How To Get Amazingly Cheap Airfares Without Needing To Be A Travel Agent

While everything you need in order to book a cheap flight is available in this free report, I have created several more reports that give even more tips about having a fabulous vacation at a budget price.

These reports give you great resources on things such as: getting a hotel room at the top hotels for a minimal price, discount cruises, island vacations, and even more cheap airfare tips.  They can be found directly to your right, under “Categories”. These reports are only available for a limited time. Click here to get more information.

Now…here’s the scoop about the best way to get cheap airfare.

If one wanted to travel via airplane many years ago, the cost was so prohibitive that airplanes were only meant for celebrities or the very rich.  Today, you can pay for this type of travel with a day or two of your regular 9 to 5 job.

When purchasing an airlines ticket on the Internet, you may think that you have found the lowest price but you should still comparison shop.  If you think you have found a great deal, take action.  It would be wise to book the best value, fully-refundable fare early, but continue looking for a better fare.

If you work through an agent, always specify that you are looking for the “lowest fare possible”.  There are often specials which are not classified as “economy” or “APEX.”  In addition, some agents – even so called “budget specialists” – are not motivated or competent enough to find the lowest fare.

Note: APEX stands for Advance Purchase Excursion.  Airlines and the majority of travel agents use this as the typical discount ticket.  Generally, these tickets require a seven to 30 day advance purchase, seven day minimum stay, and a 30-60 day maximum stay.  Any changes or cancellations are charged hefty fees and round trip is a requirement.

If you are open to this option, look into the possibility of a connecting flight.  Airlines often charge much more for non-stop flights and if this is not essential for you, you will likely save a ton of money with connecting flights.

Additionally, airlines tend to charge higher for flights that depart during “non-extreme” times, i.e., times that do not leave very early in the morning or very late at night.  Similarly, if you can fly during extreme times, (anytime that isn’t between 9 AM and 5 PM) you can save money.

You have probably heard this one before but aim for smaller, alternative airports – such as Oakland vs. SFO for better deals.  I much prefer the smaller airports as a general rule.  Airfare is cheaper, parking is easier and cheaper, and there’s less real estate for me to navigate while rushing to my gate.

Many people report that they get the best deals directly from the airlines.  Some airlines allow you to sign-up on their website and they notify you via e-mail when they are having special money saving deals.

Southwest.com offers a similar service, which they call DING!  This is downloadable software that you can find here:

www.southwest.com/ding/

Once the DING! software is installed, you can choose up to ten airports and you will get live updates straight to your desktop of the latest Southwest airfare deals.

Lastly, make sure that you understand the difference between “direct and non-stop flights”.  Unlike non-stops, direct flights can touch down at other airports along the way.

What is Shoulder Season?

The travel industry has a term, “Shoulder Season” that defines the period between high season and low season.  This is when you get the greatest deals, the least amount of crowds, and near-perfect weather.  Another benefit is that the locals will seem friendlier too!  During high season, locals usually get annoyed with all the tourists.  But if you visit their town during off-peak dates, you will have more of a chance of a warm welcome.

Here’s a breakdown of Shoulder Season for some popular tourist destinations:

Early March – Hawaii, Rio de Janeiro

Mid March – Ireland

Early April – North American Rockies, European Alps, Australian Outback

Mid April – European Cities, The Caribbean, Mexico Riviera

Early May – Japan

Mid May – Mediterranean Cruising, Great Barrier Reef

Early June – Thailand, Baja California

Early September – Hawaii, Montana, South Africa, Denali National park, Cape Cod, Southern Caribbean, Marrakech, Iceland, Cape Town

Early October – Mediterranean Resorts, Dubai, Madrid, London, Nova Scotia, Greek Islands

Mid October – Vancouver Island, Washington D.C., Los Angeles

Early November – Tahiti, Fiji, South Pacific, Colorado Ski Country, Costa Rica, Buenos AIres, Paris, Beijing, Thailand’s Andaman Coast

Mid November – The Caribbean, Mexico’s Riviera

Early December – North American Rockies, European Alps, Costa Rica

Note: High Season isn’t only weather related, you should avoid local holidays and days when major conventions are in town.  During these times, airfare and hotels will be at a premium and you will likely face big crowds.

Large Internet Travel Sites

Kayak.com : This was named one of the top sites for finding the cheapest plane tickets in the United States.  It is especially useful if you are flexible with your travel dates.  Try Kayak’s flexible date search tool.

Travelocity.com : This is the largest, from AMR, the parent of SABRE and American Airlines

Expedia.com : A successful travel site from Microsoft

Priceline.com : A popular website where you tell them how much you want to pay and then they will search the airlines to see if there is a seat in your price range.  You cannot choose the time you fly but you can pick the date.  This website is especially great for flexible travelers who can give a range of travel dates and are open to staying in a few different neighborhoods in major cities.

Itn.net : This company works with local travel agents and is the front for many travel agencies such as CNN.

AmericanExpress.com/travel : American Express travel agency

Hotwire.com : You can make reservations for airfare, hotel rooms, and rental cars via this company.  You do not know hotel name, airline, or flight information until after purchase.  Hotwire has a monitoring service called TripWatcher.  You just have to join (free) and they will perform several price searches per day.  Once the price drops to the price that you have specified, they will send you an e-mail with the details.

Orbitz.com : This popular company has comprehensive route and fare information.

Dohop.com : This website offers a flight planner that finds cheap flights and low cost connections from over 600 airlines.

Yapta.com : This website finds a flight at the price you want, then it tracks it after you have bought it.  If the fare drops, you may get a refund.  This is certainly a nice feature because most of us won’t track airfare prices after we’ve purchased the ticket.  Yapta is innovative and has been featured on Oprah, The New York Times, and WSJ.com.  They are presently the industry leader for fare tracking – Google currently incorporates Yapta’s data in its search results.

Budget and Student Experts

Most of these companies do not require student status.  They specialize in providing inexpensive airfare.

Statravel.com : STA has over 200 offices in ten countries, including 20 in the United States.  Formerly known as Student Travel Australia.

CIEE.org : Also known as Council Travel.  They are experts in student and budget travel and have dozens of offices in the U.S.

Travelcuts.com : Canadian Universities Travel Service.  They have dozens of offices in Canada.

Bucket Shops, Discounters, and Consolidators

Airlines know when seats will be empty so they discount these seats to travel agencies known as Bucket Shops, Discounters, and/or Consolidators.  People who are only willing to fly inexpensively are customers of these travel agencies.

Airbrokers.com : They do not provide fares to any destination on the American continent. They do not provide economy class fares to Europe, only business class. And for departures within one month or for priority service, you MUST provide a phone number and the full names of all travelers.

Cheaptickets.com : They’ve been in business since 1986.  They used to specialize in domestic flights but currently sell international tickets as well.

Lowestfare.com : The Lowestfare.com Web site is owned and operated by priceline.com

International Airlines That Offer Great Deals

AirAsia.com : This is one of the largest inexpensive carriers.  They cover over 65 cities in 18 countries.  There are rumors that they will be adding service to JFK and LAX in the near future.

VAustralia.com : Owned by Sir Richard Branson, they have service from LAX to Sydney and other major hubs in Australia.

Westjet.com : This is Canada’s low-cost pioneer, with over 66 destinations in 11 North American and Caribbean countries.

Volaris.com.mx : This low-priced airlines is based in Mexico City.  They travel to LAX and OAK and also connect to Cancun and other hot, vacation spots.  Don’t be alarmed when visiting this site.  It is initially in Spanish but there’s an “English” button that you can select and everything is translated to English.

Adolescent Airlines

These are the youngsters of the airlines world who are giving the big boys a run for their money.  You have probably heard about large airlines such as Delta, who dropped services out of major airports last year.  Smaller and younger airlines have successfully taken their place.

These upstarts take some getting used to.  For one, flights may not be frequent – some fly only a few times a week per airport.  Also, some of these companies may not have staff at all airports.  So if you are flying and need a question answered by the airlines staff, you will have to contact them via telephone rather than go to the customer service counter at the airport.  Most importantly, these small airlines have been known to go out of business, such as Skybus.  Pay your airfare with a credit card so you are protected if the airline disappears.

Allegiantair.com : This airline has been in business for over ten years.  Their major travel destination cities include: Las Vegas, NV, Phoenix-Mesa, AZ, Orlando, FL, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Tampa Bay-St. Petersburg, FL, Bellingham, WA, Southwest Florida Coast, Los Angeles, CA.  Allegiant also flies to many smaller, local airports which are listed on their website.

Visitdirectair.com : Direct Air now nonstop flights to Myrtle Beach from Niagara Falls, New York City (Newark), Pittsburgh, Montreal/Plattsburgh, Columbus, Worcester, and Springfield/Central IL. Fly direct to Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda from Worcester, Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Plattsburgh, Springfield/Central IL, Rockford and Niagara Falls, or to Orlando/Sanford from Kalamazoo and Worcester.  An interesting fact about Direct Air is that it leases Virgin America planes so passengers get the benefit of reclining leather seats and watching movies on touch-screen seat-back TVs.

Flyporter.com : This is a Toronto-based airline that serves the following areas: Boston, Chicago, Halifax, Montréal, Mt Tremblant, Myrtle Beach, New York, Ottawa, Québec City, St. John’s, NL, Thunder Bay, and Toronto.

Usa3000.com : USA3000 Airlines was voted one of top 10 domestic carriers by readers of Travel+Leisure magazine and Condé Nast magazine.  They serve the following areas: Baltimore, Bermuda, Cancun, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Cozumel, Detroit, Fort Myers, Huatulco, La Romana, Montego Bay, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, San Jose Del Cabo, St. Louis, Zihuatanejo,

Before You Book

Now that you have found the best fare, you want a good seat.  Go to seatguru.com and check out the seating on your airplane prior to accepting a seat assignment.  Seatguru.com will tell you which seats have the most leg room or elbow room, as well as which seats to avoid.

Get Your Money Back

OK, you’ve done your homework finding the lowest price.  Don’t ya hate it when a week or two after you’ve booked that awesome flight, you see an advertised price for even cheaper on the same flight?

Major U.S. airlines have policies that qualify you for refund if fare goes down.  Yapta.com has free airfare tracking service which emails you when airfare dips.

Orbitz.com has Price Assurance program, if another Orbitz customer books same itinerary for less money you automatically get a check for difference.

Both sites have similar programs for hotel stays.

Travelocity.com has PriceGuardian geared toward air/hotel and car/hotel packages.  They automatically refund your credit card up to $500 if another travelocity customer books same itinerary for less.

Speed Through Security

OK, now you have your cheap airline ticket and a fabulous seat; you’ve arrived at the airport only to see a humungous line at airport security.  Don’t let this happen to you.  Prior to arriving at the airport, check out the Transportation Security Administration’s website:

waittime.tsa.dhs.gov.

This site lists security checkpoints at every U.S. airport and lists the wait times by the hour.

Generally, horseshoe shaped airports have several screening points.  Just make sure the terminals all connect beyond security and you can enter through the least busy line and head to your gate.

If your airport has one central security, the lines on the outer edges are normally shorter.

If your airport has an attached hotel, the hotel often has a security entrance but anyone can use it.

Odds & Ends

• Purchase a few local newspapers when you are traveling.  You will love to look at them once you are home, they are great conversation starters, and they are even great to use as giftwrap.
• Purchase some local postcards and fill them with information about where to eat, stay, shop, etc. and then mail it home.  These are fun to put in your scrap book or to share travel information with friends.
• For lumbar support when riding on an airplane, pack Ziplock double-zip freezer bags in your carry on bag.  When seated, blow air into bag and use for lumbar support.
• Time saver: When my traveling partner and I arrive at airport, one goes to car rental company while the other picks up luggage.  The person with the luggage is waiting curbside for person who picks up in rental car.
• When my spouse and I fly, one of us orders a special meal (diabetic, vegetarian, etc.).  The special meal usually arrive at the beginning of meal service so one person can eat while other watches kids.  Then when rest of food comes, other person takes turns watching the kids/helping them with their food.
• Southwest encourages large passengers, i.e., “customers of size” to book two seats.  If you do this and the flight isn’t sold out, you can request a refund by contacting Southwest Customer Relations.

In Closing

We’ve reached the end of this report.  I hope you find the information useful and that you will take action on it.  These tips and tricks work very well – you just have to do it.  By doing so, you will be on your way to enjoying a terrific vacation at a fabulous price.

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