Congratulations UT students! We are officially half way through our fall semester!
Although we may not have a fall break like some other schools and even though we only get one national holiday off per semester, we do have another break to look forward to other than Christmas - Thanksgiving Break!
I know many of you are planning to either go home to visit relatives or maybe you and your friends are planning to go somewhere for the break.
Whatever your plans may be they should not include overpaying for your plane ticket.
Unfortunately due to the increasing cost of oil, everything in our economy has gone up including airfares.
The majority of airlines have tried to curb their cost of fuel by either increasing ticket prices or baggage prices. You may not find tickets as cheap as you used to.
Even though this is true, there are still some ways that you can find good deals.
1) Buy tickets early
I cannot stress this enough especially for big breaks such as Thanksgiving.
Many people think that they can get better deals if they wait until the last minute.
While this may sometimes be true I would not gamble on it. Airlines usually offer last minute deals when their planes are not full and they need more people.
With that being said, Thanksgiving is one of the most popular times for people to travel.
If you’re going to a popular state, those planes will be full and you will end up paying twice as much for a ticket you could have bought for less in advance.
Generally I would recommend buying tickets 3 to 4 weeks in advance.
2) Look for the best deals
Don’t be too hasty to buy your ticket on the first site you come across.
There are many sites where you can purchase your ticket with the exception of the actual airline. For example, Travelocity, Expedia, Priceline, and Cheaptickets.com.
Also if you go on www.kayak.com, you can compare all the airlines and ticket sites’ prices at once.
Don’t forget to check on the airlines websites. Many airlines advertise that their prices will be lower than the travel sites.
3) Know the right time to buy
Many websites put reduced price tickets on sale late at night and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
So when you’re up late at night, check out those sites I listed above and see if the prices have gone down.
When I bought my ticket to go to D.C. I checked Travelocity everyday and you would not believe how much ticket prices fluctuate over a short period of time.
4) Be open minded
Many airlines offer the best deals for flights that are early in the morning (6 a.m.-7 a.m.).
Yes, I know it’s early but hey you can sleep on the plane and when you get in.
Many of us stay up packing until early in the morning so a few more hours staying up should be no problem.
Also keep in mind that sometimes if you fly into neighboring airports ticket prices can be a little cheaper. It’s not a guarantee but it’s worth the try.
So if you’re planning to fly in to say Ronald Reagan Airport, you can try Washington Dulles instead.
Don’t forget to check the prices if you fly out of the St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport instead of TPA.
Sometimes you can find deals.
5) Name brand vs. Not so much
No I am not referring to name brand clothing or shoes. But I want to bring to your attention how many people can overlook great deals because they stick to the norm when choosing airlines to fly on.
When looking for tickets we often go to the most common airlines such as American Airlines, Delta, or US Airways just to name a few.
However, those airlines that are smaller in size such as Spirit, Jet Blue, or Southwest generally offer lower fares.
They may not be as fancy when it comes to passenger amenities but hey as long as you get where you want to go in a reasonable time that’s all that matters.
Photo by Svilen Mushkatov (www.sxc.hu)
Top 5 Airline Saving Tips For Fall Break
Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Updated: Thursday, October 23, 2008
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