6 Tips for Saving on Airfares

  1. For routes with little competition, ie not many carriers flying those routes, aim to book your flights at least 21 days in advance. For busy routes use an airfare predictor like airfarewatchdog.com to help figure out when is the best time to buy.
  2. Compare flights on flight aggregator sites like cheaptickets.com, expedia.com, and kayak.com for the lowest price. Then check with that airline’s website where you’ll often find flights for even less.
  3. Sometimes it pays to buy one way tickets on two different airlines. It’s worth looking into, I’ve saved hundreds on flights to LA and Vegas this way.
  4. Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Saturdays are usually the cheapest day to fly, see if you can arrange your trip so you fly on those days.
  5. Check fares for nearby airports too. I used to commute a lot from DC to Boston, and found I’d save over $100, even with paying for parking, by flying out of Baltimore instead.
  6. Once you’ve purchased your flight, find out if the airline you are flying with offers refunds if fare prices drop. If so, keep an eye on your flight. AirTran and Virgin America offers refunds if your flight drops more than $75. JetBlue gives credits for any drop in price.