7 Ways to Get Cheap Airline Tickets: A Comprehensive Guide to Save on Airfare

Air travel is usually the fastest way to get from here (wherever you are) -TO- there, where ever THERE might be. but it can also be costly at times too. No matter if you are heading on a holiday or for business, cheap airline tickets is the first thing every traveler looks out. The good thing is that with a bit of planning and the right tools you can easily lower your flight costs. In this article, we uncover 7 simple strategies on how to get cheap airline tickets and travel for less.

1. Book Ahead but Not Too Far Ahead

The most common practice to obtain a cheap airline ticket is early booking. Yes, booking early is beneficial but not too much and lesser times prior the flight. Airline tickets usually go on sale about 11 months before the flight, but due to that, savings can peak anywhere between 1.5 and three months prior to domestic flights being flown (and five weeks ahead for transcontinental).

Reason this works: Ticket prices are based on demand, and the closer to departure day it is, typically results in drastic price increases. This is when booking gives you a deal while flights are at their lowest before they get higher.

2. Using Price Comparison Websites and Applications

With so many tools narrowly tailored to helping you compare prices from different airlines, there are plenty of ways for information disparities to creep in. Google Flights, Skyscanner and Momondo are popular platforms that units all of the airlines stop costs to your favored path at one place. These websites can also track the price of a specific flight over time and send you notifications when rates drop.

TIP: If you browse these sites through the incognito mode or clear your cookies every time, there are better chances that prices will not rise since website may have detected multiple searches for same route.

3. Flexibility is Key For Travel Dates and Times

Be flexible: Probably the best mechanism of all to get cheap airline tickets! You can easily save a lot of cash by simply not flying during peak travel times(i.e. holidays and weekends). Flights during the week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) or red-eye flights that take off late at night or early in the morning are typically a lot cheaper.

Noteworthy: Check out a flexible dates or low fare calendar feature on the airline website for some of the cheapest days to fly. Just changing your flight by a day or two can save you big time.

4. Look for Budget Airlines

But even though the legacy airlines — Delta, American and United — are huge hits with passengers across the USA, budget carriers like Southwest as well as ultra-low-cost operators such as Frontier or Spirit (both of which have expanded rapidly in recent years) offer lower rates on basic fares. Give more mileage to local airlines, which generally have better kit, though not necessarily the same excellent prices.

Pro Tip: Keep in mind that ultra low cost carriers often have a lot of ancillary fees for checked bags, seat selection or even carry ons — since it may be an apples to oranges price comparison.

5. Source: Set Fare Alerts and Utilize Travel Rewards.

You will be informed when the fare you are interested for drops on your specific route through Fare Alerts. You can do this with pretty much any travel website (or app) for free. That way you can act fast if prices are at their lowest.

If you travel a lot, also think about joining frequent flyer programs or carrying a travel rewards credit card. These programs enable you to save points or miles are redeemable for cheaper and even free flights.

Pro Tip: Save points using a travel credit card for everyday purchases and redeem them to save on airfare.

6. Consider Nearby Airports

Huge city your flying in or out of — Open up the airports you are considering · Our nearby airports may have cheaper flights. In the case of LA, this might be similar to looking at flights and nearby airports like Burbank, Long Beach or Ontario.

In like manner, flying into alternate airports in your destination cities can be a cost saving strategy when the ground transport to and from these airports is reasonably priced.

It works: Airlines sometimes give travelers great prices on flights to smaller, less congested airports. In fact, the savings you will have on your ticket sale may even make up for any extra travel time.

7. Subscribe to Airline Newsletters and Follow on Social Media

Airlines typically offers exclusive promotions and flash sales to their newsletter subscribers or social media followers. Sign up for newsletters to be the first to hear about flash sales, last-minute deals and voucher codes.

In addition, many airlines release only a few or all of their deals via Social Media (like Twitter / Facebook) as well known Expired Airfaremaven StevieGoto points out.

Top tip: Set up an additional email account with your travel-related newsletters, keeping them out of introductory inbox while clued in on the jive.

Conclusion

This post is probably not going to teach you a lot, but here goes: getting cheap air tickets entails an admixture of strategies – some old and pretty well-known; as well as yield management research; last-minute deals with flexible dates. The best bet for the low airfare is booking in advance, leverage price comparison tools, be flexible with your dates and try out a budget airlines. Remember to use fare alerts, loyalty reward programs and also look into neighboring airports for further cost-savings. Lastly, ceaselessly communicate with airlines as they often send newsletters— keeping you in the loop about incredible deals first hand.

If you follow 7 tips for finding affordable flight tickets definitely save your pocket and with that, it makes your experience worthy. Happy flying!