Getting Your Hands on Dirt Cheap Airline Tickets

With the rising price of gas, finding dirt cheap airline tickets these days is much like finding a needle in a haystack. It's a very difficult proposition, but not one that is impossible, if you know where to look.

Generally, there are two ways to purchase airline tickets – very early or very late in the game.

Early Tickets – Purchasing tickets in advance is a great way to get a better rate, especially if you want to purchase tickets for a very popular time of year to fly. When it comes to airfare for spring break, Christmas, Thanksgiving or other popular holiday travel times, buying early is the only chance you have to get a good price, as many of these flights will sell out as the holiday approaches. Try to purchase the flight at least 2-3 months in advance for domestic flights, earlier for international.

Late Tickets – If you are not flying on one of those busy holiday flights, and you do not have a specific time you have to be somewhere, you may want to look into last minute deals. In the few days before a flight, an airline will often sell any open seats at a discount. They would rather have a cheaper fares in the seat than no fares. There are many last minute travel sites on the market that can help you find these deals. If you have a flexible schedule, these last minute fares can be a great way to take an impromptu vacation.

Next, no matter when you are buying your ticket, you need to do your research.

Compare – You may be used to using one of the discount travel websites to book your airfare, but do you check all of them? When looking for dirt cheap airline tickets, it pays to shop around. While all those discount sites will likely have good fares, some may have lower fares than the next, because they got a better deal with the airline that week. Check around to save even more.

Sales day – Just like malls have sales, airlines do to. The airline sales come out in the middle of the week, usually Tuesday or Wednesday. This is when they are putting out the best prices on upcoming fares. Often there are a limited number of seats at the special sale prices, bit if you are out shopping, you can get a good deal.

With gas prices being what they are, it is no longer economical to drive to your location, if it's more than a few hundred miles away. However, the airlines are also being hit with the repercussions of the higher oil prices. Instead of eating the cost, they are going to pass it on to you, the consumer. While rising airline prices are expected to continue over the next few months, there are still deals to be had. If you know how to shop for dirt cheap airline tickets, you may still be able to knock a lot off of your travel costs.