Tips for Saving on Air Fares

It never hurts to be reminded on how to save on air fares, the most visible and often the biggest single chunk of the budget for a trip. The Independent Traveler has released its top ten tips for saving money. My own observations on some of these points are in italics.

• Buy Early - At least 21 days in advance for domestic and three to six months for international travel.


• Buy Late - Take advantage of last-minute fares, available on airlines' own websites or E-announcements or through such services as Independent Traveler's Bargain Box and Last Minute Travel.


• Shop Around - Compare big booking sites like Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz and HotWire, the airlines' own websites or the new generation of aggregator sites, search engines that allow easy fare comparison, such as SideStep, Kayak, Mobissmo and Qixo. Ed Hewitt, Independent Traveler's features editor, did some fare comparison (read his article and you'll see his comparisons at the end) and he found, as I have when I've spent a lot of time noodling around on various websites, that the different is usually a few dollars. Spending a lot of time comparing fares assumes that your time is worth very little. For international travel, I would have focused on consolidators as well.


• Know When to Buy - Farecast features offer predictions on when fares from 75 select US cities will be offered at the best deal, plus a Fare Guard feature (at an additional fee) that locks your air fare, even if it increases.


• Be Flexible - If you live in a major metropolitan area, be willing to use an alternative airport. This might work if you live in the greater Los Angeles area or in the Philadelphia-New York-Boston megalopolis, but for those of us in the middle of the country, it is normally not practical. When short-lived Western Pacific and Reno Air (now part of American) were offering cheaper flights from Colorado Springs than Denver carriers, this was an option, but with gas at $3-plus a gallon, small savings are quickly erased).


• Don't Forget the Discounters - Discount airlines are not always easy to find, but they can save significantly. Aggregators and booking sites increasingly include JetBlue, Spirit and AirTran. Southwest Airlines, however, the big kahuna of discount carriers, only can be booked on its own site.


• Use Frequent Flyer Miles - "Although redeeming miles has gotten more difficult in recent years, it's still a good option to consider, particularly if you're booking early; airlines designate a very limited number of seats on each flight as eligible for award travel, and these seats go quickly," reports the Independent Traveler. Amen! Back in January, I tried to book late May flights to Germany, using frequent flyer miles -- or which I have nearly 200,000 on United alone. Impossible! Not on United. Not on Star Alliance partners. Not economy. Not business class. Not non-stop, one-stop or two-stop between Denver and Munich. Nada. Nichts. Zero.


• Get a Refund When Fares Go Down - "If fares go down after you've purchased your ticket, ask for a refund! You may not always get one, but policies vary by airline -- and many do not publicize the fact that they will refund you the difference if prices go down. It can't hurt to ask," says the Independent Traveler. Good idea. I don't think this has ever occurred to me.


• Buy Air Passes - Some national carriers, in order to promote tourism throughout their countries, offer reduced-rate air passes, which makes sense If you're planning to travel extensively in one country or region.


• Check for Deals and Discounts - Independent Traveler uses tip number 10 to again promote its Bargain -- a bit ingenuous, perhaps, but a good reminder nevertheless. If I had done this list, I would have included a reminder to compare service charges, booking charges and even ticket-change fees as one of my top ten.