2 words for flying cheaper: Patience, Wednesday

 

 

Most importantly, don’t hurry. Start shopping as far in advance as possible but don’t book right away if you can help it. Set up email alerts on fare-watching sites like kayak.com or farecast.com. Check pricing on booking sites like Orbitz or Travelocity; they often will have a cheaper ticket by consolodating different routes on several airlines. But one tip when looking on these sites-if you see a complete flight itinerary that is all on the same airline, go to that airline’s website and compare their fare. Often times, you’ll find that fare to be a few dollars less.

If you’re traveling somewhere that requires a connection, compare the rates of one complete flight itinerary versus two separate tickets on separate airlines; one round trip to a gateway city and one roundtrip from that gateway city to your destination. Its a little more work, and you have to be wary of connection times, but by buying two separate tickets on two different airlines you can often save you a good deal of money.

 

The best time to shop is late Monday or early Tuesday as that is around the time that airlines most often start their fare sales. Wednesdays are generally the cheapest day to fly, with Tuesdays and Saturdays coming in a close 2nd. Demand is slower on those days and the airlines are trying to fill seats.

 

Whatever you do, the more time you spend searching and the more options you look at can pay off with extra dough in your pocket. And if you’re like me–someone who’s meandering through various airports from time to time–you could use that extra cash to pay the exorbitant airport pricing on snacks and gifts. (Try $4 for a bag of corn nuts at Atlanta’s Hartsfield. Or, $2.67 for a regular cup of coffee–not a latte or mochachino, a cup of coffee–at JFK)