How to Compare Air Travel Prices

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Prior to the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act, the Civil Aeronautics Board controlled airline prices. But since December 31,1984, when the act went into full effect, the price of plane tickets has varied widely across airlines and changed frequently---sometimes twice in one day---within the same airline. On any flight, you may sit next to a passenger who paid double or half the amount you did. Or you may find out competing airlines leaving and arriving at the same airport charge different prices. Fortunately, you have options for comparing prices so you can always find the best deal.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step 1

Enlist a travel agent. Travel agents do all the legwork for you, accessing different databases and making phone calls to find you the best deal. In the past, you could expect to receive the service for free whether you booked a flight or not. But nowadays, more travel agents are charging a flat fee if they perform a search for you and you decide not to book the flight with them. So, before you ask for the help, find out how much it may end up costing you.

Step 2

Go to Travelzoo at travelzoo.com and enter your flight information in "Find Fares from Recommended Sites." After you click on "Search," the site will display several vendors with the best airfare deals, starting with the ones that got the highest user ratings for your route. Click on "See fares" to start comparing prices.

Step 3

Search FareCompare.com at farecompare.com/. Enter your travel information in "Pick a Flight." Click on "Search and Compare" to get a list of flights to your destination. The default currency is U. S. dollars, but you can use the pull-down menu to change it to British pounds or Euros.

Step 4

Compare prices at SideStep.com. Go to sidestep.com/flights and type your route in the "Flight Search" box. Select the vendors you want included in the price comparison and click on "Search" to see what options are available.

Step 5

Look for airfares at lowfares.com. After you enter your departure and arrival airports, you'll be given a list of several vendors. Choose up to three to be in the price comparison and click on "Compare All" for your results.

Tips & Warnings

These online sites take a few minutes to upload the results as they pull the information from different databases.

Article Written By Phoebe Strauss

Phoebe Strauss specializes in self-improvement, alternative health and gardening topics. Her articles and essays have appeared in "Writer's Digest," "The Writer," "From House to Home," "Big Apple Parent" and other online and print venues. Strauss holds a Master of Arts in psychology.

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