Getting discounted airline tickets is everyone’s wish and no frill domestic airlines have surged in recent years. The first no frill airline was Southwest, launched in the 1980s. Nowadays, there are several to choose from and you can easily book cheap airline tickets to travel to any part of the world.
In tough economic times and with rising fuel costs, airlines are leaving no stone unturned to attract more customers. The reasons why these discount airlines can offer cheap tickets include:
- Low cost airlines usually have their flight schedules planned in such a way that no destination takes more than two and half hours to reach. This means that connecting flights may be necessary.
- These domestic airlines hire fewer staff and therefore have lower overhead costs which benefits flyers insofar as lower airfare.
- Gone are the days when ticket purchasers had to spend considerable time at an travel agent’s office. Online ticket sites allow travelers to print e-tickets which results in savings for both the customer and the no frill ticket airlines.
- Many times, discount airlines choose smaller airports for departures and arrivals. The lower costs for airlines allows them to cut ticket prices by several dollars. As an example, New York has three International airports, La Guardia, Newark and JFK, and the prices to each can be quite different. If you don’t have a reason to fly into a specific airport you should definitely research the price difference between airports. The downside is that not all airports are serviced by a discount airline. When using secondary airports, verify distance and available ground transportation before you book. Most low fare carriers and ticket providers such as Expedia, CheapOair and Priceline provide such information on their Web sites.
- Red eye flights can significantly lower the cost for airlines and travelers alike. Likewise, late night flights are also cheaper as they are less traveled.
- Food is sometimes not included in the price of the ticket, particularly for flights lasting less than three hours. There many be a cost for drinks such as coffee and soda.
With all airlines, taxes, handling fees, baggage fees and other surcharges are not always included in the initial price. Click through to the final page to effectively compare a flight cost.
Many airlines have a separate department for students and provide student discounts up to 70 percent off regular ticket prices. These same airlines may have senior discounts.
Online travel information sites such as this one are proven to be the best resource to find the best cheap ticket airlines. In fact, phoning airlines quite possibly means a higher flight cost, including a surcharge, due to higher overhead for the airlines. Many low cost airlines do not offer cheap seats except through their websites.
Companies like Expedia, Priceline and CheapOair allow travelers to simply use online booking forms to compare flights. You simply provide information about your travel plans, such as destination city, source city, preferred date for travel, number of passengers, etc. These travel sites then search for available cheap airline tickets and list them to the potential passenger. You can then compare the fare for different flights and book the one that offers the best ticket deal.
Other ways to reduce airfare costs are:
- Try to book your online tickets during mid week as there is less traffic and therefore lower fares. Sunday and Monday tend to be the busiest of all days.
- Flight tickets purchased in advance will be cheaper with the exception of last minute flight deals. Reserving at least 21 days ahead will result in lower travel costs.
- If possible, avoid peak travel seasons like summer, school breaks, and holidays since tickets during those times are more expensive.
- Subscribe to email travel newsletters for current travel savings. They provide top travel deals which detail current travel promotions on airfare, along with hotels, car rentals, cruises and vacation packages.