1. Practice yoga
Okay, perhaps you don’t need to do yoga but you need to be FLEXIBLE in your travel dates. The cheapest airfares are usually found on flights that depart on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturday. Thus, you will often pay a premium if you fly on Friday, Sunday or Monday.
2. Lose some sleep
As with being flexible in the days of week that you fly, you’ll often find the cheapest airfares on late night departures or early in the morning before the roosters wake up. Make sure to compare prices for flights that depart during these odd times of day.
3. Sing Merry Christmas in the airport
It’s downright difficult to find cheap airfare departing during the holidays, even if you book early. A little known secret about holiday travel is to book a flight that departs on the holiday itself. You could try flying out on Christmas day, and flying home on New Years Day. Flying on Christmas may not sound great to you, but if cheap flights are what you are looking for this may be your best bet.
4. Mark your calendar
Book your flight a couple days before the “advance-purchase” deadline expires and you will often get a discounted rate. If the flight is not booking up as quickly as expected, most airlines will drop the rates right before the advance-purchase deadline. Check with the airline to find out when that deadline is, which is often 21 to 14 days prior to departure. Whatever you do, don’t wait until after that deadline or you will miss the boat.
5. Eat turkey while booking online
Similar to saving by flying on a holiday, you will often find cheap flights if you book flights online during a holiday. Most people are not going online and booking flights on Thanksgiving Day, so many airlines will lower their rates to entice customers.
6. Drive a few miles
Check the airfares for nearby airports, especially if you plan to rent a car. When flying to large cities, they will often have more than one major airport nearby, and the fares can vary drastically. At times you will find airfares that are much cheaper if you choose to land at an airport a few miles outside of your destination.
7. Don’t forget the little people
Most airfare comparison sites do not include airfares from small airlines such as Allegiant. Go to the destination airport’s website and see if they have any small “discount” airlines that serve them. If you also have a nearby departure airport for that airline you can save some serious bucks by flying with these small airlines.
8. Stick with it
After you book a cheap flight, it is almost always non-refundable. It is nearly impossible to convince most airlines to refund you, even if you cancel for a good reason. For a few more bucks, it is wise to get travel cancellation insurance that allows you to cancel for many reasons and get a refund*. If you don’t get the insurance and end up needing to cancel, consider calling the airline and asking them how much their “change fee” is. You may be allowed to pay a change fee and use the airline ticket on a future date. If you choose to do this and the flight is more expensive on your new travel dates, you will also need to pay the increase in airfare. This is usually better than not getting a refund.
9. Get on the list
Airlines typically have “sales” a few times a year, and the best way to find out about them is by subscribing to their email list. If you join their frequent flyer programs, you may be offered exclusive airfare deals and other travel discounts.
10. Be diligent
Airfare prices constantly fluctuate. Even after you book, check the prices a couple times before you depart. If you find a cheaper fare, ask the airline if they will refund you the difference (ie. match the new price). Some will, some won’t, but it’s worth a try.
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