Once you ve decided on the best flight based on price, route, and dates be sure to visit the website

Buying Air Tickets - How To Find Cheap Fares in 2014 Menu Buying Air Tickets How to find the best flights and cheapest fares in 2014
Having a good idea of how the industry works, the different options for buying airline tickets, and how to get the best deal and cheapest price on a ticket can make the whole experience a fun first step into planning your trip.
Take note of the best prices, routes, and flights travel discount web sites that are returned. If they re good fares, travel discount web sites buy them and forget about the rest of this post, if you want to keep searching then go to step 2. 2. Check For Sales
The above websites should travel discount web sites return all current sales but sometimes travel discount web sites they miss a seat sale put on by a specific airline for a short window of dates. travel discount web sites The following websites work best when you have a destination in mind but are flexible for the dates you travel.
Go to  Airfarewatchdog.com and Travelzoo.com  to look for flights cheaper than what you found in step 1. This will tend to be more of a listing than a search for exact dates and flights. 3. Look At The Budget Airlines
These provide listings of flights on budget and low-cost carriers. travel discount web sites Budget airlines tend to fly shorter routes and any route that requires a change of planes probably isn t worth the hassle. But looking never hurts.
Once you ve decided on the best flight based on price, route, and dates be sure to visit the website of the actual airline (e.g. United or British travel discount web sites Airways). travel discount web sites They ll sometimes travel discount web sites be selling the same ticket you found on Travelocity or Vayama for a cheaper price – though travel discount web sites it can often be more expensive as well.
Say you find a great price on Vayama.com for a British Airways flight from New York to London. Before you buy it visit the British Airways website as they will sometimes be selling it for the same price or cheaper. 6. Will The Price Go Up or Down?
Now you should have a best price, but before you purchase it take a look at Bing flight predictor or FareCompare to see predictions (based on historical data and a complex algorithm) on whether the price for that route is likely to go up, down or stay the same. 7. When To Buy That Ticket?
The best time to purchase airline tickets is between Monday night and Wednesday afternoon (sales come out on Monday, are matched by early Tuesday, and disappear by Thursday); not before 3 1/2 months prior to your trip; and not after 7 to 10 days prior to your trip (when airlines assume you re a business traveler and will pay whatever it takes).
Statistically, the best time to purchase tickets is 6 weeks before you fly for U.S. domestic flights 21 to 22 weeks in advance for flights to Europe 11 to 12 weeks in advance for flights to the Caribbean 23 to 24 weeks in advance for international travel discount web sites business or first class What You Need To Know About The Airline Industry To Find Cheap Fares And Save Money
Picking the best airline and flights for your trip starts with your decision to fly with a legacy carrier (sometimes called a major) or with a low cost carrier (sometimes called a budget or charter airline).
The legacy carriers are typically the big names you first think of when you consider airlines: United, Delta, British travel discount web sites Airways and Lufthansa. The low cost carriers (or LCC from here on) are the upstarts with the hip new names: Jet Blue, Ryan Air, Virgin Airlines and Air Asia, for example.
The two types of carriers travel discount web sites often act like two parallel travel worlds that rarely cross paths with each other. The carriers often fly from different airports, sell their tickets in a different manner, offer different inflight options and can have very different prices. And that s just a start.
Legacy Airlines Generally have better and more complete service than LCCs — e.g. transfer bags between connecting flights, travel discount web sites serve meals, offer in-flight entertainment. travel discount web sites Typically offer passengers different classes of seating (e.g. first class, business class), airport lounges and frequent flyer programs. Most legacy airlines are a member of an alliance whereby partner airlines share routes, offer connecting flights and issue boarding passes for other airlines. Work on the hub and spoke model between travel discount web sites major cities. Tickets for missed flights (because of a missed connection) are usually honored.
Low Cost Airlines Known for cheap — often ridiculously cheap — ticket prices. Some of the European LCCs have offered flight promotions travel discount web sites with tickets across the continent for as little as €1. But even non-promotion ticket prices are regularly in the €10-30 range. (These ticket travel discount web sites prices however, often don t include the high taxes and fees that LCCs usually charge. Be sure to compare the total ticket cost not just the initial quoted price when booking.) Usually fly shorter trips and routes travel discount web sites (e.g. Amsterdam to Rome) — though this is changing and it s now possible to complete an Around travel discount web sites The World trip solely on Low Cost Carriers. Large fluctuations between ticket prices by the hour, by the days of the week, by high and low season. Must book through each individual airline s web site and usually no ticket issued (i.e. only paperless ticket). Flights are point to point, so you don t get a discount for flying from point A to B, and then B to C like you would on a Major airline Return tickets (i.e. a typical roundtrip ticket) travel discount web sites are usually the cost of 2 one way tickets. Luggage is rarely conveyed from one flight travel discount web sites to another connecting flight even when both flights are with the same airline. Passengers will need to collect their bags and re-check travel discount web sites them at the baggage counter. Often use smaller airports that can be quite a distance from the city and the city s main airport. Check transfer times and distances travel discount web sites carefully if you re connecting to a flight on a different airline. Baggage restrictions are often stricter on low cost carriers and checked baggage will usually entail travel discount web sites a charge of €5-20 euros and then an excess baggage charge for heavier bags. Some Low cost Carriers have credit card charges (Ryanair has a €5 charge for credit cards) on top of the fees, taxes, travel discount web sites and baggage costs. Usually no in-flight entertainment Not always the cheapest. The majors have become more competitive with pricing so don t automatically assume that the budget airline has the cheapest ticket. LCCs can and often do change times, dates and routes with little or no notice. You ll have the choice of rebooking travel discount web sites or getting a refund but if your entire vacation is dependent travel discount web sites on getting from, say, London to Mykonos, this could be a major interruption to your plans. How do Low Cost Carriers Keep their prices so low?
It s often asked — how can budget airlines offer such cheap tickets and why, if these airlines are so popular, don t the majors just offer the same inexpensive services? travel discount web sites There are a number of reasons and not all apply to all airlines or situations but the most important differences between Low Cost and Legacy airlines travel discount web sites are the following: LCCs service shorter routes and flights where quick turn-arounds travel discount web sites are both possible and have a big effect on down time. LCCs often have newer more fuel-efficient aircrafts that keep fuel costs down. LCCs don t have the legacy costs of the majors pensions, health care, and generally don t have to deal with unions. LCCs are no frills and this helps keep costs down. Some would argue that LCCs have just been better run. The major airlines were probably slower in realizing changes to the travel industry through deregulation, the advent of the internet, point to point route models and adopting the technology that allows budget airlines to keep their fleet airborne a large percentage of the day. Legacy or Low Cost Carrier — Which is Better?
If both low cost and legacy carriers offer the same price on the same route then go with the major airline. travel discount web sites The service is usually better, you ll probably get a free meal, and there s a lot more certainty with the flight. (It s important to remmber that LCCs are not always travel discount web sites the cheapest.)
Because LCCs fly to smaller airports that can be a good distance from the main airport, be sure to have at least 3 or 4 hours to get from one airport to another if you ve got a connecting flight to catch from a different airport.
Flying to smaller airports (and smaller towns) isn t all bad: they re usually less busy and security checkpoints are usually less hectic. As well, if that small city or island happens to be the exact place you re going, then clearly LCCs can work well for you. General Tips to Buying Airline Tickets
Advice for buying tickets and ideas for getting the cheapest price: Tuesday and Wednesday travel discount web sites are the cheapest days to fly. The weekends are the most expensive. Searching for tickets off the pick days of the week can save you 20% to 40% of the ticket price. Finding discounted tickets : It s impossible to keep track of ticket prices to every interesting destination for all possible dates. But these sites will keep you informed of the latest deals and last-minute discounts: Travelzoo for international travel (and hotels) and AirfareWatchDog for domestic travel discount web sites (U.S.) routes. Flights between Europe and North America follow the most predictable price patterns. travel discount web sites They ramp up at the end of May and enter peak season at the end of June and beginning of July. The decrease starts suddenly in the last week of August with the final big drop coming the middle week of October. Flights between Europe and Asia and between North America and Asia are more complex but generally increase for December, January, July, and August and are cheaper throughout the rest of the year. There can be huge differences between travel discount web sites a New York to Bangkok flight and a New York to Singapore flight, so if your travel plans are flexible be sure to check every possible route. travel discount web sites If you have to travel to a specific place on specific dates (e.g. a family wedding, you got an Oscar nomination) then booking early is the best way to go. But for everything else, the book early advice is nonsense — or at least potentially nonsense. Flight prices go up, flight prices go down. It s all about supply and demand. If a flight from London to Rome f