Think you are spending too much to take a domestic flight? If you want to save money, then reducing how much you pay for airplane tickets is a relatively easy way to put some cash back into your pocket. Here are five easy ways to save money on airplane tickets:
- Don’t wait until the last minute to buy a ticket. Just recently I took a flight from Los Angeles to Sacramento and paid $59 each way booking four months ahead. Some friends of mine who went on the same flight only the day after and booked less than two months before the flight date paid around $110 each way. And at the airport I talked to someone on my flight who said he paid more than $200 because he booked it just days before the flight date.
- Always compare flight prices among the many airlines that offer the flight you are looking for. Never go with the first one you see because there are enough different airlines that there could be a better deal out there. Kayak.com, expedia.com and airline websites such as Southwest.com or Delta.com are good places to search.
- Travel as lightly as possible, and consolidate your clothing into the least number of bags possible so that you don’t end up paying more to check more bags. While some airlines like Southwest don’t charge you to check bags there is a limit on how many are free (e.g., with Southwest it’s two bags). Because it can cost up to $60 to check one bag, you may want to limit how many bags you check, if any.
- Compare flight prices from different airports in your area. Los Angeles has LAX, the largest international airport in the area, but John Wayne airport and Burbank airport are both within about an hour’s drive of LAX and could offer cheaper flights.
-William G.
Sage Personal Finance 