March Madness - Finding Low Cost Domestic Airfare

If you've ever clicked on one of those ads that says "SALE! $49 airfare from (your departure airport here)" and then entered your destination and travel dates, only to find out that your flight is actually going to cost $489.80, you are not alone. Here are the most common reasons that the sale prices do not apply:

•  the deal doesn't apply to your travel dates
•  the airline promoting the sale does not offer service to your travel destination
•  the sale only applies to departures on certain days of the week (and yours isn't one of them)
•  a 14-day advance purchase is required and you need to leave in 10 days
•  the one-way trip to get your destination really is $49, but the one-way trip back is not

Here are some general guidelines for finding low cost airfare:

For domestic flights, use an online flight search, such as Travelocity.com to see which airlines are offering the best prices.  If your dates are flexible, Travelocity gives you the option of searching prices +/- 3 days.  If you decide to book online, go directly to the official website for whichever airfare deal you found, as they almost always have the best price. The downside is that not all online flight search engines list every single airline's prices, and you might miss out on a lower cost deal.  

Jet Blue and Frontier Airlines have  competitive rates, but their service areas are limited.  Jet Blue has a great interactive map, showing where they fly to and from.  They have a really good number of non-stop flights from Boston to  the Caribbean.   

Southwest Airlines/Air Tran, US Airways, and American Airlines offer competitive rates to many destinations within the US and the Caribbean.  If you need a flight for a short trip within the US that doesn't require much luggage, check the prices at Spirit Airlines.  Their airfare prices are dirt cheap, but they charge you for your carry-on bag and many of the other amenities that are no additional charge on other airlines.

If you travel from and to the same destination often, then you are probably using the same airline over and over.  Take advantage of the frequent flyer miles.  It only takes a few minutes to sign up online to start earning your points, and they can be used for free airfare once you accumulate the required number of points.  There are also some credit cards that allow you to earn air miles with purchases, but you have to weigh out the benefits vs. the annual credit card fee.

If time is on your side, sign up for a "fare alert"  on a website like airfarewatchdog.com or bookingbuddy.com.  Enter your home airport and your destination, and you'll receive email notifications when there are deals for your destination.   Airfare prices tend to go up as seats fill up, so book at least two weeks in advance of your travel date for domestic travel, and three weeks in advance for international travel. Allow even more time for group travel.   You can check seat availability for many of the major airlines at flightstats.com.   Also, bing.com/travel has a "price predictor" function. Enter your departure airport, destination airport and travel dates, and it will tell you whether the price is likely to go up or down (not available for all destinations).

Ask friends and family which airline they use, as deals with certain airlines are territorial.  If your sister came to visit you and said she got a great deal on Southwest Airlines, then you'll want to check the fares with Southwest when it's your turn to visit her.