Description
Don’t ignore budget airlines
If you’re one of those rare travelers able to travel extremely light, you could make out like a bandit flying low-cost airlines like Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant, WestJet, etc. You get what you pay for with these carriers — and you don’t get what you don’t pay for. Many budget airlines charge extra for things like:
- Choosing your own seat
- A carry-on bag
- A checked bag
- Airport boarding passes print-outs
- Onboard refreshments — even water
- Emergency oxygen masks (not really)
As long as you acquaint yourself with these fees before you fly, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Even if you decide to spring for an expensive checked bag, you could still save a fortune over big airlines. Just be sure to price your ticket with all its hidden fees before jumping on a cheap fare.
Search multiple airports at once
Airports can have dramatically different ticket prices. In some cases, a nearby airport (or destination) will sell tickets for hundreds of dollars cheaper. It pays to price the surrounding airports. When you’re looking for alternate airports, Google Flights allows you to search multiple routes at once.
Use fare deal sites
These sites are mostly useful for international travel, but you’ll also occasionally receive some great domestic alerts. This’ll be hard to maximize for a last-minute deal — all the stars in the firmament would have to align perfectly for a random fare sale for your dates and routes — but they’re worth following and even paying for if you’re anticipating upcoming travel and you don’t want to blow miles and points.
