Getting the lowest airfares has become a challenge because
there are so many different rates available and so many
different sites offering those rates. When you finally
decide to buy a ticket, its hard to tell if you really
got the best price.
Here are some tricks you can use to make sure you are
paying the least amount of money possible:
Secret #1: Call the airline you want to fly on -
many of the airlines will give you lower rates that you can
get on sites such as Travelocity, Expedia, Hotwire, etc.
Why? Because these sites are acting like travel agents and
get some sort of fee from the airline for processing the
reservation. The airlines simply pass some of the savings
on to people who contact them directly. I have saved as
much as 5-15% so its definitely worth making the phone call.
2. Ask the airline about special package deals which
include a rental car free or at lower than normal rates.
About a year ago, I called Northwest Airlines to get a
ticket to Salt Lake City. I asked the ticket agent if they
had any good deals.They told me about a special that was
going on where I could get a free economy car for the
weekend when I got a ticket directly from Northwest.
3. Check the airfares from other airports within reasonable
driving distance 3-4 hrs. Sometimes, you can save big money
by traveling to another airport and then flying round trip
from there. Then drive back home. Its a little bit of a
hassle, but the rewards may be worth $50 per hour of
driving after gas costs. The reason for these savings is
a direct result of the "hub system" that is in place across
the USA. When a hub does not have a value airline such as
Southwest with a good schedule, the airfares go up.
4. You can very often save money When you get hotel,
rental car and airfare from the same place at the same
time. For these special combo deals, visit Orbitz,
Expedia, Travelocity and others. Hotels, rental car
companies and airlines often make unused blocks or rooms,
cars and tickets available at discount prices to maximize
the use of their inventory.
Secret #5. Check out the last minute getaways section on
the airlines websites. Make sure to check out Northwest
Airlines. Northwest Airlines seems to have deals that are
hard to believe to to major destinations. The catch is that
you must be flexible with your schedule.
6. Secret tip: Ask your ticket agent if there are any
better rates or fares than the one you got. AAA, AARP,
others negotiate special deals for their
members. With a little persuasio skill you may get those
discounts too, even though you're not a member!
Hopefully these secrets will help you get the best rate you
can for your next flight. If you are little flexible and
check every option, you can save a bundle of money.
Emiser Largent is the owner and operator of ABG Travel,
Inc. which is a premier source for information on
travel deals. For comments or questions about this article,
please visit: http://www.abgtravel.com
