Save money when booking flights

Finding ways to save money on booking flights is important with the ever-increasing air fare rates. Here are some tips to help you save money on booking flights:

Start by sitting down and mapping out your destination. Check for airports in the vicinity and check on flights from multiple airlines to the different airports. Decide what your budget will be for the trip and determine exactly how much you can spend on airfare. One you have this information ready, check out the prices on airfare from web sites. You can check with each airline individually or you can check the big travel booking sites like Travelocity.com, Expedia.com, and Orbitz.com.

Many of the online booking sites offer discounted airfare and they also bundle your vacation into package deals, allowing you to pay less for hotels and rental cars as well. Take notes from each of the online booking sites and decide who has the best rates. Taking notes will help you shop around for the best price and decide if the individual airline site is cheaper or if the travel booking site has a better rate.

The travel booking web sites are great at keeping up with the latest deals and sales. Not every airline will be listed, so you may need to go to the individual airlines web site for their rates. Be sure to check on the cost of flying into different airports and different dates to see which airline has the lowest rate.

There are smaller travel booking web sites that can help you obtain a cheaper rate. Some of the smaller travel booking web sites to consider are: bookingbuddy.com, cheapflights.com, and mobissimo.com. The smaller travel booking web sites can get a pretty good deal compared to the larger travel booking web sites, so be sure to check on their rates and packages.

You should always visit the airlines web site to see if they have any special offers. The travel booking web sites are paid a certain percentage of money for you booking the flight through their web site, so be sure to check the individual airlines web site to see if you truly are getting the best rate. You should be able to find the same flights on the airlines site for around $10-$20 cheaper than you can on a travel booking web site.

You should always consider flying with a discount airline. Discount airlines don't offer much more than a seat, but if you aren't picky, you really can't beat their prices. Most of the discount airlines will show up on the travel booking web site, but some won't. Check out Southwest.com and Jetblue.com to find out their airfare prices. Southwest and JetBlue often have sale fares or lower fares than the larger airlines.

Consider changing your travel dates or fly midweek. The cheapest airfare rates will be for traveling on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Some cheap airfares will be on Thursday evenings or on Saturdays. Monday and Friday are always the most expensive dates to fly, due to the overwhelming amount of business travelers and weekend vacationers.

You should always consider flying into or out from a different airport. The major cities typically have more than one airport to choose from. Using an alternate airport can save you money, but it will cost you if you pay more to get from the airport to your hotel. Find out if your hotel offers shuttle services to get you from the airport to your hotel.

Most airlines have booking windows during which the rates change. The closer you get to your departure date, the more your airfare will be. The booking windows are usually 21 days, 14 days and 7 days prior to your departure date. If possible, try to book your flight a couple months in advance; this will help you obtain online specials that aren't available as your flight gets closer. Many airlines will offer non-refundable online specials if you book your ticket more than 30 days in advance. Just be sure that you will not be changing your travel dates for any reason if you book this flight. Be flexible with your travel dates, sometimes leaving a day later will affect the price of your flight. Most of the top travel booking web sites will factor using different dates into your search, but if they don't be sure you do this extra step on your own.

Some travel booking web sites allow you to place a bid on airfare. Last minute and bidding sites are a great way to travel if you aren't picky about the airline or about having a lay over. If you have found the lowest price on airfare using one of the above options, then you should go to priceline.com to make a bid on this airfare to see if you can get it a little cheaper. The bad thing about bidding on airfare is that you won't know what airline you are traveling with until you pay. Hotwire.com doesn't allow you to make a bid, but it offers lower rates on airfare and will not allow you to see the airline you are traveling with until you have paid.

You should also sign up for mailing lists. Travelzoo.com and airfarewatchdog.com both list various airfares that are cheaper. If you sign up for their mailing lists and input your destination, you will get the latest deals as they happen.

Always call the airlines between midnight and 1 a.m. Monday through Friday to get cheaper tickets. Most people don't know that at midnight, airline agents revise and load new airfares into their computers. The best airfares are just after they have completed updating the new airfares.

Consider buying a one way or split ticket instead of a round trip ticket. It all depends upon the connecting cities and your airlines hubs. When you call to book your tickets, inform the ticket agent that you are willing to travel out of the other airports and connect using regional airports, this will help you save money. It is sometimes cheaper to purchase multiple tickets instead of one ticket.

Inform the ticket agent you are willing to have a lay-over. Instead of traveling round-trip with a direct connection, consider having a lay-over. Most of the lay-over tickets are cheaper because the airline needs to perform routine maintenance on their plane at different hubs and they have larger planes that do not fly into the smaller airports. While a lay over is inconvenient, it will save you some money.

Look into what is called an "open-jaw" ticket. These tickets are used when a traveler is arriving and departing from different cities. One ticket will be purchase to cover both cities. Discuss an "open jaw" ticket with your travel agent or airline representative to see if this ticket is available instead of two one-way tickets.

Another web site to consider is sidestep.com. You simply enter your destinations and dates and Sidestep will search over a dozen affiliated regional and international airlines to find you the best rate.

When you are booking your flight, ask the travel agent if it is a "code-share" flight. A code-share flight is the same flight that is being offered by two different airlines. Write down the name of the other airline and find out how much they are charging for the same flight. Only one of the airlines is actually operating the flight so the actual operator of this flight will charge less than the other airline.

Be sure to sign up for newsletters with the individual airlines. When you are constantly viewing the airlines web site, you will be up-to-date with flight packages and online discounts. This will help you save money when you find out you should book your flight on a Monday versus a Friday.

Try to travel during the off-season. Airline often slash their airfare prices during sluggish travel times. The travel section in your newspaper should inform you when the slow travel times are. Your travel agent should also be able to inform you when the slow travel times are and help you plan your vacation during this time.

Another thing you need to consider when you are flying is how much you are packing. Due to the increasing cost of gas, airlines have been charging people for more than one piece of luggage. The cost may be anywhere from $5 up. If you are traveling with your entire family and each person packs 2 bags, this cost can add up quickly. Be sure to contact the individual airlines to find out if they are charging for luggage.

Avoid purchasing alcohol on the flight. You may get a low airfare and purchase a small alcoholic beverage for $5 up. If this is the case, your airfare savings will dwindle quickly. Try to stick with the food and beverages the airline offers you for free instead of purchasing a beverage on the flight.

With a little time and research on your part, you will be able to find cheaper airfare. Just remember to follow the above tips and you will be just fine.