By
Though the basic search premise is the same, I have some new starting points that I wasn't aware of or that didn't exist at the beginning of this year. If you travel frequently or simply enjoy getting a good deal when you do, I urge you to read on. I'll explain my step-by-step process for finding low-cost airfare. You may find some new resources for flying the friendly skies for less. Please note that I'll focus on domestic airfares in this article, but these tips can be applied to international travel, too.
Step 1: Finding the Going Rate
Let's say that I want to fly from Seattle (SEA) to Washington, DC (WAS) on December 8, 2000, and return to Seattle on December 20. My first step is to find the going rate. By "going rate" I mean what most of the big travel websites, such as Travelocity or Expedia, will charge you for a flight.
Travelocity's Rate: $328
Expedia's Rate: $431
So $328 becomes my going rate. If I can find a lower fare, I know I've found a good deal.
Step 2: Getting It Cheaper
Here's where my bargain-shopping strategy has changed. I've found two new sites that I visit next to try to beat the going rate -- www.itasoftware.com and www.qixo.com. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. ITA Software won't let you buy tickets from its site, but it will let you search multiple airports and multiple days at the same time. QIXO will let you buy tickets directly from them, but they don't have an option to search multiple dates or airports. Let's see if I can beat the going rate with these two resources:
Itasoftware.com with the original dates: $328
Itasoftware.com with expanded dates (one day previous): $328
Qixo.com to DCA: $350*
Qixo.com to BWI: $271*
Qixo.com to IAD: $250*
(*Washington airports include Reagan National, Baltimore-Washington International, and Dulles International, respectively. As you can see, in some metropolitan areas the airport you choose can make a big difference in price.)
So, now I know that I can get from Seattle to Washington, DC for $250 round trip. I've beat my going rate. I could just buy the ticket, but I'll keep searching. With a little more effort, I may be able to go even lower. I'll check some other sites that often have good fares:
1800airfare.com: $287
4airlines.com: $627
Air-4-less.com: $271
Airfare.com: $368
Byebyenow.com: $450
Cheaptickets.com: $282.95
Economytravel.com: $358
Flyaow.com: $492
Flycheap.com: $328
Itn.com: $533
Lowestfare.com: $367
CheapSeatsTravel.com: $402
OneTravel.com: $291
Travelnow.com: $271
Travelscape.com: $328
Travelsite.com: $271
Travel.yahoo.com: $455
(all fares as of September 26, 2000)
Note: Sometimes you can get an extra 5-10% off the above prices if you book your travel on the website of a carrier airline.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get my ticket any lower than $250. It's important to note that no one website consistently beats the others. So, it does pay to shop around at least a little bit. I won't search each of these websites every time I buy a plane ticket, but I will check the ones I like the most. As you look through these sites, you'll find that each has its own unique features. Find the handful that you like best and visit them when you're searching for bargain fare.
Step 3: Dare to Go Lower
Once I have found the lowest fare, and if I am feeling lucky, I can try to get the price even lower. If the lowest fare I found is on a website that allows me to hold seats, I can keep the seats saved for me while I try to lower the price further. Warning: If you save the seats, you are only putting the seats on hold, not the price. If the fare goes up while you're waiting, the price on your reserved tickets will go up.
To try to drop the price even further, I go to Expedia.com's Price Matcher or Priceline.com and bid on a flight fare that is 10% to 25% lower than my held seats. Both Expedia and Priceline will let me name my own price, but I would have to put in a credit card number before I actually see what the flight times are or which airline I'll be flying on. If they can match my bid price, there's no backing out. I will have automatically purchased the ticket, and the flights are usually not refundable or returnable. I suggest only using this method if you know what day you are traveling, but you don't care what time you arrive.
There is a newcomer to the bid-for-travel sites: Hotwire.com. Some of the major airlines have banded together to try to beat Priceline at its own game. The biggest difference between Hotwire and Priceline or Expedia's bid sites is that Hotwire will actually let you see the prices before you buy the tickets. So, instead of guessing what the lowest bid they will accept is, you will actually see the lowest price. You will then have 30 minutes to decide if you want to pay that price and confirm the buy with a credit card, or cancel the whole operation. The caveat: Only after you have actually bought the tickets will you be able to see the flight times and the carrier. Still, I think Hotwire.com is a little more informative and user-centric than the other two bid sites.
See also Orbitz.
Special Discounts
Are you 25 or younger? Sixty-two or older? A teacher? A student in a school of any sort? Able to find nine folks to come with you? There may be even more deals for you to try.
Specialized sites don't always have the lowest prices, so check carefully, but they usually have helpful tips or specials for their audience. For instance, the student/youth fares typically offer benefits like extended stays not available through regular tickets. One of my favorites comes from Iceland Air. If you fly with them to Europe, you can stop for up to two weeks in Iceland without incurring extra charges.
Council Travel (www.counciltravel.com)
STA Travel (www.sta-travel.com)
Smarter Living for Students (www.smarterliving.com/student)
So, Fool, those are my tricks of the trade. As I said, I've learned from traveling frequently. But, I'm sure you have a trick or two up your sleeve, too. Please post your traveling tips on our Cheap Flights discussion board. I may include your tips in a follow-up article. Until then, fly safe, fly cheap, and stay tuned!