes a single day can mean a difference of hundreds of dollars, especially if the date falls into the change of season or peak period. Once you’ve found a good offer, always check the airline’s website to see if its price for the same date is lower.
If you have time to buy your ticket and can afford to play the waiting game, use a website that allows you to enter information about your itinerary and will then track changes in airfare prices, sending you an email alert every time the price goes up or down for your chosen itinerary. If you see a significant reduction, you can book the flight. This saves you the time of having to check regularly for ticket prices, hoping you’ll find a good price.
When you buy your ticket is almost as important as when you’ll use it. Tickets tend to be cheaper earlier in the week, according to ABC News. So searching for airfare on a Monday or Tuesday in the mid-afternoon will result in lower prices than searching over the weekend. Prices tend to go up as the weekend approaches, which is when most people will take the time to search for flights.
