Top Ten Secrets to Saving Big Money in the Airline Flights

Do you know that some people travel around the country and abroad, for both business and pleasure, and save bundles of money in the process?

They do that by using little known ways of really taking advantage of the most popular form of transportation - airline flights.

They don't rely on the ever-famous "airfare price-wars". They don't rely on their travel agents to save money while flying.

Certainly, you should not dismiss these two methods. The price-wars can work to your advantage. But depending on them too much is a big mistake.

1. Call the airlines.

Call the airlines between midnight and 1 a.m. Monday through Friday to get cheaper tickets.

Most people never realize that at midnight, airline agents revise and load new fares into their computers. The best fares are just after they have done the updating!

2. Check into other airports other than the main one you use.

Many major cities have two airports. Check into surrounding towns and cities so you can compare airfares. You may save hundreds of dollars on your flights.

3. The early bird catches the plane.

The earlier you book your flight the more you save. Most special fares have restrictions of 7 to 30 day advance purchase. Usually non-refundable but they can offer deep discounts.

On the other hand, there are "last minute" deals too. Visit www.smartliving.com to get emails for last minute deals.

4. Get out of town on Wednesday.

Mid-week travel is usually less expensive. If you leave on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and stay over a Saturday night, you can garner terrific savings compared to Friday through Monday when most people fly.

Start taking your vacations Wednesday-to-Wednesday or Tuesday-to-Tuesday. You'll save a lot by choosing your departure and arrival dates this way!

5. Buying a one way or split ticket.

Let's say you travel from Boston to Dallas. It may be cheaper to get two separate tickets. You could buy one ticket from Boston to Nashville and one from Nashville to Dallas.

It all depends on the connecting cities and your airlines hubs. Just tell your agent you are willing to travel out of other airports and connect using regional airports to save money.

6. Open wide.

You should look into what is called an "Open-Jaw" ticket. These are used when a traveler is arriving and departing from different cities.

One ticket is purchased to cover both cities. Check with your travel agent or airline representative to see if this trick is available instead of two one-way tickets. Compare the price of each.

7. An excellent online service www.sidestep.com

You enter destinations and dates and SideStep quickly searches a couple of dozen affiliated regional and international airlines to find the best rates.

8. "Code share".

Ask your agent if this flight is a "code-share" flight. That means the same flight is offered by two different airlines. Just copy down the name of the other airline and check into what they are charging.

Only one of the airlines is actually operating the flight. The actual operator always offers this flight for less, so book with them.

9. Sign up for the airline newsletters.

From weekend getaways to international flight packages the newsletter saves you money on travel and doesn't require that you constantly visit the airline website for the latest offering.

10. The airlines often slash their fares during sluggish travel times.

Scan your travel sections in the newspapers and talk to your agent about these low fares.

Airline Says No To 2007 Malta Flights

This year has started well for the Malta holidays and hotel industry, with an increase in visitors for the first few months compared to 2006 - a good indication that if the off peak season is doing well the rest of the year could also see good gains in holiday tourists to the Mediterranean island.

The measurable increase for the first months of 2007 has come just a couple of months since Ryanair started low cost flights to Malta from London's Luton Airport to the island, and later months could be boosted further after Ryanair started flying from Dublin to Malta as well.

Overall some predictions estimate that Malta will benefit in the 2007 holiday season by an extra 80,000 tourists, reversing the decline of recent years.

The airline had to wait some time for the Maltese authorities to finally relent and give the green light for the flights to start, with concern at one stage that if the low cost airlines walked away from the negotiating table that the island would slip from a mainstream holiday destination to one catering for specialist groups of travellers.

But hopes that popular low cost airline easyJet would provide further impetus for the Malta holiday trade seems to have been dashed with reports in the island's press that talks have stalled, and a proposed London Gatwick route has been shelved.

A new low cost London Gatwick route would have provided competition for the island's national airline, Air Malta, and possibly have reduced the cost of flying to Malta further.

Malta Flights

Gatwick is located on the borders of Surrey and West Sussex and close to South and West London that would provide Malta with the possibility of extra affluent holiday makers.

In response to the arrival of Ryanair though, Air Malta has been offering reduced fares of its own, and has tried to defend her market share of the UK travelling public by starting a new route from Liverpool's John Lennon Airport in the North-West of England.

The suggested reason for Malta turning down the possibility of a new low cost route from the UK is that London Gatwick does have tour operators offering their own flights, either as part of a package, or on a seat only sale.

With the arrival of more holidaymakers, the possibility of increased property sales to overseas buyers becomes more of a reality as well, so the real estate sector as well as the holiday market is keeping a keen eye on arrival figures for the months ahead.

Some UK overseas property agencies who deal with property in Malta think that property prices could rise in 2007.

'With lower fares, Malta becomes a destination viable for 3 and 4 days trips a few times a year from the UK, and that will attract buyers to look at Malta in the same way they do France and Spain when considering where to buy a holiday home abroad. The weather in Malta and low fares could be a magnet for buyers', commented one recently,

There is a warning however from some that property prices on the island might not necessarily escalate in the same way that regions of France have seen when low cost airlines have started flying to their region.

Essential Preparations for a Flight

Are you planning on taking a family holiday this year or even expanding the number of business you take? If the answer to any of these questions is yes then the chances are that somewhere along the way you'll be flying.

This is not a problem; flying is one of my favourite methods of travelling and is by and large a relatively safe easy and convenient method of travelling

However, before you leave for the airport, you are advised to start preparing for your flight, well in advance. Unfortunately, many travellers do not realize that preparing for your flight does not just include packing your bags. Thanks to new air travel rules and the enforcement of them, preparation now includes more than you could ever imagine.

As previously mentioned, it best that you start preparing for your flight early. In fact, you should start preparing as soon as you buy your airline tickets, whether that be two weeks before you leave or two months. The first step that you will want take is to familiarize yourself with the airline that you are flying with and the airport which you will be flying out of. You can easily do this research online. You will want to determine how early you should leave for the airport and what items you will need to bring along with you, such as personal identification.

It is also a good idea to review the list of banned items. These are items that you are not allowed to have on the airplane or past certain points in most airports. The most commonly banned items include sharp objects and flammable items, but there other items included in these bans, items that you may have never even thought about before. That is why it is best that you learn what you can and cannot bring on your next family vacation or business trip. In the event that you try to bring along items that are prohibited, you may have them confiscated.

If you are planning on familiarizing yourself with banned items and other airline rules, it may be a good idea to print off a list of what you find. Printable lists of items that are banned in airports and on airplanes can be found online from a number of different websites. One of those websites includes the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). A printable list is ideal, especially if you do not need to start packing for your trip right away.

After you have familiarized yourself with the air travel rules, including the ones that were recently implemented, you will need to start packing, whether you do so right away or not. When packing, you will want to remember everything that you learned, although, if you printed off a list, your packing will be much easier. In the event that you are not sure whether or not an item can be brought on an airplane, you are advised to leave it at home. Banned items can not only be confiscated, but they could cause you to miss your flight. That is why you are advised against taking any unnecessary chances.

Once your bags have been packed and all your travel plans are in order, you will need to head to the airport. It is advised that you arrive at the airport, at least, two hours in advance. It is important that you check with your airport, because some airports have different restrictions. Depending on the size of your airport or the number of flights going in and out, you may find that you need to arrive three or even four hours in advance. It is also important to make sure that you not only have your plane tickets with you, but the proper forms of identification.

Once at the airport, it is important that you remain calm at all times, even if you are approached by airport security. In today's world, it is not uncommon for you to be subject to a random bag check or search; therefore, you should not fret if you are asked. Instead, just remain calm and, in no time at all, you should be on your way to enjoying your vacation or your business trip.

Is Getting The Cheapest Air Fares Everything To A Traveller?

We have seen all the cheap air fares advertisements from the airlines and travel agencies, touting their cheapest air fares around the world. But is getting the very cheapest of air fares everything?

Well, despite the glorious-sounding name, as a smart traveller, you should be contented with getting those cheap air fares within the confines and limits of your own requirement.

This obviously does not mean that you should not be searching for the cheapest air fares but rather one that fits your own limitations in terms of time, convenience, comfort, etc.

In other words, once you are fairly satisfied with a cheap air fare ticket (sourced through smart strategies), it's best to book and pay for the ticket immediately.

It's probably not worth spending days and days to try to look for that elusive cheapest air fare ticket. In other words, there is no thrill in such chase for the cheapest air fares (if there is one) in the market.

Why so?

A cheapest air fare ticket is perhaps misleading, as there are no such tickets per se.

There are so many permutations to getting an airfare ticket from one destination to another (in terms of route, seating, airlines, flying time, etc) especially on international flights that no travel agency nor any airline could actually guarantee that you are getting the cheapest airfares to the destination.

Coupled this with the limitations of computerised reservation systems (CRS) used currently by the airline industry and also the lack of complete access to all their options even by the best travel agents, the cheapest airfares that you think you are getting probably means the cheapest fares within what the airlines or travel agencies would like to offer you.

Remember that travel agencies do have to pay per-inquiry fees for access to airlines' CRS and are likely to limit your airfare options as it would be too costly for them to explore all the thousands of air fare options available, cheap or not.

As such, within the cost and time limitation, getting the cheapest air fares would probably mean getting the best air fares that fits your travelling requirement and preference.

Even then, travellers should still strive to get these best air fares, as it would still be probably 40%-60% cheaper than the published cheap air fares of airlines on most international routes.

It's just that one should not worry to death whether they are really getting the best or cheapest airfare available. In fact, you should only seek the cheapest available airfare that you could possibly get and get on with it.

What could possibly be the cheapest airfares to you within your own requirements? Here are some factors that you may want to consider when you decide on the those cheap airfare tickets that you come across:

a) Travel schedule

These include your travel dates and time. For example, you are not likely to get cheap airfares during the peak season or peak time of the day but some travellers are willing to fly in earlier and endure the wait and accommodation cost if they can get away with getting a 50% discount of their airfares.

The same goes for the time of departure and arrival. If you could endure a night flight, by all means do it as cheap air fares are typically for night time flying to most destinations, all things equal.

b) Travel speed and convenience

Make sure your travel agents give you the options on the travel route especially on whether it will be a non-stop flight or otherwise when you ask for the air fare prices. If you could endure changing planes and taking a longer route and the time sacrifice that goes with them, you are likely to get much cheaper air fares.

c) Type of travellers

Don't assume that your travel agent knows the purpose of the trip. If you are travelling for leisure, there are much more options available to get cheap air fares as you are likely able to stretch your limitations above such as time and convenience than a typical business traveller would.

d) Preference for airlines/airports

Some travellers would not mind the type of airlines quality they get but most would. However, note that some of the cheapest airfares are offered by foreign airlines or the national airlines of less-developed countries.

Most of these airlines actually have the same level of comfort minus the pricing but the very worst of them may not. Its best not to go for the very cheapest airlines if you have any doubt on security or quality.

Many large cities worldwide especially in the US and Europe are served by more than one airport.

These cities typically already have a network of established public transport infrastructure such as bus, train or cab and it may be cheaper to fly in to a less congested but further away airport and take the local transportation to get to your destination. Your air fare ticket prices to these less congested airports are likely to be much lower.

Your time and inconvenience could be compensated by the lower air fares you could get.

The above are some of the major factors that you could possibly encounter as you decide on the best air fares that you could get to your destination.

Always research all your available options to get the cheapest air fares that fits in only with your travel preference.

Whether that is the cheapest air fare you could possibly get to your destination is not so relevant In fact, given the difference in travellers' preference and all the constraints mentioned earlier in this article, nobody is likely to find such cheapest airfares so don't be deceived by such advertisements.

But at the very least, you now know what to ask your travel agent for that cheap fares option and the sacrifices you have to make on it.

Airline Tickets – Cheap Last Minute

Writing this article for you was a pleasure, I trust it be likewise for your to read it.

There are lots of unlike countries where you can start your holidays. As many of these vacation destinations are for the most part in far away countries you will have to see about booking airline tickets for these places. The problem is that different domestic airlines these external airline tickets will be more expensive. The solution that you can look into is that of cheap international airline tickets. These types of tickets will have more scope for low priced tickets as there are could be many another(a) airlines for one country. You can find these unlike varieties of cheap international airline tickets from your travel agent. When you are questioning about these tickets you should also try and find out the cost of hotels in your particular destination.

Sometimes these cheap international airline tickets are linked to holiday package deals. These deals can be all inclusive or you will have to pay for the cost of the airway ticket separately and your hotel package separately. These are some of the incentives that major international airlines can offer.

You should find out what documentation and visa forms you will need in order to enter the country of your vacation choice. As cheap international airline tickets may not offer you a refund if you are not able to enter the country at your specified date for lack of the right documents, you will have to check this information before you start reserving your cheap international airline tickets.

As some outside(a) airlines offer special times for their cheap international airline tickets you might want to take advantage of these offers to go on a much coveted holiday. Since these airway tickets are inexpensive in cost you will have some extra money left Apart so that you can use this money for other purposes.

When you are look for unlike types of cheap international airline tickets you should see the different times in the year that these tickets are available. This can be helpful if you need to travel in the peak season as tickets at this time are very expensive. Look for cheap international tickets during the main vacation season will allow you to have the vacation that you have been planning for.

As the unlike external airlines travel to dissimilar places in the world you can always be assured of finding an airline where you will be able to bargain cheap international airline tickets. With these tickets you have the choice of traveling to many unlike countries as well since you have some left over money.

Thanks for reading and good luck putting this information to good use.

Cheap Airfares: Understanding the Basics of it

As a smart traveller, you should always be looking for ways to travel cheap and getting cheap airfares is the first thing you need to plan.

Savings on cheap airfares means you can save your money for something more luxurious you can enjoy on the trip - like a hotel suite or a first class flight or simply a free second trip.

And if you travel by air, you would already know that airfares cost typically forms the dominant chunk of your travel bill be it leisure or holiday.

And so, it goes without saying that saving something like 30%-50% on those airfares on average, every time, will go a long way to put extra money into your travel itinerary - that otherwise would have gone into the hands of airlines and their shareholders.

But it can get really confusing out there when people talk about cheap airfares.

Everybody is advertising cheap airfares nowadays and what you thought you might have gotten a great deal may turn out to be second or even fifth best after you found out how cheap airfares in the industry really works.

Airlines, travel agents, tour operators, travel advisors, everybody wants a chunk of your travel money and unless you know how the airfare system works, you will simply not getting the best deals in town.

And it does matter where, why, how and when you are flying because your airfare savings depend on all of the above.

And it also matters what you prefer:

- cheapest airfares without any comfort,
- cheap airfares but with comfort and style, or
- cheapest but you are actually not getting those cheapest airfares.

The best is obviously the middle choice. The first one is not exactly one that a typical traveller would choose for obvious reasons and the last one is just a throw-down and plain deceiving.

Flying on cheap airfares with comfort and style is what most of us would go for.

Well, to get the cheapest airfares but yet fly in comfort and style, you just have to understand how the airline and air ticketing industry work.

While the whole industry airfare intricacies are obviously not comprehensible by just an explanation in this one article alone (the travel industry is one of the biggest sectors in the world), travellers can still get cheap airfares and good air ticket savings by getting a basic understanding of the industry first and how all the players fit in.

One of the most important distinctions is that a deregulated market airfare system like in the US is far different from the international airfare market. The rule of thumb is that it's certainly harder to exploit cheap airfares in a deregulated market.

This does not mean you cannot get cheap airfares in these markets, note this carefully, it just means compared to the average other Joe traveller in the market, you do not really get that significant a major advantage.

That said, there are loopholes of course, and cheap airfare tactics and strategies to exploit.

Note that there are more opportunities to get cheap airfares comparatively on international travel and it is a shame that common travellers do not exploit even these avenues.

Most sites will be advertising their cheap airfares gimmick but after understanding how the industry works, you are likely to wise up to these low airfare tactics.

Essentially, there are two major types of fares that is published and unpublished fares and this determines whether you get the cheap airfares that you want.

Published airfares are those which are available on the computerised reservation systems used by airlines and travel agents and which list down most of all the published airfares approved and filed with the respective countries' governments.

For international airfares, these are regulated by the one sole dominant body called the International Air Transportation Association (IATA). These airfares got to be registered and approved by IATA and the respective governments who have aviation agreements between them.

IATA is the monitoring body of these agreements.

As a condition of membership in IATA, airlines agree to sell their air tickets only at IATA-approved prices. IATA regulations strictly forbid the direct discounting of air tickets directly to passengers.

In case you are pondering, more than 90% of the airlines companies worldwide are members of IATA.

The good news however is that airlines do discount their airfare prices unofficially off their published prices to travel agents/sellers who buy in bulk and get the large discount from the airlines. Right, that is where you can really get cheap airfares.

These discounts are passed on to consumers in the form of cheaper airfares. Note that strictly under IATA rules, airlines are not actually allowed to do any discounting of their approved published air ticket prices.

But it happens nonetheless as not all airlines seats are sellable at 100% their published prices.

These cheap airfares agents/sellers are known in the industry as consolidators/bucket shop/discounters (the terms are typically used interchangeably although there are subtle differences between them). Basically, you need to find these sellers for a truly cheap airfare deal.

The rule of thumb is that you should always seek out cheap unpublished fares from a consolidator especially on international routes. The next time you buy air tickets, ask your travel agents to seek out the cheapest consolidator airfares first and then compared them to the published airfares directly from the airlines.

Or buy online yourself from these airfare consolidators. Most of them don not sell to the general public (only to registered travel agents) but increasingly, many do.

Some of the good ones include www.onetravel.com, www.flights.com, www.priceline.com, etc., which are some of the largest ones in the US. You can save as much as 40%-60% of the typical published airfares and be amazed.