Use Online Comparison Sites

• Using an airline comparison website can help you find the cheapest air fare. An airline comparison website is different than a travel site, such as Expedia.com or Travelocity.com. Airline comparison websites will actually compare those travel sites to each other, along with airline websites. One such site, Farecompare.com was awarded the 2009 Gold Magellan Award for online travel services and has been mentioned by NBC, CNN, ABC, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Another such site that has received media attention is Skyscanner.com
  
  

Filter Different Choices

• When using the comparison sites like Farecompare.com, you can choose different airlines, multiple stops versus direct flight, time or day and dates to see how you can change your cost of flying. For example, you can see if it would cost you less to travel early in the morning on a day week, with one or two stops versus mid-day on a weekend with a direct flight. If your travel dates are flexible, there is an option to click that allows the system to find a cheaper flight around your travel dates as well. Farecompare.com also offers a special notice, so that if your flight price changes before you book, it contacts you with the new price information.
  
  

Tips

• Book your flight in advance. Prices tend to go up the closer you get to your travel date.
  
  Use miles and rewards to lower your air fare price.
  
  Taking flights during the week either early or later in the day can lower the price of your airline ticket.
  
  Visit the different airlines to do a comparison check for yourself to see which ones have the cheapest air fare on your given travel dates. Sometimes you'll find that an airline is having a special for booking directly through it.