Easy Ideas To Get Cheaper Air Fares

Finding cheaper air fares is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack and finding the cheapest air fare ticket is a bit misleading because the reality is that there are actually no such tickets, per se.

What do I mean by this?

There are so many permutations for getting an air ticket from one destination to another, such as the route, different airlines, travel class, seating, travel dates and times, etc, - especially on international flights - that no travel agency or airline could actually guarantee that you are getting the absolute cheapest air fares.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't be searching for the cheapest air fares but rather you should be searching for cheaper air fares that fit in with your own travel requirements in terms of time, convenience, comfort, etc.



In other words, once you are fairly satisfied with a cheaper air fare ticket, it’s best to book and pay for it immediately rather than continuing your search for the elusive cheapest air fare Holy Grail.

Ideally, if you regularly use a trusted travel resource (because they have consistently provided you with the best travel experience within your budget over a period of time) for booking your travel and vacations, you can give them details of what you want and trust them to show you the lowest air fare currently available for the flight criteria you specify.

Obviously I'm fortunate enough to be able to use Primo Vacations as my Full Service International Travel Agency. They won't guarantee being the cheapest on every occasion but I can relax in the knowledge that I have my personal travel desk working hard to consistently provide me with the best solution for my travel needs and budget.

If you're not fortunate enough to have a trusted travel resource like Primo Vacations, here are My Easy Tips To Help You Find Cheaper Air Fares (Remember that different airlines follow different fare rules, and so these guidelines may not apply to every itinerary) but try one or more of the tips and see if you can locate a better fare.

Purchase your ticket as soon as possible - Fares often increase 21 days before the flight (the same is often true for 14-day, 7-day, and even 3-day advance purchases). The earlier you reserve your flight, the better chance you have of finding a cheaper air fare.

Buy a round-trip ticket, and travel using one airline - Round-trip tickets are generally less expensive than one-way tickets, and it is often cheaper to reserve all legs of your trip on a single airline, rather than a combination of several airlines.

Stay over a Saturday night - Itineraries that include a Saturday-night stay are sometimes much less expensive than mid-week trips. If you plan to return on a Saturday, consider changing your return to the Sunday and see if the fare changes.

Choose an inconvenient flight time - Try different dates or different times of day or night for the flight. Mid-morning and late-afternoon flights are often crowded, so try specifying flights leaving very early in the morning or late at night ("red-eye" flights) to see if cheaper air fares are available.
Fly on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday, because these are less-popular days to fly on some routes, and cheaper air fares may be available.

Avoid traveling on or during holiday periods – It's unfortunate but it's true that during holiday periods it's hard to find cheaper airfares. Try to schedule flights on less-popular days, E.g avoid travel over Christmas or Thanksgiving by considering traveling on the days preceding or following these dates.

Specify only one or two airlines to search – Perhaps you have a preferred carrier or route. If using your preferred travel resource, doing this makes it much easier for them to find other flights for you over a greater time range.

Use an alternative airport - Specify alternative airports near your intended destination, to see if better fares are available for another airport. E.g In the UK fares into London Stanstead are often cheaper than flying into London Heathrow or Gatwick.

Make use of promotions and sales - Get in almost immediately when promotions are announced online because the cheapest flights will sell quickly. Consider signing up for airline newsletters and travel alerts or join organisations that offer discounts on certain air lines.

E.g In Australia Jetstar have a weekly “Fare Frenzy” 4pm to 8pm every Friday and Virgin Blue have their daily “Happy Hour” at noon.

In Summary, whilst this is not an exhaustive list of tips to snare you the cheapest air fare, using the methods above will undoubtedly save you a lot of money on your next flight.

Remember, don't give yourself a coronary by spending hours looking for the absolute cheapest air fare from one single source – it's not out there. Better to have an idea of your budget and travel requirements and then book the cheaper air fare that comes closest to meeting them.

I would love to hear comments from anyone who successfully uses these tips to find a cheaper air fare.

Safe and Happy Travelling