Cheap Airfare Blog

Steven Liew asked:


As a smart traveller, you should always be looking for ways to travel cheap and getting cheap airfares is the first thing you need to plan.

Savings on cheap airfares means you can save your money for something more luxurious you can enjoy on the trip - like a hotel suite or a first class flight or simply a free second trip.

And if you travel by air, you would already know that airfares cost typically forms the dominant chunk of your travel bill be it leisure or holiday.

And so, it goes without saying that saving something like 30%-50% on those airfares on average, every time, will go a long way to put extra money into your travel itinerary - that otherwise would have gone into the hands of airlines and their shareholders.

But it can get really confusing out there when people talk about cheap airfares.

Everybody is advertising cheap airfares nowadays and what you thought you might have gotten a great deal may turn out to be second or even fifth best after you found out how cheap airfares in the industry really works.

Airlines, travel agents, tour operators, travel advisors, everybody wants a chunk of your travel money and unless you know how the airfare system works, you will simply not getting the best deals in town.

And it does matter where, why, how and when you are flying because your airfare savings depend on all of the above.

And it also matters what you prefer:

- cheapest airfares without any comfort,
- cheap airfares but with comfort and style, or
- cheapest but you are actually not getting those cheapest airfares.

The best is obviously the middle choice. The first one is not exactly one that a typical traveller would choose for obvious reasons and the last one is just a throw-down and plain deceiving.

Flying on cheap airfares with comfort and style is what most of us would go for.

Well, to get the cheapest airfares but yet fly in comfort and style, you just have to understand how the airline and air ticketing industry work.

While the whole industry airfare intricacies are obviously not comprehensible by just an explanation in this one article alone (the travel industry is one of the biggest sectors in the world), travellers can still get cheap airfares and good air ticket savings by getting a basic understanding of the industry first and how all the players fit in.

One of the most important distinctions is that a deregulated market airfare system like in the US is far different from the international airfare market. The rule of thumb is that it’s certainly harder to exploit cheap airfares in a deregulated market.

This does not mean you cannot get cheap airfares in these markets, note this carefully, it just means compared to the average other Joe traveller in the market, you do not really get that significant a major advantage.

That said, there are loopholes of course, and cheap airfare tactics and strategies to exploit.

Note that there are more opportunities to get cheap airfares comparatively on international travel and it is a shame that common travellers do not exploit even these avenues.

Most sites will be advertising their cheap airfares gimmick but after understanding how the industry works, you are likely to wise up to these low airfare tactics.

Essentially, there are two major types of fares that is published and unpublished fares and this determines whether you get the cheap airfares that you want.

Published airfares are those which are available on the computerised reservation systems used by airlines and travel agents and which list down most of all the published airfares approved and filed with the respective countries’ governments.

For international airfares, these are regulated by the one sole dominant body called the International Air Transportation Association (IATA). These airfares got to be registered and approved by IATA and the respective governments who have aviation agreements between them.

IATA is the monitoring body of these agreements.

As a condition of membership in IATA, airlines agree to sell their air tickets only at IATA-approved prices. IATA regulations strictly forbid the direct discounting of air tickets directly to passengers.

In case you are pondering, more than 90% of the airlines companies worldwide are members of IATA.

The good news however is that airlines do discount their airfare prices unofficially off their published prices to travel agents/sellers who buy in bulk and get the large discount from the airlines. Right, that is where you can really get cheap airfares.

These discounts are passed on to consumers in the form of cheaper airfares. Note that strictly under IATA rules, airlines are not actually allowed to do any discounting of their approved published air ticket prices.

But it happens nonetheless as not all airlines seats are sellable at 100% their published prices.

These cheap airfares agents/sellers are known in the industry as consolidators/bucket shop/discounters (the terms are typically used interchangeably although there are subtle differences between them). Basically, you need to find these sellers for a truly cheap airfare deal.

The rule of thumb is that you should always seek out cheap unpublished fares from a consolidator especially on international routes. The next time you buy air tickets, ask your travel agents to seek out the cheapest consolidator airfares first and then compared them to the published airfares directly from the airlines.

Or buy online yourself from these airfare consolidators. Most of them don not sell to the general public (only to registered travel agents) but increasingly, many do.

Some of the good ones include www.onetravel.com, www.flights.com, www.priceline.com, etc., which are some of the largest ones in the US. You can save as much as 40%-60% of the typical published airfares and be amazed.

Discount Airfares

George Wood asked:


Finding cheap airfare is the name of the game for people that travel frequently these days. When you can cut the costs by almost half, it is certainly worthwhile. Even if you are taking a family trip, there is no need to base the whole budget of the trip on airline tickets.
Planning is the key to reducing your budget for trips like these. Try to take a vacation far from major holidays. You will find better deals and more comfort when the plane is not jam packed.
Of course, not everyone can take their vacations whenever they feel like it. But, at least try to plan trips between Tuesday and Thursday as well as during the morning or the midday hours. These will be much more spacious and much cheaper flights.
Be prepared to spend a fair amount of time browsing different websites to find the best deal. You must find the correct airline and the correct site. There is a lot of chance involved, when you factor in what day it is, what time it is, how far in advance the flight is, which airline it is, and which airport you are starting from. You could find the best deal right away or it could take many hours. But, those will be the most worthwhile hours of trip planning you have ever spent.
Begin your search at the major airline websites, at least a week or more in advance. Check every price that is being shown by the different airlines going to your desired location. Do this search with at least three different times throughout the day to find the best price on a particular day.
After those sites, spend some time with the big travel websites. You can always find good deals with these sites because thats the way they designed it with the deals they have made with airlines to offer lower prices. All the same rules apply with these sites. Try different days, different times, and always get your ticket in advance.
Last but not least, there are special websites that will search all travel and airline sites to find and compare the best deals. These are the easiest and quickest to use so that you do not have to go to all the different websites. This will automatically search all of them for you. Be sure not to leave these special sites out of the picture.

Save Money on Airfare

Ani Ben asked:


Cheap Flight Only Deals work as agents for all the supplied airlines and as so we can display to you each airlines best rates for flights as well as any special offers or late availability deals. We search the internet and over 520 airlines to give you low fare air tickets.

We display the cheapest fares airlines are offering today. Now there’s a travel engine that can read the airlines’ minds. Our website shows you which fares are currently the cheapest, it uses advanced mathematics to predict whether those fares are likely to go up or down in the next few days. If ticket prices are likely to drop, you can save money by waiting to buy until they do. We can find that special cheap flight instantly. We have made our site as user friendly as possible and several quotes can be obtained very easily in a few clicks.

First and foremost, we are all about providing a fast and easy-to-use way for you to find cheap flights. You can book cheap airline tickets to domestic and worldwide destinations search through many flight providers to get you the best deals on cheap flights.

Cheap Flight Only Deals work in partnership with The Car Hire Group to deliver quality value for money car rental worldwide. You can book your car hire online to get special offers and discounts on car rental at any of our offices in the UK, Europe and Worldwide including main airports. Also our online booking partner holiday express are members of ABTA protection and ATOL licence. They handle your bookings with the highest standards of service and quality; protect you from losing money, or being stranded abroad. These protections are included in the cost of a trip booked. VeriSign secure programme is used to encrypt all data entered onto our website. This ensures that any bookings made through our site will be totally safe throughout the whole booking process.

If your flight has been delayed, then Cheap Flight Only Deals provide airport lounge for just �16.50 per person to rid off airport crowds. You can sit back and enjoy Tea/Coffee, Soft drinks, Alcoholicbeverages,Snacks, Magazines/Newspapers at a free cost. Through airport lounge screen, you can have minute flight information, so you won’t miss a thing.

Also we provide you with facility to book your train tickets to the Airport,Airport Hotels for easy accommodation, car parking at airport.

You can also purchase travel insurance through Cheap Flight Only Deals which will gives you comprehensive coverage without any hidden clauses or small print.

You can easily contact us by calling us on or by email. If you have any queries regarding our services or your flight booking, our FAQ section should able to answer you to your questions.

Discount Airfares

sarasotadays asked:

How to find cheap flights and best deals for airfare using airportexplorer.com/cheap-flights in addition to TravelZoo.

Edit: oops, I guess the sound was not working right. Doh.

Cheap Airfare

Harry Shengh Lee asked:


The world is vast and there are myriad things to do, infinite places to visit, innumerous people to meet and countless experiences to gain. It’s just one life why not make the best of it. But things are easily said than done. It’s not all that easy, isn’t it? There are too many hindrances that don’t permit you take a break from your unvarying to-do-list and compel you drop the idea mid-way. The biggest onus being the unavailability of cheap air fares in USA to your preferred destination. Cheap airfares to your favorite destination are just too hard to retrieve.

With so many options available for finding cheap airfares in USA through online travel websites, the job on one hand has become easier but on the other hand it has become all the more confusing. Who to trust and do a deal with would be an obvious question for any traveler, especially the ones who are traveling for the first time. But don’t worry, a bit of navigation on the website, advice from friends, and little research work would help you crack the best deal.

Log on to the internet today and book your cheap airfares right from the comfort of your computer. Yes, that’s true, from the comfort of your computer and that too just by a few mouse clicks. It’s just a matter of few clicks that you hunt your cheap airfares in USA and end up reducing a significant amount of money on your itinerary. This not only helps you save money during your trip but also allows you to shop relentlessly without being too heavy on your pocket.

There are many firms that have years of experience in the travel domain. If you are expecting a lot of time and money to be saved after contacting them, you are not asking for much. Book your cheap airfares in USA at an unbelievably low price and get the best deals that would not only be cost-effective this time but on all your future endeavors.

This time when you are planning your itinerary let your travel agent take a break. Instead log on to the internet and let the travel firms take care of all your traveling woes. What you need to do is just select the nearest airport to your vicinity and the destination city that you intend to explore. Choose from the list of cheap flights that you are offered and that best suits your travel plan.

A perfect vacation for anyone would comprise of these: Being with your loved ones, visiting exciting places that you have dreamt of, shopping your heart out and relishing the best of cuisines. After all this if you manage to save some money it would just be icing on the cake.

This summer when your children insist for an outing to any of the cities in US or even overseas, don’t just say no thinking the budget would be a major constraint. A little planning and research is what’s needed to experience one of the most enjoyable as well as economical vacations of all times.

Cheap Airfare

George Wood asked:


Finding the best cheap airfare to London is not very difficult if you know the places where you should look for it. You are more likely to get cheaper airfare if you have a flexible schedule. Asian airlines like Kuwait Air or Air India should be your first choice for this, provided you are not too picky for flying in these flights.
The Asian airlines usually sell the tickets with the help of consolidators. They fly via London. The US-London sector seats are usually not full because the travelers use their own countrys airlines to book their tickets. So you can easily get a ticket till London in these flights and that too at a reasonable rate.
You are likely to get even cheaper rates if you fly during the off season. You will pay less if you fly between these periods: mid Jan to March end or November to early December. This is because the traffic is less and that is the reason that the ticket prices are down. So plan your journey accordingly.
You can also plan your trip well in advance to get cheap airfare. You may get the cheapest tickets if you are lucky because these airlines give special rates to people who book early. Discounted rates are released from time to time by the airlines. To make sure that you do not miss out on these tickets, check the airlines sites regularly.
You can also quote a price on Priceline.com. The site will then contact the various airlines sites to see if anyone is willing to sell the ticket on the price quoted by you. However its drawback is that you cannot refund the ticket. You have to go with it even if it does not meet your timings.
You can get cheap airfare if you start searching for it well in advance. However there is a hitch. You are likely to pay less if you buy your tickets 10 days in advance rather than buying them at the last minute. It is a misconception that last minute airfares are the cheapest. The best deals are actually available 6 months in advance. The tickets disappear quickly once they are available for sale.
You may not get the lowest airfare if you ask for it from an airline reservation desk. The best place to get cheap airfare is the internet. This is because there are no frills involved in online booking. You have to do everything by yourself. This also saves your time and the airlines too do not need to employ more people for selling tickets. So it is a good deal for everyone.
There are also some sites which will send you low fare alerts if you subscribe with them. So you should become a member of these sites. Who knows, you might end up getting a great deal.

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jeanniec1 asked:

When you want to fly, always look around for cheap airfare tickets. Learn how to order
cheap airfare online for the best deals.

Cheap Hotels

MIKE SELVON asked:


Whether you are planning for that dream vacation for the family, making arrangements to see loved ones for the holidays or a special occasion, or making preparations for a business trip, looking for cheap airfares is always high on the priority list anytime people need to travel by air. No one wants to spend more money than is needed to get to their destination. Often the ability to secure discount airline tickets can really make or break a trip.

Most people lose interest in planning for even cheap vacations if they are going to end up being strapped for cash once they get to their destination. Cheaper fares can make a huge difference in the travel budget, both for the business traveler and for those traveling for pleasure.

For some people, finding cheap flights makes a trip possible that would otherwise have been out of the question. For others, a discount on the flight means they can indulge themselves a bit and enjoy some pampering while away.

With the way that gas prices have shot up recently, some travelers who enjoy winding their way cross-country in the car are discovering that cheap airfares can actually make more sense than driving to their destination. But, the increases in fuel costs have also pushed up the rates on plane fares, which as in turn has made it even harder to find those elusive discount airline tickets.

For the most part, the cheaper fares are most abundant when booking your trip early. But, you should be careful not to book too early. Recently, experts have stated that booking airline tickets more than six months in advance can end up costing you more than if you wait for that six-month mark. Booking three to six months before your trip will usually give you the most options and the best airfare deals.

It should come as no surprise that the internet is one of the best places to look for and secure the best deals for your travel needs. While there are many different websites that collect and display comparisons of airfare costs from a number of different airlines, such as Expedia and Travelocity, even these sites do not have all of the discount flight information.

There are some airlines, such as the popular discount airline Southwest, that do not list any of their flight information on other travel websites. In addition, many of the airlines only show their best fares, or special web-only discount airfare rates, on their own websites and not on the travel websites. Because of this, it is a good idea to take the time to go to the web sites of the different carriers that cover your departure and arrival cities.

Another way to find cheap airfares is to check to see if there are better airfare deals available for nearby airports. For example, when planning a trip to the Los Angeles area, there might be cheap air tickets available to some of the smaller landing strips that are nearby, such as Burbank, Santa Ana or Long Beach. Not only are flights into these airports sometimes cheaper, but they might also be more conveniently located to your final destination, as well as being less congested.

Save Airfare

katz45n asked:


As the heading says, I am planning a trip to Thailand in June. I have been looking at airfare prices and cant seem to find anything under $1500. As this is my first international vacation, I was hoping to get some advide on buying plane tickets with regards to finding the best deals, playing the game of constantly changing prices, etc. ANY help would be greatly appreciated. I am not looking to spend anymore than $1100, other people I know who have flown to Thailand have spent around $1000.

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