|
How
to obtain the lowest airline fares
Tip # 6 Look for less obvious routes.
Here's where
your knowledge of geography (or a good map) will help.
Normally,
you'll get the best fares if you stay with one airline, and let
the computer calculate the lowest fares for you.
Remember though
that the computer is programmed to find the most direct routes,
using the major hub airports for each airline. There are many
other routes that could conceivably get you to the same destination.
With some careful digging, it's sometimes possible to find a cheaper
airfare by looking at these alternate routes.
Generally,
you'll get the best fare by staying on the same airline.
However, it
can happen that you'll get a much better price by traveling to
two separate cities on two separate itineraries.
If the only
fare you can find seems too high.... look for separate flights
between cities and then connect them together. Be sure that when
you do you've allowed enough time between connections, especially
if you're flying two different airlines. Normally this is done
automatically when the computer calculates your entire flight,
but if you make separate connections you'll need to do this yourself.
45 minutes to an hour should give you enough time for most domestic
connections. Remember that if you need to change airlines you
may also need to change the concourse that the plane departs from,
so be sure to give yourself plenty of time. The rewards however
can be worth it.
For example,
recently we priced a ticket from Memphis to Spokane. On the days
this traveller wanted to fly, the fare was about $1100. However
we found flights that went first to Phoenix, and then another
flight from Phoenix to Spokane on a DIFFERENT airline.
Both fares
combined came back at about $400. The total savings was OVER $600.
|
Click
on the links below for more information on how to save money
when booking your flights.
Tip
1 Be flexible
Tip
2 Travel in Off Season
Tip
3 Check other Airports
Tip
4 Round trip can be less than one way
Tip
5 Check beyond your destination
Tip
6 Look for less obvious routes
Tip
7 3 ways to get FREE airline tickets
|
