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12 Strategies to Finding
Killer Airfare Deals
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#9 Don't
Forget the Airline Websites!
Do not overlook the obvious.
Believe it or not, some of the most fantastic deals can be found on
the websites of the actual airlines. Even if you find a deal
on a travel site, check the same exact flight on the airline
website. Most of the time the airfare will be cheaper.
Research which airlines fly from
your local airports and add their sites to a favorite places folder.
Most of the airline websites have a page for web specials or
unadvertised deals. Add that page to your daily research
folder. If you keep everything organized, the research will
not be that much work.
#10 Miles
Programs!
Miles programs are an excellent way
of extending your travel dollar. Even if you're just a
once-in-a-while traveler, you should be taking full advantage of these programs.
We're not going to go into too much
detail here, but below are a few tips regarding airline mileage
programs:
- Stick with One Airline.
It serves no purpose if you accrue 30,000 miles with 3
different airlines (10,000 each) when a domestic, round-trip
flight might cost 25,000 miles. Plus, more miles with
a specific carrier could mean upgraded status meaning you would
be eligible for a host of other benefits and rewards.
- If you are disciplined
with credit cards, obtain a credit card from the airline
where you are a miles member. You can receive 20,000
to 30,000 miles as a bonus just for obtaining the card which is already
one trip.
- Thoroughly read the rules
of your mileage program, specifically the section on
different ways to earn miles. Some will give you miles
for every purchase and more when purchases are made from
certain supermarkets, electronics stores, florists, etc.
Remember, it's all about adding miles.
- Most landlords and mortgage
lenders will not accept payments by credit card, but look into
it. If yours does, it could mean a bonanza of miles.
- Don't waste miles on airfare
that you can normally get at a good price.
#11
Flight and Hotel Packages!
It's always a good idea to try
running flight and hotel together. Most of the sites refer to
this as "vacation packages." Just click that link and give it
a shot. Sometimes you will find airfare and hotel are cheaper
than airfare alone. It's rare, but it does happen.
#12 Buy
Early!
The age old question of "when is
the best time to buy plane tickets" still remains unanswered.
Sometimes it can be a very tough call, and once in a while you will
see airfare go down after you have already purchased tickets.
However, the worse thing you can do
is wait too long. Once in a while you can find decent last
minute airfare, but you can also get burned and burned badly,
especially if you have already paid for hotel. You also take
the chance of there being no seats left.
The consensus seems to be to buy at
least 21 to 30 days before your flight. That might even be
cutting it a bit close.
Here's one suggestion: after
you have airfare you like, visit the website
Farecast.com and search for your flight. This site will
give you a graph of how the cost of that specific flight has
moved over the past 30 days or so.
It will also give a
numerical prediction as to whether they feel - based on
historical data - the flight will increase in price,
decrease in price, or remain the same. For example, it
might show that a specific direct flight from Newark Airport
to Miami is listed at $219 round trip and recommend that you
wait as there is an 85% chance that the fair will come down
in price.
Bottom line, when you find a good
deal, don't be greedy.
Besides Airfare
Getting the Best Seats for
Your Airfare
When booking a flight (or
even afterwards) you, of course, want to get the best seat
possible. Perhaps you don't want to be stuck in a seat that
doesn't recline, an aisle seat, or a seat where the wing
blocks your view.
The website
Seatguru.com will solve all of these problems. On the
site, you choose the airline and type of plane, and up comes
a color coated picture explaining the pro's and con's of the
different seats and sections.
Airline Meals
If you have little ones and
need to have an idea as to what is on the menu for a
particular flight, check your itinerary from the airline
which usually details what, if any, meal will be
served. Then, you can visit
Airlinemeals.net. This site is basically a
consumer guide to what you can expect aboard. There are news
and features from the airline catering world, but the best
part is a gallery of photos of on-board meals sent in by
passengers and listed by airline.
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