How to Find Cheap Airline Tickets

As human ticket agents fade into the horizon, more websites come online offering cheap airline tickets. The big ticket purveyors like Travelocity and Orbitz are no longer the only games in town. But you've got to be savvy to work the system, as well as keeping your eyes and ears attuned to changes in the industry to really capture the cheap seats and get to where you're going. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Use websites that search all the other websites for the cheapest ticket. You no longer have to log onto each travel site to compare rates. See a few of the links below.
2. Listen to the news about new airlines as they enter your market. The cheapest airline tickets a company will ever offer are available when they first open and are trying to win over customers. Also, when an airline sets up new routes, they usually run some introductory specials.
3. Plan ahead. The more time you give yourself to shop for the lowest fare, the better chance you have of finding the cheapest seat available.
4. Be flexible. You can find a huge difference in ticket prices between mid-morning departure and middle of the night departure. It might be worth the few lost hours of sleep to get the cheap tickets. Also, if you can change from one day to the next, you'll often find a big price reduction.
5. Ask for any and all special discounts. Use your age, student status, disability; anything you think might bump you into another rate category.
6. Consider other destinations that may be near to where you want to be, but to which you can cheaper tickets. Small airports often are tougher for you to get cheap tickets, while a nearby major hub airport can offer you great discounts. Consider your time and the cost of a rental car when calculating these options.