How to Get Free Tickets From an Airline

It seems like the price of flying goes up a little each day. Airlines have gone from charging for your second checked bag, to charging for the first, to charging for drinks on the flight. With more charges mounting each day, it seems like the days of getting a good deal on travel are long gone. It may surprise you to know that there are still ways that you can fly for free. It’s not going to be easy, and most certainly not convenient, but if you apply yourself, you can fly the friendly skies without paying a dime. Here’s how to get free tickets from an airline.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Obtain free employee tickets from the airline. Airlines give employees free tickets for themselves, friends and family. Each employee is allowed a certain number of airline miles per year. If you get a job at an airline, or make friends with someone who works at an airline, then you could get free tickets to fly domestically.

2. Obtain promotional flights from an airline. If you are a writer and would like to write a travel column about airline experiences, you may be able to sweet talk the airline out of free tickets. Instead of contacting the reservations department, contact the marketing department and explain to them that your article will bring them free exposure. Tell them you’ll be satisfied with an undersold flight that has a lot of empty seats. You may have to try a few times, speaking to different people, and you will certainly have to be a smooth talker, but this approach is not impossible.

3. Ask your boss for the tickets. With a little research, you should be able to find a convention or trade show that somehow relates to your job. These trade shows are typically held in vacation destinations, making it easy to mix work with pleasure. If you have a good rapport with your boss, you may be able to convince them to provide you with free airline tickets and passes to an industry trade show.

4. Go on a game show. Sure, this is a long shot, but if you can manage to become a contestant on a game show, you could get two free tickets to the city where the show is filmed. This is normally two free airline tickets to Los Angeles, California, and free hotel accommodations.