Deals at the Last Minute

Despite the fact that airfare prices in general are going down, people still demand a deal - and why shouldn't they? Considering there is so much competition among the airlines nowadays to get your business, ticket price promotions are everywhere. You just have to know how to wait and where to look.

One of the first things you need to realize is that if you want a really good deal, you will most likely be booking a flight at the last minute. This means that your plans have to be pretty flexible in order to get that special price.

If you don't want to do that, airlines usually run promotions every now and then. You just have to be religious when it comes to going back and checking their sites often. One of the first things you should do before planning a trip, is to sign up for multiple airlines' newsletters. This will give you information on special deals or promotions. In addition, you should also check airlines' individual sites often because they will usually post open seats at the last minute.

You can be assured that if one airline is running one promotion and you miss it, another airline will be around to offer something comparable in the coming weeks.

If you want an even greater amount of information on how to get the best fares, use Internet sites such as Airfarewatchdog.com. This website is a really great resource for people who like to scoop up last minute deals. The home page has a Top Airfares Today box which lists up-to-the-minute deals. On a recent visit, a roundttrip ticket from Florida to California was about $168.

The site also allows you to subscribe to Airfare Alerts. You can pick the frequency with which you receive alerts (such as daily, weekly or two to three times per week). In addition, the site also has a predictions section which helps you decide if you should pounce on a ticket price now or wait until a little later.

If you purchase your ticket directly through Airfarewatchdog.com, you do have to pay a $2 to $5 fee, which goes towards the site (helping to pay for all that information it supplies to consumers).

Another good online resource to check out for good last minute deals is Smartertravel.com. This site also offers last minute airfare deals in the Editor's Picks box. It also shows current promotions occurring for airlines. In addition, the site offers you the ability to comparison shop and also gives you travel guides and other tips.

You can sign up for the site's weekly e-mail alerts which inform you of last minute deals on airlines.

If you are doing a small, weekend vacation, you may also want to look into Site59.com. This is probably truly last minute since domestic (within the U.S.) flights can be booked in advance in as little as three hours before takeoff time. The site also offers whole packages that also include a car and hotel which makes being last minute a little easier.

Site59.com offers more than 150 North American cities as destinations. You can book up to 14 days in advance for some trips and as little as five hours in advance for international flights.

You can get really great deals. It's just a matter of subscribing to all of the resources out there and being flexible with when you want to go and where you'll end up sitting on the plane.