Tip 1: When to Get the Best Price on Airfare?
Everyone wants to know how to get the best price on air. Airlines make it hard to get the lowest fare. It’s a moving target nowadays, but with these insider tips, you can avoid being the one who paid too much.
Historically the best price on air is one to three months before the trip for domestic US flights and two to eight months for international flights. For peak season dates like spring break, Christmas, or Thanksgiving, three to seven months out for domestic and four to ten months for international. Many factors, such as the popularity of the flight, can impact prices.
Tip 2: Which Days of the Week Have the Best Prices?
To get the best price on air, generally avoid flying on Mondays and Fridays when business travelers fill the skies. Look at fares for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Sundays. But always keep an eye out for location and holidays when making your choice.
Tip 3: Set a Price Alert
To research an airfare, we go to Google Flights and enter our information. Once we find a flight or two that meets our needs, we hit the “Track Prices” button and enter our email address. As prices go up and down, we receive alerts. Google Flights even tells if the prices are typically high or low for that flight. Finally, if your plans are flexible, there is a nice grid that allows you to see the lowest priced date combinations to get the best price on air.
We set alerts for our personal travel after we have booked a flight. That’s because we use airlines that let us rebook and give us e-credits for the difference if the fare comes down. But we have to know when that fare drops. The flight alerts make it easy. Doing this has saved us hundreds of dollars.
Tip 4: Get The Best Price on Air for a Cruise
First, we always recommend you fly in a day or two before the cruise starts rather than the day of the ship’s departure. Trust us, it relieves the worry of missing your cruise departure and you can start your cruise relaxed and happy. Given the recent performance of certain airlines, it makes more sense than ever. Think about all the people who missed their cruises last December when Southwest melted down. It’s worth it to go a day early and spend the night in a nearby hotel. Travel agents keep lists of hotels that have shuttles to the cruise port.
Once you know which flights you want, because you followed our advice and used Google flights, check to see how much the cruise line’s airfare price is. More and more, cruise lines are offering great prices on published fares. Even if it is the same, most cruise companies guarantee they will take care of you if things do go awry, and you miss the boat.
Tip 5: Ask Your Travel Agent to Look For Consolidator Fares
Consolidator fares are somewhat like wholesale. They are regular seats on regular flights that still earn frequent flier miles. Basically, the airlines sell some of these seats in bulk to the consolidator who offers them to the public, typically through travel agents. We use several consolidators. At times our clients have saved thousands of dollars on airfares, especially on international flights. Ask your travel agent to check for you.
Tip 6: For Getting the Best Price on Air –Nonstop Charter Flights
If you are going to popular vacation spots, there are travel companies who offer great resort and air packages with charter non-stop flights. These are available for popular destinations like Cancun, Jamaica, and Riviera Maya. Packages with nonstop charter air are possible out of airports such as Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and more.
Airlines are always changing their rules, but if you use these tips for getting the best price on airfare, you have upped your chances of saving some money. That means more margaritas!
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