1. Book ahead of time.
Many people do not realize that you can book airline tickets eleven months in advance. The closer to your travel date to your date of purchase, the higher the price will be for the ticket. So if you purchase eleven months in advance, you will pay a lot less than if you wait a month before your trip.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you book your trip months in advance, and you later decide you do not want to take the trip, you can’t get your money back. So make sure you also make plans to have everything taken care of (babysitters, feeding the dog, etc) ahead of time so that you can keep your travel date.
2. Call the airline directly.
Most airlines have special deals that you can only get by calling the airline directly. Airlines sometimes have extra seats on planes that they need to fill up. The only way to find out about these extra seats is to call. Many times they will give you a good deal so they can fill the seats up. Some airlines also have unadvertised seat specials. Once again, you must call to find about these specials.
3. Use a travel agent.
Using a travel agent can save you a lot of money in many different ways. First, travel agents have relationships with several airlines and can review the different travel packages available and give you the best deal. They basically broker the sale between you and the airline.
Another reason why travel agents can save you a lot of money is because they are being forced to find the best possible deals because they are competing with online airfare web sites. Travel agents are fighting to stay in business and they will do whatever they can to get your business.
4. Use the Internet.
I believe the Internet is the best place to look for airline deals. You will find the best deals on the Internet. But don’t visit one site and think they have the best deal. Make sure you shop around at several online airfare websites. Make sure you read all of the terms. Even though some sites seem to have good deals, they actually attach a lot of fees and it ends up being very expensive.
So make sure you read all of the fine print no matter where you purchase your tickets to make sure you are getting the best possible deal.