Most people love to travel. Unfortunately, expenses can be overwhelming. Airline tickets, rental cars, entertainment, and lodging are only some of the costs you may be facing. Getting discount airline tickets will help you reserve more of that travel money for nicer accommodations and entertainment. There are several secrets you need to know if you want the best deal on your discount airline tickets. First, though, you need to remember that sometimes discount airline tickets are not the great deal they seem to be. There may be regular airline tickets that are less expensive. Get informed on several options for discount airline tickets so you can discover what the lowest price actually is.
Five ways to get discount airline tickets:
- Package deals. If you buy your tickets as part of a package, for example, along with your hotel reservations and/or your rental car, or with a cruise, discount airline tickets may be available.
- Online auctions. Although the auctions do not have as wide a selection as you will find purchasing the tickets directly from the airline, they are much less expensive. These discount airline tickets range as low as one quarter of the cost of non-discounted tickets.
- Airline ticket consolidators. A consolidator is an airline ticket wholesaler who gets discount airline tickets from the airlines in exchange for agreeing to sell a certain amount. As a result, consolidators can sell you discount airline tickets at a lower price than the airline will.
- Know when to travel. The cheapest season for airline travel is between November 1 and March 31, with the exception of December 13-24. The mid-price season is April 1- June 15 and September 1- October 31. If you can, avoid air travel between June 16 and August 31 as these are the most expensive times to fly. Also, try to travel on weekdays (don’t book flights that depart Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) since airlines usually surcharge $20-$40 for weekend travel. Also fly at off-peak hours (like after 10 pm and before 6 am) for discount airline tickets.
- Keep an eye out for bargains. Discount airline tickets are often advertised in the newspaper, on television news, and on the Internet. It’s a good idea to continue to watch for lower prices even after you have purchased your discount airline tickets, because if the price drops for your same flight, your airline may be willing to refund you the difference.
Tip: Remember that the advertised airfare usually does not include taxes, and possibly other fees as well. When you receive your ticket, read all the statements it contains. If you booked your discount airline tickets online, call the airline and request that they send you these statements. In fact, you may even want to obtain this information before booking your flight.
Although travel is fun, it’s never any fun paying the ever-rising costs of airline tickets. But if you follow the guidelines given above on how to get discount airline tickets, you will be able to minimize those costs as much as possible. Hopefully these tips for discount airline tickets will help you keep your trip as fun and inexpensive as possible!
By Riannon Cutler