The Nuts And Bolts Of Airfare Deals

S hopping for airline              even real-time in some systems.    tickets has come a long way                                        since the days of calling       Are you a business traveler?       the airline companies directly to     Airline companies are well aware   reserve your itinerary. The           that businesses are willing to     advent of the internet has given      pay more for airfares then the     everyday consumers the ability to     average consumer, so they          book airfares without the             commonly implement the "Saturday   assistance of airline customer        Night Stay Over" requirement to    service representatives or travel     capitalize on them. If you're a    agents. Here's some information       non-business traveler try to       that will make you more               incorporate a Saturday night stay  knowledgeable about how to get        over to avoid this fee. If you're  the best deal when booking            on business, show your employer    flights yourself online.              how much they'll save by letting                                         you stay the weekend, if you so    Have you ever seen the prices for     desire.                            a flight fluctuate drastically in                                        the same day? This is because         What are the most inexpensive      most airlines use robust,             days to fly? Tuesdays and          database driven software that         Thursdays are historically the     factors historical purchase data      cheapest days to fly, with         along with current ticket supply      Wednesdays and Saturdays being a   and demand to determine ticket        close second. Fridays and Sundays  prices. For example, if a flight      are the most expensive. This all   is selling out too fast compared      goes back to the aforementioned    with past flights for that same       ticket demand data that helps      route, ticket prices will rise        determine ticket prices. The same  and vice versa. Prices are            holds true for seasonal            updated multiple times a day and      popularity and "times of day".     Flying red-eye during non-peak        my experiences the rates           seasons is generally cheaper          associated with these intervals    because those flights have less       usually get bought up way before   demand.                               then. So, even for domestic                                              flights I start looking several    When is the best time to book my      months in advance.                 flight? Prices on last minute                                            airfare can be highly volatile so     One of the most important things   try to book in advance. At the        to consider when traveling is to   last minute, airlines know you're     try to resist mainstream travel    desperate and are willing to pay      patterns. If you can avoid         more. However, occasionally the       traveling during peak seasons,     airlines are desperate to fill        "days of the week" and "times of   seats, so prices might decrease.      the day" you can experience        For travel during popular             substantial savings. If you can    holidays (i.e. Christmas, New         think "outside the box" when       Years, Thanksgiving) and              planning your trip, you can find   internationally try book at least     the discount airfares the          three months in advance. Most         airlines were forced to mark down  travel sites recommend booking 7,     to ensure a sold-out flight.       14 or 21 days in advance, but in       About the Author: Isaac Rau owns and operates several airfare meta-search sites including http://www.icheapairfares.com and http://www.1stcheapflights.com. Source: www.isnare.com