I’ve written about strategies to find the cheapest airfare in cyberspace in previous blogs, but in the last few weeks I have discovered a couple of new sites that are worth mentioning.
Since most of my family lives 5,000 miles away from me I regularly scour the Internet in search of discounted airfare. However, there are times I get lazy and visit just a few particular online travel agencies. As such I often miss out on cheaper fares not available through those types of booking websites. For example, last year new carriers such as Skybus and Virgin America began flying, and each posted exclusive discounted fares on their own websites. (Note: Orbitz now offers Virgin America’s fares.) How deep? Try 10 bucks for a plane ticket. Skybus’ prices start at $10 each way, and Virgin America offers great for travel to cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and New York. Southwest and Allegiant also offer great rates that you can only find on their sites. Spirit is another airline that offers incredible savings on its website. The discount carrier routinely offers fares as low as two cents, but you won’t find those prices anywhere but its website.
Another way to save time and money is to sign up for fare alert services. Travel websites, including Kayak, Orbitz, and Travelocity, offer the service to frequent flyers who want to track fares on a particular route. I signed up a few months ago and it really is an effective tool. You simply select your departure and destination cities, travel dates, and maximum price for airfare, and the websites will notify you by email if your route drops below the maximum price you entered.
If you are a bit more tech savvy you could try out versions offered by Expedia and Yahoo! Expedia’s Fare Alert is designed for Windows users only. It is a downloadable tool that that notifies you via pop-up message when a fare matching your criteria has been booked by another Expedia user. The Yahoo! FareChase Alerts widget is a desktop tool that works the same way as Expedia’s Fare Alert. Also, if you are a fan of Southwest you could use their downloadable Ding! program. I haven’t tried it, but my friend swears by it. It’s not as customizable as Fare Alert, but you’ll still be notified of special sale fares.
Related Articles:
What’s The Deal With Those $10 Plane Tickets?
Online Airfares–Finding the Best Deal
Planning Your Vacation Via The Internet
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Airline Secrets Revealed: Affordable First-Class Fares