There is a tremendous proliferation of cheap airfares and to get the best you will have to scrutinize various online travel sites as well as the sites of the concerned carriers. Some of the independent travel sites allow the traveler to flag selected flights and when deeper discounts become available, the traveler will be notified. This is ideal for those who do not a fixed schedule and can travel at their leisure. There are other travel sites that allow visitors to bid on low priced tickets but the downside is if the offer is taken up the purchase must be immediate. The cheapest airfares usually require very unpopular departure and arrival times and can also mean long layovers at the airline hubs.
With all the online activity many people have long forgotten about travel agents; don’t. Many travel agents negotiate package deals with the airlines, this allows them to bundle a cheap flight as long as the traveler stays at a specified hotel or rents a car from a specified car rental company. Arrangements like this are usually available when the destination is a popular spot, these deals are rarely available when the destination is off the beaten path but it never hurts to consider a professional travel agency.
Think out of the box and you may find that you can find very cheap airfares. Travelers know where they are departing from and where they are going, you may find that flying into a different airport, still close by your destination may save you considerable money. The same thing is true at the departure end; perhaps a 30 minute drive to a different airport will result in substantial savings.
There are tricks that are frowned upon by the airlines but they are not illegal. Many people find it less expensive to buy a ticket using a practice called “overflying”. This is a way to save money but only works well when the destination is close to a hub city for the airline. Instead of booking a flight to the hub city, take advantage of cheap airfares by booking a less expensive flight that stops over at the hub city you really want to go to, just deplane at the hub city, throw the onward leg ticket away and simply do not board the onward flight.
Many times major carriers offer discounts to passengers to encourage them to use their low cost sister companies. If you happen to be at the right place at the right time and find yourself privy to an airline fare war then you can expect serious discounts, but these fares are temporary, often lasting for less than a day.