Tips on how to land the best airfare
May 18, 2011
By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
It’s a consumer topic that has great interest for me – how to find a cheap airline ticket. My last post was about a survey Consumer Reports conducted of nearly 15,000 of its readers on airline service.
Along with the survey, Consumer Reports offers tips on how to get a good price on an airline ticket.
Consumer Reports says regardless of which airline you choose to fly, there’s no reason to pay more than you have to. Airfare prices have risen in the past year and though a cheap seat may be harder to find, you can still save money by taking these steps:
Use social networks. Many airlines tweet deals. Two examples are @FrontierSale and @JetBlueCheeps, where Consumer Reports found a $10 one-way fare from San Francisco to Long Beach, Calif. However, seats are limited. Some reports say @UnitedAirlines’ Tware fares sell out within two hours.
Sign up for promo codes. If you’re a member of an airline’s frequent-flyer program, you can get discounts from 10 to 50 percent. Promo alerts can be sent to you via e-mail, RSS feeds, Twitter, Jaiku, Facebook, and other channels. However, the deals expire quickly, so you’ll have to act fast. The trade-off? Your e-mail inbox can get flooded with offers that don’t interest you.
Work the web. More than 70 percent of respondents to the Consumer Reports survey booked their own flights directly on an airline’s website. A smaller number, 55 percent, compared fares on other websites. For the best deals, you should cast that wider net. Start with websites that allow you to compare the deals from multiple airlines, such as Airfarewatchdog and Kayak. Also try travel-agency sites, such as CheapTickets, Expedia, and Travelocity. If you’re a bit more adventurous, Hotwire and Priceline.com, where you don’t know which airline you’re flying until after you book, are another option.
Book early or late. You don’t need to book more than 90 days in advance. Booking about 21 days before your trip will usually get you a good fare. Price-comparison sites often let you sign up for alerts that will tell you when prices drop. Many sales are posted late Monday or early Tuesday making it a good time to shop, but bargains can appear at any time.
Be flexible. Shifting dates by a day or two often allows you to nab a much lower price. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday are generally the cheapest days to fly. If you’re traveling with a group, consider splitting up your party. If you have four in your group and only two cheap seats are available, online reservation systems will give everyone higher-price seats. Instead, check the price for one, two, and three seats on the plane, as well as for all four before booking.
Good luck finding cheap airline tickets. I travel frequently, so it’s important to me as a consumer to get the lowest price possible.
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