The process for obtaining quality airfare on international flights is similar to that used for domestic flights. Many online sales sites (click here) and airlines will provide quotes for international travel. This is a good reason to be on their e-mail lists. It’s a good idea to receive e-mails from airlines that operate primarily from within the countries to which you would like to travel. For example, if you are looking for an international airfare to Europe you might want to receive updates on prices from airlines like British Air, Virgin Air, and Air France. If the Pacific is your destination, then Cathay Pacific Airways, Qantas Airways, Singapore, China, or Japan Airlines would be good airlines to receive email updates from.
Summer is an important time for international airlines because the summer months are the high season for airline travel. This means that finding a cheap airfare takes some added effort. However, airlines have begun to create additional methods to help travelers save money. For example, British Air added a new route from Denver to London for just $220 for a limited time. Many times it is better to search for international airfares from the city that you will be departing the country from. This is because many of the airline tickets from these cities are listed for a special price.
If you are planning a trip to Europe and want to visit several different countries there are a number of options to find a good airfare. For example, there are three options available for travel between England and Spain. First, you could find a good airfare for a round trip ticket from your departure city to either England or Spain. Generally, the better airfares are found en route to London. Second, find the airfare for a flight into London and then out of Madrid. Although it is usually a somewhat higher priced ticket, it makes travel planning a little easier and will give you more time at each destination than traveling back to London for the return flight home. Third, buy a ticket to London and out of Madrid; then, either in the United States or when you arrive in Europe, purchase a ticket on a European discount airline. A University professor wanted to fly into London in order to do a couple weeks of research then meet some family members in Lisbon, Portugal. The airfare quote for flying from the United States to London then on to Portugal was $220.00 for the London to Portugal trip. By using a discount airline in Europe he obtained an airfare for $90.00.
Some additional sites that are good for international airfare searches would be the following:
www.etn.com Etn is an online company with cheap international airfares, both for travel from the United States as well as from other countries. For example, here you could find an airfare from London to Portugal on a discount airline. They work with travel agencies and consolidators who specialize in travel to specific regions. The process is to ask for an airfare quote giving departure and arrival cities. (Remember that you might want to search from your home airport as well as the city from which the airline departs.) They then select the company that has the best airfare for that trip. That agency will contact you with an airfare bid for an airline ticket.
Students (high school or college) and teachers can obtain a discount airfare through the International Student Travel Confederation at www.isic.org. Students, young people and teachers are offered airline tickets at a discount airfare.
Senior travelers can sometimes obtain discounts from the established online sites which have been discussed earlier. A special site just for senior travel is www.seniortravel.com. It is devoted exclusively to travelers over 50 years old searching for airfares.
The New York Times and the LA Times are good newspapers for finding international airfares for airline tickets. Most libraries and bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Borders have current copies of these newspapers which an individual can read.
In some areas, a large travel agency or an expert on a local radio travel show can be a good source. For example, in the Salt Lake City market, a Sunday travel show will often give good airfares to Latin America, as many travelers in the area are interested in that region. At times they provide some good airfares to Asia and Europe. If you have an opportunity to listen, they will also tell you about an e-mail system you can sign up for where you can be notified of good airfares.