Travel Tips: Getting Out of Town Fast and Cheap

The best way to get the lowest price on an airline ticket is to plan ahead. But when you have to get somewhere fast, or just want to go on a spontaneous getaway, it can be hard to find a reasonably-priced flight.

Here are a few tips from CheapFlights.com on how to score a last minute deal:

• Be Flexible. If you’re willing to compromise on flight times, airport locations and the number of layovers, you will typically get a cheaper flight.
• Use the Web. Airlines post last minute ticket deals on the Web at significant discounts when they need to fill up seats. You can also sign up for email alerts. Just make sure you read the fine print for any restrictions that could negate the savings before buying.
• Check out vacation packages. Companies that organize vacation packages buy blocks of seats to combine with hotel deals. If they haven’t sold all of the packages as the trip approaches, they unload them at pretty deep discounts. You could get a flight plus a hotel room at an even lower price than buying just an airline ticket directly from the airline.
• Search for travel consolidators. Consolidators buy big blocks of seats at wholesale prices to ensure that a certain number of tickets are sold in advance. They resell the tickets back to consumers for less than the advertised price of an individual ticket.
• Traveling with children? Search for student travel deals. Students usually travel at a discount. For older children ages 18-22, youth fares offer cheaper prices and they don’t have to be a student.

Comments

[first class airline tickets]

I always watch out for airfare promos online. I was even able to get some heavily discounted first class airline tickets once.