Cheap airline tickets are easier to come by now than ever before. With the advent of the Internet, several companies have created a market for helping travelers find the least expensive airfares available for commercial air travel to anywhere. As a matter of fact, buying your tickets directly from a commercial airline may actually be the least economical resort for purchasing airline tickets. Third-party travel sites are usually the most reliable way of finding the cheapest airline tickets. Since these sites purchase blocks of airline seats at discounted wholesale rates, they often sell the seats for rates lower than the airlines do, and still profit. So, booking the cheapest available airline rates isn't difficult. All you have to do is look.
Be as flexible as you can with your airline and cabin preference, departure and arrival dates, and times, if possible. Any one of these factors can make a large difference in the price of any ticket. In most cases, flying Tuesday through Thursday nearly guarantees a cheaper rate. Evening flights can also knock a ticket's price down a notch.
Book flights early. The cheapest rates are usually available three to six weeks prior to a prospective departure date, especially when you are booking through a commercial airline directly.
Turn to the Internet. The Internet has the most purchase options available, which makes window shopping much more convenient. Shop Around. Compare airline ticket prices on third-party travel sites. Orbitz.com, Priceline.com, HotWire.com, CheapFlights.com and Expedia.com are widely known for having discount rates and comparable rates on airline tickets, regardless of whether you book early or at the last minute.
Try the discount airline hubs. Although most do not fly to all cities like the main commercial airlines, you could find some of the cheapest airline tickets with hubs like JetBlue, Southwest, and AirTran. Sometimes, tickets as low as $29 are available.
Pay attention to rate changes if you purchase early. There are cases when a rate may drop even after you book early if a flight is not filling up as fast as usual. If this is the case, ask for a refund or cancel the ticket and rebook your flight. While these rate changes may not always come with a whopping refund, it does make a big difference.
Use frequent flier miles if you have them. Frequent flier miles can be a lifesaver. They can knock a small amount off a ticket price or even cover a flight's full price if you have enough miles. Always check your frequent flier miles before purchasing airline tickets.
Book at the last minute. If you can't buy early, buying late isn't always a bad thing. All third-party travel sites, and select commercial airline sites, offer last minute rates when a plane is close to full. Depending on the flight and time, rates can drop up to 60 percent.
