How to Get the Cheapest Airline Tickets

Valentin Santarosa/sxc.hu

Flying to your next golf match in Florida or going to your next trek in the Grand Canyon does not have to be a budget-breaking affair. With the proper resources and some flexibility in your travel dates, you may be able to score cheap airline tickets and use the money you saved to purchase amusement park passes, ski lift tickets or entrance into other tourist attractions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step 1

Bid on your plane tickets. If you are somewhat flexible with your arrival and departure times, visit Priceline.com to bid on your plane tickets. Save up to 40 percent off of published airfares, which is especially handy when you need to book a last-minute flight. To increase your chances of Priceline accepting your bid, be flexible with which airports you can fly in and out of and try not to bid too low. Prior to bidding on your plane ticket, research some airfares so that you will not be bidding blindly.

Step 2

Compare fares. Visit SideStep.com to get a list of advertised airfares for your destination. View airfares by lowest to highest. In addition, view fares from other travel websites, such as Airfare.com, Expedia.com, Hotwire.com, Priceline.com and Travelocity.com.

Step 3

Book online. Many airlines sell cheaper tickets online than those they sell when you speak directly to a reservations agent. AirTran Airways, for instance, offers Internet-only special fares, which are typically priced lower than their offline fares.

Step 4

Sign up for airline email alerts. Find out about flight deals directly from the airlines. American Airlines, for example, emails the Net SAAver newsletter to its subscribers weekly, which includes its most up-to-date sale fares. Southwest Airlines also offers the Click 'N Save weekly email newsletter featuring updates on travel deals on Southwest flights.

Step 5

Sign up for Trip Watcher. Use this handy tool located at Hotwire.com to input your flight details and Hotwire will notify you when your airfare drops. In addition, Hotwire provides you with alternate dates and times for your flight in a 60-day range to help you to select the cheapest tickets for your flight.

Article Written By Dee Ferguson

Dee Ferguson has been writing professionally since 1989. Her specialties include arts, business, finance, music publicity and travel. Ferguson's work has been featured on Artistopia.com and various other websites. She has previously worked as a marketing assistant for two major nonprofit organizations. Ferguson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of Maryland.

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