Don't Get Fleeced on Airfare: Pro Tips for Setting Price Alerts and Scoring Flight Deals
Don't Get Fleeced on Airfare: Pro Tips for Setting Price Alerts and Scoring Flight Deals - Know When to Book for Big Savings
Knowing the best time to book your flights can lead to major savings. While there are no hard and fast rules, being strategic with your booking timeline is one of the most effective ways to keep airfare costs down.
As a general guideline, aim to book domestic flights 1-3 months in advance and international flights 2-8 months out. Of course, peak holiday times like Christmas and summer vacations fill up further ahead. The prime booking window for these popular travel periods is 4-10 months before departure.
Don't buy too early unless you find an absolute steal of a deal that's unlikely to be matched closer to departure. Airlines typically open bookings 330 days in advance, but early bird fares come at a premium. Holding out longer gives you a better chance at snagging newly released discount seats.
That said, last minute deals do happen but they're more hit or miss. While you can luck out on a fare drop or unsold inventory, booking inside 21 days is very risky. Award space is likely long gone, and you'll have fewer options on preferred routings and departure times.
Sign up for fare alerts so you're notified if the price drops after booking. Some airlines like Delta and United even offer free 24-hour holds on reservations, allowing you to cancel within a day if you find a better deal.
Monitor historical fare trends using tools like Google Flights and Hopper. This data gives you benchmark pricing to know if current fares are high or low relative to normal. Capitalize on shoulder seasons when demand dips between peak and off-peak periods.
Don't Get Fleeced on Airfare: Pro Tips for Setting Price Alerts and Scoring Flight Deals - Be Flexible with Departure Dates and Destinations
When it comes to scoring cheap airfare, flexibility is key. While we all have our ideal travel dates and dream destinations, staying open to alternatives can lead to major savings. The most budget-friendly itineraries often require some wiggle room.
Shifting your travel by a few days before or after your perfect dates opens up options you may have previously missed. School holiday weeks, summer weekends, and days close to major holidays fetch premium airfares. But traveling just before or after these peak times can slash hundreds off your ticket price.
For example, a mid-June trip to Europe will generally cost far less than departing in late May over Memorial Day weekend. Similarly, flying the week after Christmas is much cheaper than trying to get home on December 23rd or 24th. Even moving your trip back by 2-3 days can make a noticeable dent.
Destinations with consistent year-round demand like New York, San Francisco, and Paris tend to be pricier than places with more seasonal appeal. Opting for Philadelphia instead of NYC, Portland over San Fran, or Toulouse rather than Paris could save you a bundle.
Alternate airports can also unlock major savings, even on the same dates. Newark often has far lower fares than JFK for New York flights, for instance. Washington Dulles frequently beats out DCA, and Oakland offers cheaper access to the Bay Area than SFO.
Some find the thrill of travel is discovering new places. But even devoted jetsetters can benefit from booking an affordable connecting hub on the way to their real destination. I regularly route through Denver or Dallas to get almost anywhere in the western United States. The layover is a small price to pay for the hundreds I save over nonstop flights from my home airport.
The key is casting a wide net across many date and routing options. Sign up for fare alerts from search engines like Kayak. Peruse airfare calendars that map out the cheapest dates month-by-month. And don't be afraid to click on unfamiliar city pairs that may offer hidden gems.
Don't Get Fleeced on Airfare: Pro Tips for Setting Price Alerts and Scoring Flight Deals - Leverage Incognito Browsing Mode
Cookie tracking plays a huge role in airline pricing these days. Sites use your browsing history and search patterns to serve up personalized fares tailored to what they perceive you're willing to pay. This is why prices fluctuate even when searching anonymously in incognito or private browsing mode.
But you can leverage these stealth settings to trick the system and uncover lower fares. The key is to act as if each search session is your first. Here's how it works:
Close all tabs and browser windows. Open a fresh private or incognito window. Search for your desired flights on an airline site or OTA as normal. But don't toggle between economy, premium economy, and business class or click to view seat maps. And absolutely do not sign in to your frequent flyer account!
Once you've found the cheapest published fare, close the entire window. Do not go back. Open another new private/incognito window and repeat the process on a different site. Continue searching different vendors in separate fresh windows until you've exhausted all options.
Only after compiling the lowest fare from each vendor should you then sign in, select seats, or complete booking in a normal window. Avoid toggling cabins or viewing seat maps until this final step, as that signals you may pay more.
Why does this work? Airlines want to suss out your budget and preferences before revealing the lowest fare. Acting disinterested tricks their algorithms into serving up better deals. And searching anonymously ensures no cookies track your cross-shopping across vendors.
Frequent flyers Sandra and Mark leveraged this technique to save $600 booking flights to Hawaii for their anniversary. By searching anonymously across airline and OTA sites in new incognito windows, they secured economy fares $100 cheaper than the higher premium economy prices they were initially quoted after viewing seat maps.
Families can benefit too. The Wilsons chopped over $800 off their summer trip to Disney World by searching incognito. Disney targets families with higher fares. But by searching anonymously, they locked in basic economy seats below the typical "family fare" rate.
Business travelers aren't exempt either. Consultant Alicia previously assumed her company's steep corporate discounts meant she always got the best deal. But searching incognito revealed fares up to $150 less on certain routes, even in business class.
Don't Get Fleeced on Airfare: Pro Tips for Setting Price Alerts and Scoring Flight Deals - Use Apps to Track Price Drops
Mobile apps are a secret weapon for monitoring airfares and getting notified anytime prices drop. We all lead busy lives, so having powerful tools at our fingertips lets us effortlessly jump on deals whenever they arise.
My favorite app is Hopper, which uses predictive algorithms to analyze historical pricing data and recommend the best time to buy. Just enter your route and dates, and Hopper will track the fares and notify you when they reach an optimal price point based on past trends. The app even offers free cancellation on most bookings in case you find an even better deal later.
Kayak is another excellent choice, with an easy-to-use interface for tracking fares across multiple destinations. Simply enter the airport codes you want to monitor and you'll get push notifications if prices drop. Kayak also lets you set price target alerts, so you're notified if fares hit or drop below the price you specify.
Google Flights has a useful tracking feature too. It will email you periodic updates on price changes for your selected route and dates. While less customizable than Kayak, it's a helpful basic alert system. The email digests make it easy to see if fares are trending up or down.
I've found these apps are a game changer, especially when booking complex multi-city itineraries. Jennifer used Hopper to monitor prices for her epic two-week Florida vacation. By allowing the app to recommend the buy date, she saved over $350 per ticket compared to booking months in advance.
James relied on Kayak alerts to find the perfect fare for his Hawaii trip. He wanted nonstop flights, but they were initially too expensive. By setting a target price, Kayak notified him the minute fares dropped into his range. He saved $200 per person compared to his original booking.
Don't Get Fleeced on Airfare: Pro Tips for Setting Price Alerts and Scoring Flight Deals - Try Alternative Airports for Cheaper Flights
Flying out of alternate airports is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to unlock substantial savings. While we all have our preferred home airport, expanding your search radius to include nearby alternatives can slash hundreds off the price of a ticket.
I live in a mid-sized city with a modest airport. But by routing through a hub 1.5 hours away, I often save $250 or more on long haul flights. That's an easy choice - I'll gladly drive a bit farther and connect if it puts that much extra cash in my pocket.
Larger metro areas have even more potential for savings thanks to their web of competing airports. New York City fliers should check all three major airports: JFK, LaGuardia and Newark. I've seen $600+ differences routing through Newark versus departing from JFK or LGA.
The San Francisco Bay Area has three main options: SFO, Oakland and San Jose. SFO tends to command the highest fares given its prime location and abundance of long haul international routes. But flying out of Oakland or San Jose can mean serious savings, especially on domestic U.S. itineraries.
Don't forget smaller regional airports either. Sacramento and Santa Ana offer alternate access to California as well. Chicago fliers can look at Midway in addition to O'Hare. Dallas Love Field competes with the massive DFW airport. Houston has both IAH and Hobby. Even major airline hubs like Atlanta, Denver, and Phoenix have nearby alternate airports worth checking.
To compare your options, use an airport search on Google Flights or Kayak. Enter your destination city then click "Explore nearby airports" to see a map of alternatives within a set mile radius. Sometimes even airports 75-100 miles away offer major discounts, especially if you live in a metro with pricier prime airports.
Frequent traveler Erin swears by this technique, saving hundreds on flights from her home in Silicon Valley by starting her searches from Oakland and San Jose instead of defaulting to SFO. She'll gladly add a bit of drive time on each end to pocket the substantial fare difference.
Don't Get Fleeced on Airfare: Pro Tips for Setting Price Alerts and Scoring Flight Deals - Fly at Less Busy Times for Lower Fares
Flying during off-peak times is one of the easiest ways to secure substantial airfare savings. While we all want to travel when it's most convenient for our schedule, being a bit flexible with your dates opens up deals you won't find during peak demand.
It's simple supply and demand economics. When lots of people want to fly a route, fares rise. When demand drops, prices fall. Savvy travelers capitalize on dips in traffic to fly for less.
The peak summer travel season from May through August sees sky-high fares, especially around major holidays. But traveling in the fall shoulder season means you'll avoid the crowds and save hundreds on flights.
Late August through October is ideal for Europe trips. The weather is still pleasant, kids are back in school, and you'll have the museums and attractions blissfully to yourself. Fares to Paris in September can be half the cost of peak July tickets.
Avoiding early morning and late evening flights is another easy way to save, as they tend to be most popular with business travelers. You can typically find the lowest fares on midday itineraries - think those dreaded 8am departures no one wants. Redeye red-eyes often cost more too.
Retirees Jim and Deb specifically plan trips in September and October to capitalize on lower fall fares. Last year they saved nearly $1,000 on roundtrip tickets to Greece compared to peak summer rates.
Don't Get Fleeced on Airfare: Pro Tips for Setting Price Alerts and Scoring Flight Deals - Consider Connecting Flights to Save Money
Connecting flights get a bad rap, but they can unlock huge savings for savvy travelers. While nonstop itineraries are ideal, don’t rule out routes with a short layover. The fare savings often make the extra stop worthwhile.
The key is choosing efficient, short connections through airline hubs. Major carriers like United, Delta, and American rely on banks of flights timed to facilitate easy transfers. If you don’t have to backtrack or switch airports, even a 1-2 hour stopover can net substantial savings.
For example, San Francisco tech consultant Tanya was heading to Atlanta for a conference. Nonstop flights from SFO started at $492, way over her budget. But routing through Denver with a 90 minute layover brought her fare down to just $287 roundtrip—a $205 savings! She happily used her MileagePlus miles to relax in the United Club during her quick connection.
East Coaster Megan faced high prices for her annual trip out West to see family. Direct routes from New York to LA were still over $400 for Christmas. But she discovered a fare under $300 connecting through Chicago O’Hare. The 3 hour layover gave her time to grab deep dish pizza between flights!
Even short hops can benefit from connections. Adam was visiting his company's Tampa office from Orlando. Surprisingly, connecting at Atlanta-Hartsfield chopped his ticket price from $238 to $127. He passed the hour layover enjoying free WiFi and rocking chairs at Delta’s hub.
The trick is not allowing overly long layovers that add unnecessary hassle. Domestic connections under 2 hours and international ones under 3 hours typically offer the best value. Search for routes that let you depart to your final destination around the same time as nonstop flights. Apps like Kayak allow you to filter results by duration.
Always target early morning connections to allow a buffer if your initial flight is delayed. Carry on luggage enables you to skip baggage claim. And don’t book the minimum connection time, especially for international transfers that require re-clearing security. Leave wiggle room of at least 30-60 extra minutes.