Ticket Tips
1. “When to fly and buy” reports from hopper.com will tell you what price is a good deal for any given route. And Google Flights’ “tracked prices” feature will e-mail you when the price of a selected itinerary has gone up or down. Also, read up on these secrets booking companies don’t want you to know.
2. “Data from the past two years suggest the best time to book a domestic flight for the 2017 holiday season will be between three and seven weeks out,” says Randi Wolfson, head of communications at the travel-search site skyscanner.com. We bet you’ll want to book these off-season travel deals.
3. “There’s a misconception that every online travel agency [OTA] has the same fares,” says George Hobica of airfarewatchdog.com. “But because they sometimes cut special deals with the airlines, it’s worth it to check them all.” A site such as kayak.com will scan multiple agencies in one search.
4. Delta has stopped working with certain OTAs, so make sure you’ve seen its fares for your itinerary before you book. And you’ll always have to check Southwest’s website for its fares. Make sure you’re not following these travel tips that are no longer true.
5. If there’s not much difference in price between an airline’s fare and an OTA’s fare, book with the airline. In the event of a delay or a cancellation, you’ll need to go back to whoever issued your ticket to get rebooked, and you could be better off if you dealt with the airline directly rather than with a third-party agent, explains Akash Gupta of thepointsguy.com. These airlines offer major perks, make sure you book with them.
6. Don’t always book the family together. If you’re buying multiple tickets, search for them individually and as a group. Airline ticket prices are full of quirks, and sometimes individual seats are cheaper than a block. If you decide to buy individually, make sure there’s no per-ticket processing charge that would offset the savings. These are 13 things airlines don’t want to tell you (but every flyer should know.)
7. Do: Fly on Christmas. If dinner doesn’t hit the table until early evening, consider flying on Christmas morning to save an average of $50 per person compared with traveling on the Friday preceding the holiday. Depart before that Friday to cut costs further. Flights on Wednesday, December 20, and Wednesday, December 27, are likely to have the deepest discounts this season, according to cheapair.com. Avoid these travel mistakes for the best vacation ever.
8. Don’t ignore air + hotel bundles. Booking both at the same time may cost a lot less than booking separately. “If the hotel doesn’t have to show their price and the airlines don’t have to show their price, both are willing to give lower prices not available otherwise,” Tim MacDonald, former general manager of expedia.com, told the New York Times.
9. Do subscribe to a newsletter. Airlines often offer discounts via e-mail. Put your name on their lists and you’ll be in the know about promo codes, flash sales, and other special offers. We’ve seen discounts of up to 50 percent on certain airlines and routes.
10. Don’t miss out on fare-drop refunds. The law requires airlines to allow you to rebook your flight for free within 24 hours of buying your ticket, as long as you’re more than a week from the departure date. After that, most airlines charge up to $200 to change flights, but Southwest will never charge a fee.
11. Do review your group memberships. AARP members get up to 10 percent off at many hotel chains and up to 25 percent off some car rentals. AAA offers similar deals. One surprising source of discounts: Costco. It offers its members deals on cars and hotels as well as on some excellent vacation packages. Many employers also offer airline and hotel discounts.
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