A California man is seeking my advice on booking a family trip to Massachusetts after confessing he

A California man is seeking my advice on booking a family trip to Massachusetts after confessing he hasn t been on a plane since 1995. I suspect he s not alone, so I put together this list of beginner tips which can benefit anyone in need of a quick refresher course.
The cheapest tickets will vary from airline to airline depending hotel preston nashville on a variety of factors. Airfares are not static airlines can and do change ticket prices all the time so the only way to know for sure which carrier has the cheapest prices on any given day is to compare prices whenever you shop for airfare. Always use a comparison search site like FareCompare and you will save money.
hotel preston nashville Airfare sales typically launch late Monday or early Tuesday and to remain competitive, rival carriers will match the lower prices, a process usually completed by 3 p.m. Tuesday. Shop then for the biggest selection of the best prices.
Try a trip in an off-peak season travel during hotel preston nashville one of the dead zones or fly off peak times of day, such as overnight or red-eye flights, or flights at dawn. Traveling when most people don t want to fly is a recipe for savings.
Airlines know most of us prefer to maximize our vacation time by flying on Friday and returning on Sunday, so that s when domestic airfare prices are almost always higher. For the very cheapest prices, look for flights midweek and note that many airline sales in our Deals Blog often limit the best prices to Tuesday and Wednesdsay flights only.
Big hubs are usually cheaper than smaller airports but not always, and when you have a choice in airports, compare prices. For example, hotel preston nashville Southern California flyers can choose between LAX, Burbank, Orange Co. in Santa Ana and Long Beach, any one of which can be cheapest depending on when you shop. Flyers in the nation s capital can choose between Dulles, Reagan and Baltimore. Again, compare to save.
Fees: Airlines charge for everything from snacks to blankets these days even a phone call to make a reservation will cost you but for most travelers the big impact comes from bag fees . Only JetBlue and Southwest still give you checked-bags for free but you should know that Spirit and Allegiant now charge for carry-on bags, too. In general, pack light or be prepared to pay about $50 round-trip for a single checked-bag.
Refunds: The cheapest airfare is usually non-refundable, so don t make travel plans unless you fully expect to be able to fly. If you must cancel your flight , what you paid will usually be credited toward a flight taken within one year, minus a hefty change fee and any fare difference.
Delays: Airlines can be delayed by a variety of factors, hotel preston nashville especially weather, so bear this in mind if you re looking at a flight with tight connections. If your flight is delayed, try to be first in line to talk with a gate agent (and if you re not first in line, get on the phone to the airline as well). Airlines fly planes at near-full capacity these days, and there are precious few seats on the next flight out to spare, so contact your airline immediately when a delay or cancelation is announced to improve your odds of getting another seat.
No jokes: The TSA has no sense of humor when it comes to jokes about terrorism or bombs, and travelers who think they can harmlessly��joke about such things get detained (and even arrested) at the nation s airports every day.