Aviation Information

Really Cheap Plane Tickets


To begin with, the best place to buy really cheap plane tickets is online. Travel agencies can't compete with discount ticket sites. Search Google ("cheap airfare south america", for example), or try the well-known sites, like Expedia, Travelocity, Cheap Tickets, Hotwire or Priceline.

Just now I checked fares from Tucson, Arizona to Traverse City, Michigan on the five sites mentioned above. The cheapest quotes ranged from $704 to $432. Nevermind which was cheapest (oh, okay, it was Expedia), because you never know from day to day which sites will find the cheapest flights.

Check at least three places. In this case, it would mean a savings of $272. The flight durations are within minutes of each other, by the way, and the food is probably equally bad on all the flights.

Flexibility For Even Cheaper Airfare

The more flexible you are, the better your chance of getting a really cheap plane tickets. Try different departure and return dates if you can. Check the box "2 or more connecting flights". Mark the "anytime" departure, even if you don't want to leave at midnight - the savings might change your mind. Try all the options. If the savings aren't enough, you can always book first class, direct flights, or whatever you prefer.

Really Cheap Plane Tickets - More Ways

You can buy two tickets. The cheapest airfare from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Tucson, Arizona costs $451 roundtrip right now. Las Vegas to Tucson is only $161, however, and there are regular $199 specials to Vegas from Grand Rapids. It's up to you whether saving $91 is worth booking two flights. (It saved us over $1000 when we went to South America.) There is the problem of whether you'll get a refund if your timing is off on the connections (you probably won't).

Check for package deals, where you pay for plane tickets and your hotel room. I haven't had much luck with these deals, but it can't hurt to look at them.

Buying ahead of time gets you cheaper plane tickets. Any thing less than a week away tends to be expensive, although you never can tell in the mysterious realm of airfare pricing. Sometimes the "last minute specials" are the best thing going.

Priceline still has their "Name Your Own Price" feature. Make your bid, and the airlines say yes or no, depending on whether they have empty seats to fill. First search for the cheapest tickets you can find, then bid lower than that. If your bid is rejected, you can return to the website where you found the best deal and book it.

If You're Really Cheap

My wife and I once took a bus from Michigan to Miami, and flew from there to Ecuador. For us at that time, saving a couple hundred dollars was worth 38 hours on a bus. This won't save you much on domestic flights. Right now, for example, taking a bus from Traverse City to Detroit, then flying to Los Angeles, would only save about $70 (allowing for cab fare to the airport) over flying directly.

There are other options beyond the scope of this article. Courier flights, for example, can be a great deal if you don't mind letting a company use your baggage allowance (you get carry-on only). There are also stand-by deals and last minute deals and other ways to get really cheap plane tickets. Good luck!

Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now 40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. For more on cheap plane tickets, and to read their stories, tips and travel information, visit: http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Turkish Press

General Dynamics' ratings, outlook not affected by Jet Aviation ...
Forbes, NY - Aug 20, 2008
... General Dynamics Corp. are not affected by its acquisition of Switzerland-based Jet Aviation for 2.45 billion Swiss francs from a private equity firm. ...
SVG quadruples investment on Jet Aviation sale Financial News
Business Flight Boom Drives Jet Aviation Sale Focus on Travel News
General Dynamics to Boost Gulfstream With Jet Aviation Purchase Washington Post
Financial Times - Motley Fool
all 396 news articles


Austin approves general aviation facility for ABIA
Bizjournals.com, NC - 1 hour ago
A California firm has been tapped to build a general aviation facility at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Austin City Council today approved a ...


Aerospace & Defense Leaders Tackle Complex Programs at the ...
IT News Online, India - 5 hours ago
21 /PRNewswire/ -- AVIATION WEEK will present its Aerospace & Defense (A&D) Programs Conference on November 13-14, 2008 at the Paradise Point Hotel in San ...


PASS Endorses Barack Obama for President
MarketWatch - 4 hours ago
With a focus on matters that impact union members and aviation safety, such as privatization of the aviation system and supporting the workers who keep the ...


Memphis airport gets $5.5 million FAA grant
Bizjournals.com, NC - 26 minutes ago
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday a $5.5 million grant for improvements at Memphis International Airport. The grant will help complete ...
Pilot uninjured in crash Wednesday at Reno Stead Airport Houston Chronicle
all 32 news articles


SHS lands contract for national aviation company
Bizjournals.com, NC - 13 minutes ago
Wichita's largest advertising firm had added a national aviation company to its list of clients. As West Star's marketing partner, SHS says it will work to ...


KCBS

Pilot dies when plane hits CHP building
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - 2 hours ago
... when his plane crashed into a California Highway Patrol truck scale building on Highway 101 in Gilroy, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said. ...
One dead in small plane crash in Gilroy KSBY
GILROY: UPDATE: PILOT OF PLANE THAT CRASHED INTO CHP BUILDING ... CBS 5
Pilot killed in crash into CHP facility United Press International
Los Angeles Times - San Jose Mercury News
all 56 news articles


John Menzies hurt by aviation unit’s start-up costs
Financial Times (subscription), UK - 1 hour ago
... and airport services group, saw profits drop 26 per cent for the half year after it incurred high start-up costs while expanding its aviation division. ...


Flight Options Names New Sales Director for the Southeast Region
MarketWatch - 50 minutes ago
Mr. Flint grew up in the aviation industry and has spent the last four years as a sales director with an aircraft manufacturer-owned fractional program. ...


Calgary Herald

Spain crash just the latest trouble for MD-80 aircraft
Newsday, NY - 11 hours ago
Yet aviation experts say the aircraft, which was first manufactured 28 years ago, is sturdy and reliable. And the Federal Aviation Administration won't ...
Popular jet in use worldwide Scotsman
Madrid plane crash: Crash history of MD-80 series Telegraph.co.uk
Spanair Says Air-Intake Fault Was Fixed Before Crash (Update2) Bloomberg
Mail on Sunday - Wired Blogs
all 126 news articles

Aviation - Google News

home | site map
Web Site Development - Search Engine Marketing: Dream Team Media