Chris Owen
Contributing Writer
Chris Owen Has Just Posted the Following:
We all know how much the price of gas is for our car.# The price of gas for your airplane is going up too and the airlines are passing that increase along to us.# Not to worry too much though, there are still#tried and true tips for saving money on purchasing airfare online.# Not it’s just more important than ever to pay attention and do your homework.
</p> 1] Check the Websites. I like Cheapoair, Kayak and CheapTickets but any three you favor can work too.# The point is to get enough information in front of you to get an idea of what is available.# You’ll know pretty quickly if your idea of a good flight time will cost you dearly or is a bargain.# This is a good step to take before you buy the cruise and are looking at options there too.# It might be worth getting the kids back in school a day late to save hundreds on airfare.
2]Don’t give up on the cruise line.# For a long time, cruise line airfare was a horrible value.# Now, some have new fare options that can be competitive and offer included transfers.# More importantly, cruise line aifare often (but NOT always) offers assistance should you miss a flight for reasons beyond your control and that results in you missing the ship.# Some lines (but not all) will do whatever it takes to get you there.
3] Visit the Airline Websites Directly. After you found what you think is the best value for you in airfare, l, visit that airline’s website directly. The sites like those listed in steps 1 and 2 often charge booking fees to pay their bills. You should be able to find the same flights on the airline site for $10 – $20 cheaper on a roundtrip flight, most of the time. You benefit from buying your cruise with a travel agent working for you. Buying directly from the cruise line is never a better value.# Buying directly from the airline, though, can be.
4] Consider Discount Airlines. Most of them do show up on the above search engines, but not all. Southwest Airlines often has low fares or sale fares, but you have to visit their website (www.southwest.com) to find them.
5] Fly Midweek. Most of the cheapest airfares will involve traveling on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You may also be able to find cheap fares for travel on Thursdays or Saturday. Often you can save enough here to pay for a night in a hotel before the cruise.# This is ALWAYS a good idea not only for the savings and getting to start vacation a day early.# Scheduling flights a day early gives you extra time between leaving home and getting on the ship which you may need if flights are delayed.# This is an especially sound strategy if flying from the North in the winter to the south for your cruise.
6] Use Alternate Airports. Many major cities have more than one airport to choose from. For Chicago, you can choose O’Hare or Midway. For New York, you have LaGuardia, JFK and even Newark NJ. When booking your flights, consider these alternates as they can save you money. They are not a deal, however, if the cost of getting from the airport to your hotel in the city is more than the savings.
7] Use Booking Windows to Your Advantage. Most airlines have booking windows during which rates change. Generally, these are 21 days, 14 days and 7 days prior to your departure date. The closer you get to your departure date, the more your airfare will be. On the flip side, airlines like Southwest do not allow you to book more than a few months in advance so you have to wait.# One way to make this work for you is to add on the cruise line airfare when you book the cruise.# If you find flights and prices that work better for you later you can usually cancel your cruiseline airfare without penalty.# Just make sure to do so before you make final payment on your cruise.
8] Be Flexible on Dates. Sometimes leaving a day earlier or later can make a difference in the price. Many of the top travel sites allow you to factor this into the search, but if it doesn’t, be sure to check on your own, if you have the flexibility on dates. See #5 for more info here
9] Try Last Minute and Bidding Sites. If you aren’t that picky about your airline, these may be a good way to go. After you’ve found the lowest price via the above means, use that information to place a bid on priceline.com, to see if you can get it a bit cheaper. Be warned though, you won’t know your airline until after you pay. Hotwire.com doesn’t make you bid, but like Priceline, it also doesn’t let you see the airline until after you’ve paid.
10] Sign Up For Mailing Lists. Two of my favorite travel deal websites are airfarewatchdog.com and travelzoo.com. Both list various airfares that are especially good. Sign up for their mailing lists (and those of the airlines serving your destination) to get the latest deals as they happen. If you’re worried about spam, sign up for a free email at gmail.com, hotmail.com or yahoo.com and use that. Twitter users follow @JohnnyJet for lots of good information as well as @Elliottdotorg
Click here to view the article.
We all know how much the price of gas is for our car.# The price of gas for your airplane is going up too and the airlines are passing that increase along to us.# Not to worry too much though, there are still#tried and true tips for saving money on purchasing airfare online.# Not it’s just more important than ever to pay attention and do your homework.</p> 1] Check the Websites. I like Cheapoair, Kayak and CheapTickets but any three you favor can work too.# The point is to get enough information in front of you to get an idea of what is available.# You’ll know pretty quickly if your idea of a good flight time will cost you dearly or is a bargain.# This is a good step to take before you buy the cruise and are looking at options there too.# It might be worth getting the kids back in school a day late to save hundreds on airfare.
2]Don’t give up on the cruise line.# For a long time, cruise line airfare was a horrible value.# Now, some have new fare options that can be competitive and offer included transfers.# More importantly, cruise line aifare often (but NOT always) offers assistance should you miss a flight for reasons beyond your control and that results in you missing the ship.# Some lines (but not all) will do whatever it takes to get you there.
3] Visit the Airline Websites Directly. After you found what you think is the best value for you in airfare, l, visit that airline’s website directly. The sites like those listed in steps 1 and 2 often charge booking fees to pay their bills. You should be able to find the same flights on the airline site for $10 – $20 cheaper on a roundtrip flight, most of the time. You benefit from buying your cruise with a travel agent working for you. Buying directly from the cruise line is never a better value.# Buying directly from the airline, though, can be.
4] Consider Discount Airlines. Most of them do show up on the above search engines, but not all. Southwest Airlines often has low fares or sale fares, but you have to visit their website (www.southwest.com) to find them.
5] Fly Midweek. Most of the cheapest airfares will involve traveling on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You may also be able to find cheap fares for travel on Thursdays or Saturday. Often you can save enough here to pay for a night in a hotel before the cruise.# This is ALWAYS a good idea not only for the savings and getting to start vacation a day early.# Scheduling flights a day early gives you extra time between leaving home and getting on the ship which you may need if flights are delayed.# This is an especially sound strategy if flying from the North in the winter to the south for your cruise.
6] Use Alternate Airports. Many major cities have more than one airport to choose from. For Chicago, you can choose O’Hare or Midway. For New York, you have LaGuardia, JFK and even Newark NJ. When booking your flights, consider these alternates as they can save you money. They are not a deal, however, if the cost of getting from the airport to your hotel in the city is more than the savings.
7] Use Booking Windows to Your Advantage. Most airlines have booking windows during which rates change. Generally, these are 21 days, 14 days and 7 days prior to your departure date. The closer you get to your departure date, the more your airfare will be. On the flip side, airlines like Southwest do not allow you to book more than a few months in advance so you have to wait.# One way to make this work for you is to add on the cruise line airfare when you book the cruise.# If you find flights and prices that work better for you later you can usually cancel your cruiseline airfare without penalty.# Just make sure to do so before you make final payment on your cruise.
8] Be Flexible on Dates. Sometimes leaving a day earlier or later can make a difference in the price. Many of the top travel sites allow you to factor this into the search, but if it doesn’t, be sure to check on your own, if you have the flexibility on dates. See #5 for more info here
9] Try Last Minute and Bidding Sites. If you aren’t that picky about your airline, these may be a good way to go. After you’ve found the lowest price via the above means, use that information to place a bid on priceline.com, to see if you can get it a bit cheaper. Be warned though, you won’t know your airline until after you pay. Hotwire.com doesn’t make you bid, but like Priceline, it also doesn’t let you see the airline until after you’ve paid.
10] Sign Up For Mailing Lists. Two of my favorite travel deal websites are airfarewatchdog.com and travelzoo.com. Both list various airfares that are especially good. Sign up for their mailing lists (and those of the airlines serving your destination) to get the latest deals as they happen. If you’re worried about spam, sign up for a free email at gmail.com, hotmail.com or yahoo.com and use that. Twitter users follow @JohnnyJet for lots of good information as well as @Elliottdotorg
Click here to view the article.
