Discount Air Travel

Discount air travel requires two things: patience and persistence. For the best flight discounts, you'll scour several websites for low prices each day, sometimes for weeks on end. But the bargain hunting always pays off, sometimes getting you rock-bottom prices more than 75% off the usual fare. Discount air travel is well worth the extra effort, and if you know where to search, half the work is already done.
Discount Air Travel - The Basics

First, have a solid itinerary set up so you know what cities you'll be visiting and in what order. It's best to keep the dates somewhat flexible. Once you have your plan, start your search several months in advance. Choose two or three airlines or travel websites (our recommendations are below) and search them once or twice every day. Air travel prices fluctuate, so if you find a good deal pounce as soon as you can. It's almost like playing the stock market.

The best days to travel are generally Tuesdays and Thursdays. If it's a short trip, plan to stay over the weekend to save more. Discount flights often operate on less convenient hours of the day, such as at night or in the early morning hours. If you can handle waking at 4 in the morning to catch a flight, it might be worth your time.

Also, be prepared to catch connecting flights or have short layovers before arriving at your destination. Many discount air travel services land in smaller airports as well, so arrange transportation for when you arrive.
Cheap Flight Websites

Searching for discount flights is an art. Do you use the airline's official website or a meta travel site? Sometimes if you purchase directly from the airline, prices will be lower. But other times going through a meta site nabs you the deal. The solution? Check both. And if you find a good deal, check the same flight on another travel search engine to see if you can shave a little more off the grand total.

There are many websites on the internet that claim to offer cheap airfares around the world. Below you will find a few of the best and most flexible. Add them to your collection of travel links and make them part of your daily rounds.
Within the U.S.

* Hotwire - The original leader in discount air travel, Hotwire still offers some of the lowest prices around. Microsoft purchased the site years ago and integrated it with Expedia. The downside to Hotwire is you won't know your flight's time or the airline until after you purchase the ticket. If you're flexible enough to do this, you'll catch some great deals.

* AirTran - AirTran operates limited routes through some of the largest airports in the U.S. Flights are some of the cheapest around, and the service on-board is actually quite friendly. Check their website to see if they fly to your city, then search for some low prices. Most of the time you can get where you need for much less than $100.

* Yahoo! Travel - Many of the lowest prices can be found on Yahoo! Travel's friendly, flexible search engine. It's cleaner than other travel sites and offers the ability to search flexible dates, a must-have for any bargain hunter.

* Orbitz - Orbitz has an extremely flexible flight search system that allows you to search within a given time period for the lowest flights. If you're looking for a flight within the U.S. months in advance, Orbitz is a good place to start.
Europe

* Aerlingus - The Ireland-based airline Aerlingus offers flights between the U.S. and Europe for amazingly low prices. As a great bonus, their flight attendants are some of the most helpful people on any aircraft. Aerlingus goes to many major U.S. cities and lands in Dublin. From there you can take another Aerlingus flight to move around Europe or find a connecting service with another airline.

* RyanAir - RyanAir offers intercontinental flights to and from many European countries for very low prices. Use your patient and persistent skills to net a really good deal -- sometimes flights can be found for 0.01 euro!

* easyJet - Similar to RyanAir, easyjet flies to smaller airports in many major cities and countries within Europe.

Discount Air Travel: the World

Flying around the world, you'll often find yourself taking excruciatingly long flights or having day-long layovers in the middle of your journey. To get good deals, search Yahoo! Travel or a similar travel website for a flight, then look for the cheapest ticket available. Note the airline's name, then look on their official website for discounts and lowered rates.

A travel site of a different sort, AirTech.com offers remarkably low flights around the world, but there's a big catch. You buy a flight pass, not an actual ticket, and wait at the airport for a last minute seat opening on a flight going to your destination. Airlines now rarely fly with empty seats, so your voucher won't be very handy. This is a great way to fly from region to region during the off-peak season. Be careful if you plan to travel during a season not considered off-peak, as airlines have reduced the number of flights making available seating a thing of the past. It's possible to get stuck for days waiting for an available seat.
Your Discount Flights

When you're traveling and want the best flight deals possible, use your computer as your weapon. Search for discount flights on different dates several months before your intended departure. And search twice a day, every day. Your persistence will pay off in the end!

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