Is there any way to get a cheap flight, nowadays? In the past, I could uncover pretty good deals on Yahoo Travel, scanning the flight deals listed according to my specified cities. However, this feature is no longer available and as the price of gas rises – flying the "friendly skies" seems more of an inconvenience than a pleasurable adventure. New costs are popping up everywhere, from paying $15 for your first checked bag to extra fees for selecting the window seat. If you're looking for ways to save money on airline flights, consider the following tips:
1) Travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
If you fly during the slowest travel days of the week (Tuesday and Wednesday), you stand a chance at saving a bit of money. The reason: Business travelers create a higher demand for seats, as they tend to depart on Monday mornings and return on Friday afternoons. Seek out flights that depart in the middle of the week – preferably in the middle of the day.
2) Fly on Slow Times of the Year
Cheap airfare comes when you travel during the slowest time of the year – meaning cancel out the holidays, summer vacations, winter getaways, and spring flings. Consider planning a trip for between Labor Day and Thanksgiving to take advantage of the best deals.
3) Purchase Tickets at the Cheapest Time of the Day
There are moments when airlines occasionally lower their ticket prices in order to fill up empty seats. Typically, these changes take place three times a day. This means that the early bird may catch a tasty worm if they seek out flights in the wee hours of the morning. Diligent flyers usually check fares every five hours to make sure they don’t miss out on the next deal. For weekend purchases, don’t forget to check early on Saturday morning and once more at 5pm.
4) Consider a Travel PackageWhile you may not need a rental car or a three-nights stay at the Holiday Inn – compromising with the purchase of a travel package can save money on your overall trip – especially with the airline flight. Travel sites are overflowing with vacation packages that provide hotel stays at exceptional rates and convenient car rental specials. You save big on these last-minute sales when airlines become desperate to fill their seats. If push comes to shove – you don’t have to stay at the selected hotel or pick up the rental car, but take a closer look – the airfare savings found in a travel package are usually too tempting to pass.
The cost of gas and current economic state of the United States is sadly driving airlines to eliminate many of their special perks and discount flights. I fear it won't be too long before we're kissing goodbye the complimentary bag of peanuts and Coke. So – take advantage of what we have today because you never know when cheap flights will be gone tomorrow.