why is it that all I hear about is cheap airline tickets, yet I can't find any?

Answer 1

Hello! I've been a travel agent for over 3 years now... the reason you might not be able to find "cheap" airline tickets is because each airline sets an alloted number of tickets at each price basis. For example, Airline A offers 20 seats at the low price of $50 each way, 20 seats at the price of $100 each way, and so on and so forth. Once the available alloted spaces are taken for a particular fare, then the pricing goes up. It's all based on availability... then it gets even trickier.

For lower fares, airlines have rules that you must follow to even try and find the space in the first place. This can include anything such as which days you can travel, how many days you can stay, if stop-overs are allowed, whether the flight is non-stop or connecting, etc. This is usually why I do suggest using a travel agent when researching fares - they can usually see all the rules and then search based on that information.

Each airline also has taxes and surcharges, usually around $50-60 minimum for the round-trip. So even if you get a great rate of $50 each way, you will end up paying $100 round trip, plus the $60 taxes, etc.

To see the lowest rates, the airlines assign fare codes that tell travel agents which codes they can book for what fares (as well as all the rules), but since most airlines have real-time availability, 50,000 other agents could be looking at the same flight at the same time! This is why prices are not guaranteed.

TIPS:

1. try flying during the week instead of weekends. most airlines offer lower rates during those times.

2. be flexible in your travel dates (and times). not all flights on the same airline have the same availability.

3. redi-flghts (those really early flights at like 1am, etc) tend to have lower fares than regular hour flights since most people usually don't like to travel at those hours.

4. a 7-day advance purchase is best when looking for any airfare, but even a 14-day advance could sometimes work to your benefit. keep an eye out for specials, such as "book now and get % off". sometimes it's better to research rates months in advance just so you can compare, but airlines also try to offer last-minute deals when they haven't sold many tickets on a particular flight.

5. always try alternate surrounding airports if they're close enough for your comfort. popular destinations will obviously have less space available and higher fares. you could even rent a car sometimes from an alternate airport and pay much less than flying directly into your preferred airport.

6. using connecting flights when non-stops are readily available will usually allow you to get a lower fare. of course, this all depends on availability.

7. what you might consider a 'low fare', might actually not be realistic. for example, i've been researching fares for a long time and I can usually tell when a fare is a real deal, or at least the lowest rate you will find to that location. for example, a $250 round trip fare, including all taxes, etc. from Orlando to San Juan, Puerto Rico is a deal... anything less than that needs to be booked at the moment you see the fare because it's a great bargain that usually won't be there for too long.

PHEW - I hope this all makes sense and brings some clarity to those 'cheap' tickets. There are so many restrictions and rules from the airlines, plus the added "bonus" of real-time availability and travel restrictions, that finding that low fare might not always be so easy.

If you have additional questions, please let me know and I'll do my best to help you!

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www.MyStore4Travel.com

Answer 2

Sure you can. But conditions must be right. If you are waiting to the last minute to purchase tickets during the holidays, well you are out of luck. But if you can plan, and even if you can't, you can find some great values.

Also it depends upon what you consider cheap tickets. Do you mean tickets that are less than 100 dollars? Or do you mean tickets that are less overall?

Use these websites: http://www.SideStep.Com and http://www.Kayak.Com . Both will search many other websites including Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, travel agents, the airlines, tour operators, and ticket consolidators.

For Southwest Airlines and JetBlue you must go to their sites directly to price tickets as no other sites search their sites.

Once you have searched using the above sites go to the airline's website and search to compare.

Now you have a good reference of the cheapest airfare for your flight.

Factors all include the following. Time of travel, day/night, day of week, season of travel, destination, and departure city.

Also included would be time of day you purchase the ticket. All reservation computers reset at 12 midnight Pacific Time, update and by 2 or 3 a.m. Pacific Time all fares should be in place. Remember first come first served on the airfares.

Some fares are limited in number. Some can be 1 or 2 or 3 seats only on a plane. Others can be 10 or so.

I have purchased airfare from Colorado Springs Colorado to Sao Paulo Brazil 3 days before departure for approximately $850 USD round trip on United Airlines via a on line travel agency/tour operator. The same applies from San Francisco to Sao Paulo, 3 or 4 days in advance. It worked out.

I personally am loyal to one airlines, and if it doesn't fly to my destination I use one of its partners in the frequent flier program. This way over time you will have free flights and more. But if you go willy nilly over low fare any airlines you will be hard pressed to reach the upper reward levels. The only time I use other airlines than these are when that is all that is flying there.

The cheap tickets are out there. When comparing make sure you compare total price to total price including taxes and fees. Make sure you know the total cost of an e-ticket with no delivery fees to paper ticket with delivery fees. Only in this manner can you truely know for sure that the ticket you purchase is what is advertised.

Good Luck and Enjoy!

Answer 3

I guess it depends on your definition of cheap.....check kayak.com and farecast for the best fares...those have always worked to find the lowest priced tickets for me.

Answer 4

Everyone has their own definition of cheap.I would think round trip in the U.S. would be 200 to 350.