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.
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