| Very often, when you want to get good deals | | | | For example, a Raleigh to Boston trip may be |
| on airline tickets, you wait for the ads to | | | | cheaper if you buy two separate tickets - one |
| tell you that the "airfare price warfare" | | | | from Raleigh to Atlanta, and another from |
| times are on, or for your travel agent to | | | | Atlanta to Boston. This depends on the |
| tell you more about bargain fares. | | | | airline and where its connecting cities and |
| | | | hubs are located. In the Southeast, the major |
| To be sure, there are great bargains to be | | | | airline hubs are in Nashville, Atlanta, and |
| made during the airfare price wars. When | | | | Raleigh. It is usually cheaper to drive or |
| travel volumes are slow, airlines frequently | | | | fly to these cities and depart from them. |
| slash their regular rates to entice people to | | | | Regional airlines are an economical way to |
| buy tickets. During such times, the best | | | | get you to a major city where fares are |
| deals often go to the early comers, so it | | | | cheaper. A good travel agent should help you |
| pays to track Internet fares, regularly scan | | | | check all possibilities and find the best |
| business and travel sections in the | | | | deal for your needs - but be sure to tell the |
| newspapers, and leave word with your travel | | | | agent if you are willing to fly out of other |
| agent to always alert you when special fare | | | | cities or airports to save money. |
| offers are in effect. | | | | |
| | | | Â- Use an online service to help you |
| In the meantime, you may want to consider the | | | | compare. You enter destinations and relevant |
| following ways to get good airline ticket | | | | dates, and the online service searches dozens |
| deals. | | | | of affiliated regional and international |
| | | | airlines to come up with the lowest price. |
| Â- There may be cheaper fares available | | | | These online services enable you to bypass |
| when you call airlines between midnight and | | | | SABRE-powered services, which account for |
| 1am during weekdays. Airline agents usually | | | | approximately three-fourths of all travel |
| recalculate and load new fares into the | | | | bookings worldwide. Since the airlines and |
| computer networks at midnight. During that | | | | agencies do not have to pay for using SABRE, |
| one-hour window, a handful of rock-bottom | | | | they can offer you cheaper fares. Warning: |
| fares can be up for grabs. | | | | these fares are not always lower than other |
| | | | sources. |
| Â- Fares are cheaper for mid-week | | | | |
| flights. If you can fly out any day between | | | | Who has the best deal on airline tickets - |
| Tuesday to Thursday, and stay over a Saturday | | | | Internet travel sites, airlines, or |
| night, you can save considerably over fares | | | | consolidators? This is a very common |
| on flights departing Friday, Saturday, Sunday | | | | question, but realistically a pat answer is |
| or Monday. | | | | not forthcoming. Most of the time, |
| | | | consolidators (whether Internet or otherwise) |
| Â- Arrange to check into alternative | | | | will be able to give you the cheapest fares. |
| airports. Many major cities, such as New | | | | |
| York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, | | | | However, there are times when add-on airfares |
| Washington, and London have two airports. | | | | offered by tours or cruise ships turn out to |
| Additionally, nearby cities also have | | | | be the best deals. And sometimes, airlines |
| airports. Compare fares for carriers | | | | provide unbeatable vacation packages during |
| (regional airlines included) that fly into | | | | non-peak travel seasons, or when it is time |
| all these alternative airports to find the | | | | to engage in airfare price warfare. In order |
| lowest price. | | | | to get the best deals, make it a habit to |
| | | | check all the possibilities before you buy an |
| Â- There are instances when purchasing | | | | airline ticket or book any other type of |
| one-way or split tickets turn out cheaper. | | | | travel. |