Buying Airfare: Get the Best Bang for Your Buck

Does it seem like airlines and ticket sellers are taking you for a ride (and not to your destination?) Air travel seems to be getting more expensive these days - I don't need to quote any "experts" or analysts - anyone who flies regularly or books travel for other people can see the trends. However, even without fare sales, frequent flier miles or discount coupons, anyone can save money on airfare - with just some careful planning and a little elbow grease.

1) 30-21-14-7 Rule
The 30-21-14-7 Rule is a trend I've seen when buying airfare tickets online - the prices seem to go up 30 days, 21 days, 14 days and 7 days before the date you want to travel. The trick is to buy as early as possible, but if you're a procrastinator or you can't purchase right away for some reason (like the boss not being able to hand you his gold card, or just waiting for the next big bonus), know that these are the milestones you should look out for.

2) Compare, compare, compare
If you have time on your hands, use a comparison-shopping website. My personal favorite is Kayak, which searches the web for the best prices. The neat thing about Kayak is that you can also narrow down the choices - how many stops, what time you want to leave/land, which airports, etc.

3) Compare some more
No, that's not a typo - Once you've done your comparison-shopping, look around some more. Kayak may tell you that Orbitz has the best price for that ticket to New York, but Orbitz also charges booking fees. Go to Orbitz and check for which airline they are selling the tickets you want and call or go to that airline's website. You might find that the airline may have better fares, more choices and have no booking fees. But don't spend TOO much time comparing - check your milestones, if you have another day or two to comparison shop or you should buy that ticket right away.

4) Fly on a weekday.
This is a no-brainer for most people, but it still amazes me that airlines take an arm and a leg for flying during "premium times" - Friday night and Sunday night. It's simple demand and "we'll take you for all you're worth" - Airlines know that people will want to fly during these times and know people will pay more. The best times to fly are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

5) For weekend travelers - fly on a Saturday morning and fly back on Monday morning.
Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to take a day off to travel. For weekend trips, I'll have to suck it up and pay more - however, for short-haul trips. I'll try to fly out on a Saturday morning. This saves me almost 15-30% on airfare and one night of hotel stays.
For example, I once planned a weekend trip to San Diego and go to the Zoo and Seaworld. I figured, I could fly out Friday evening after work and come back Sunday. However, Seaworld didn't open until about 9 am and would be open until about 10 in the evening. So, I bought airline tickets for Saturday morning, arrived in San Diego at around 10 am and got into Seaworld at about noon. I ended up staying until 9 pm and still had a great time. I got plenty of rest that night and went to the San Diego Zoo the next day and flew back that night.
This tip works depending on what you want to do. All the activities I planned were during the daytime. If I had planned a trip to say, Las Vegas for a bachelorette party, then that extra Friday night partying and spending time with my friends, and then coming back early on Sunday to get rest, would have been worth the extra money for tickets and hotel stays.

6) Don't be picky
When I travel - it's about getting there at the best possible price and I'm not picky - I'm still young (and poor), so I can travel coach - $10 for extra legroom? No thanks, especially if it's just a 2-3 hour flight. That 6 am flight is $30 cheaper? Sure, I can wake up early if I have to.

7) Make sure that bargain is really a bargain
Flying in early or late at night can save money - however, if you're not renting a car or have friends/family nice enough to pick you up, you're stuck with public transport or taxis, which can be expensive. If you arrive at your destination at 11pm to save a few bucks, your ground transportation options may be limited (it helps to do research before arriving there too). Plus, if you're in an unfamiliar city, you may not want to play Russian roulette with your personal safety. That $15 you saved by flying in later may be offset by a $30 cab ride.
So it's not just about the bottom line - think of all the other costs surrounding air travel - ground transportation, hotel options etc.

8) Make your purchase work for you
Sign up for those frequent flier miles - even if you think you may never earn enough points to merit a free flight. Most airlines nowadays offer other incentives - personally, I've exchanged my miles for free magazines, movie tickets, kitchen knives, a coffee press, luggage and a $50 gift cards towards a hotel stay- all kinds of neat stuff! Unless you're in the "top-tier" of these frequent flier programs it's often a headache to get them exchanged for the tickets you want. The money I would have paid for these items goes towards my "future travel fund".

Remember - every penny counts! The $7 dollar booking fee you just saved could go towards the admission fee to a museum, a great local breakfast at your destination, or towards your next travel!