Airline travel is expensive; there is no way
around that very simple fact to any traveler. Between the costs of airport fees,
taxes and other hidden costs associated with plane tickets, buying a ticket can
seem a daunting task. Buying an airline ticket at a discounted rate may seem
utterly impossible for the average person. It is not so difficult to find great
savings for airline travel however.
#1 Airlines Directly. Many airlines will
offer last minute discounts on their flights simply to fill up seats. These are
not likely to be found on the more popular routes during peak travel times, but
the discounts can be found with some selective searching and shopping by the
traveler. Searching through web sites for the different airlines is one common
means of finding some of these deals. Calling the airlines main offices or
customer service centers will also frequently put the traveler in touch with the
right people to speak to about discounted airline travel. Try searching directly
for the airlines like
Delta Airlines,
United Airlines or
Hawaiian Airlines, to name a few. Most of them will offer great perks, like
extra Bonus Miles for booking directly with them.
#2 Travel Agency. Travel agency is one
place that not many travelers look to for discount tickets. However, you can
always look into this option as well – you never know! As a rule, travel agents
purchase tickets or seating in bulk and resell those seats to interested
travelers. Once again, it is not likely that the traveling consumer will be able
to find greatly reduced airline tickets to popular travel destinations during
peak travel times, but it never hurts to try.
#3 Online Travel Portals. Many online
resources are available to anybody with a credit card. These online travel
services offer a wide range of ticket pricing and availability. Some of these
online services offer competitive pricing for those travelers who plan ahead and
always schedule their flights and other booking information well in advance of
the actual date of travel. Try
Expedia.com,
Orbitz.com,
CheapTickets and
Travelocity.com – those are my favorite and you will be able at least to
compare and decide which one is the best for you.
#4 Last Minute Travel Portals. Other
online resources offer deeply discounted prices to those people seeking last
minute seating on some of the major airlines in the industry. Additional
services are also available through many of these online travel services,
frequently offering further financial savings for the business and casual
traveler. Try
Site
59 and
LastMinuteTravel.com.
#5 Online Auction and “Name Your Price”.
While it may be a rare occurrence in the world of travel and airline tickets,
online auctions offer the occasional discounted bargain for the thrifty shopper.
Since it may be difficult to match exact travel dates and other specific needs
of the traveler, the prices are often a minimal accounting of what their
original value was. Many people will find themselves unable to travel when they
have planned. Since the majority of people do not pay the additional fees, many
of these tickets are non-refundable. If the person who originally purchased the
tickets cannot find a buyer, they will lose the total price of the tickets. Even
if they can sell the airline tickets for a fraction of their actual value, they
are better off than they would be by simply throwing them away and losing all of
their money. Try
PriceLine.com where you can “name your price”.
Airline travel and tickets are expensive. For
the thrifty shopper who is willing to take a little bit of time, there are some
great travel bargains available. Where, when and how the consumer and the
traveler shop for the airline travel needs will have a major impact on their
financial savings.
