Best Western
In a recent spot-check of flights online, the lowest LAX-London round-trip fare was $1,200, including taxes and fees, for nonstops in summer, compared with less than $700 for travel into March. Expect to pay $50 to $200 more in April and early May, said Brian Clewer, owner of the Continental Travel Shop, an air consolidator and travel agency in Santa Monica.
To snag the best price or even to get a seat, book way ahead. Most fliers are buying international tickets more than three months before departing, said Amy Ziff, editor at large for Travelocity.com.
Don’t count on fares dropping in 2008, experts told me, even though more airlines will fly to London. That’s because Heathrow and Gatwick have limited slots; oil prices remain high; and fuel surcharges of up to $220, along with taxes and fees, already add hundreds to each transatlantic ticket.
Wouldn’t it be nice to just go to one website or call just one phone number and find the cheapest plane ticket? Maybe someday this will occur. For now, the best way to find a cheap plane ticket is to spend some time doing research and checking multiple websites. I’ve divided this section into “fixed vs. flexible.” (If you haven’t read the post on planning your vacation you can find it here.)
If you have Fixed Dates and a Fixed Place: (i.e. you want to go to Boston from Washington DC on July 3rd to July 10th)
When you have fixed dates and a fixed destination the best option is to use Aggregators. These sites search hundreds of sites find the cheapest flight out there.
No one wants to pay more than they have to for air fare. But next time, look around. The guy in the seat next to you might have bought a ticket that cost $100-more than yours; the woman on the other side of you might have paid $50-less.
Arghhh!
What to do? Start by going to FareCompare.com. And Ill walk you through the process.
How to Buy Right: An Example
Got this letter awhile back; lets solve this problem, so youll learn how to solve your own.
“Looking for Senior rate (if available) for travel about 6-months from now; leaving Harrisburg, PA on Jan. 30, 2007 to Kelowna, British Columbia, and returning on 2-6-07 … do you have available itineraries?”
First, the bad news:
o Medium-sized cities: these are often more expensive than larger hub cities
o Lack of competition: this can mean higher-prices for smaller-cities
o Senior fares: these are disappearing; when they are offered, such fares are typically not the cheapest (though the tickets are usually fully-refundable and require no advance-purchase)
With gasoline prices going through the roof and increased costs due to new security measurements, airline ticket prices have risen drastically in the last few years. Flights that were once under two hundred dollars can now cost up to three times as much as before. However, it is still possible to find a cheap ticket if you are willing to be flexible and to do a little research.
The Internet is a great tool for helping you find affordable deals that leave you with a little extra cash to spend on your vacation. Today?s most popular way to locate cheap tickets is through online discount sites like Expedia and Hotwire. These two sites and others like them are devoted to finding discount travel rates on cars, flights and hotels. You can type in a departure and arrival city and the dates you want to travel, and the site will search its databases and bring up a list of budget rates.
Fly into the largest city on the continent you are visiting. Take budget airline hops or travel overland from there to reach your destination.
Always use frequent flier programs. It may take years, but the miles DO add up and may come in handy in the future.
Being as flexible as possible can get you a cheaper ticket. Do not specify flight times, number of stops, etc.
