We get a steady stream of e-mail from our readers covering the gamut of travel; people want help with their travel planning, they want to offer their own tips and advice, and sometimes they want either to praise us or to condemn us for something we've written. Out of all the messages we receive, a few themes appear again and again. Vying for the most-often-asked-question (when it's not "How to I get a job with Frommer's?") is "How do I find the cheapest airfare?".
And our answer is: You'll have to work a bit for it, since there is no one place to go to get the best airfare.
That being said, if you follow these guidelines, you'll be on the right track to finding an airfare that fits your budget.
1. Be flexible. If you're rigid in the dates and times you can fly, you'll have far fewer options to choose from.
2. Consider flying off-peak and to stay over a Saturday. If you can fly on Tuesdays, Wednesday or Thursdays after 7 pm, you'll have a better chance of finding a low fare. Red-eye flights are less popular, as well -- less expensive. Returning on a Sunday is pretty much guaranteed to raise the price of your ticket; consider Monday morning instead.
3. Compare airfares with the big three online agencies: Expedia (www.expedia.com), Orbitz (www.orbitz.com), and Travelocity (www.travelocity.com). Be aware that you'll be charged a service fee upwards of $10 per ticket when you buy from these sites.
4. Once you've got an idea what your route is going for, visit individual carrier's websites. You'll avoid paying additional fees, and you might even find a lower fare there.
5. Check with leading budget airlines that the big three don't include in their searches such as Southwest (www.southwest.com) and JetBlue (www.jetblue.com).
6. Use a "bot." There are several alternate "scraping" programs out there you can use to compare fares in ways the big three don't. We like ITAsoftware (www.itasoftware.com), Sidestep (www.sidestep.com), and QIXO (www.qixo.com). You might have to download software onto your computer from some of these sites, but it's safe.
7. Consider a consolidator. Consolidators buy seats in bulk from the airlines and then sell them back to the public at prices usually below even the airlines' discounted rates. Look for ads in your Sunday paper's travel section or check out our recommendations online.
8. Look into buying a package. Much like consolidators who sell only airfare, there are several reliable sellers of vacation packages - those companies who combine elements like airfare and hotels, or airfare and car rentals at prices that sometimes are less than what you'd pay if you bought your airfare separately.
9. Sign up for e-mail notices (and the Frommers.com Newsletter). Almost every airline website has a quick subscription form (look for links like "E-Savers" or "Specials") to receive notices for last-minute fare sales, or you can subscribe to sites like Smarter Living (www.smarterliving.com) which allows you to receive notices for specials out of your home airport. Of course we're biased, but our independently researched and reported articles come to your in-box free of charge and with your interests at heart.it's free and delivered to your e-mail inbox three days a week. Our staff of travel experts research the best fares, packages and travel deals going and report them to you -saving you valuable time.
What are your tips for finding the most affordable airfares? Tell us on our Air Travel Message Boards.