Save Some Money on Airline Tickets

It’s summer time and a lot of us are going to begin looking at taking vacations. Even as most of the trips we go on are taken in the car, there are so many people who don’t reside close enough to holiday locations to drive and now that cash is tight, it is more hard to conserve money when vacationing.

Well, I say, don’t dread airline costs. Right now vacations to Europe are actually inexpensive, particularly if you live near an airport with direct flights.

It’s not only abroad where you’ll find fine deals on airline tickets. You can in addition locate good deals through the continental U.S. Something I found out recently is that Southwest flies directly to Orlando, Florida. I always check prices on Southwest’s website or JetBlue’s websites before I check the travel websites like Expedia, Priceline, Orbitz, or Travelocity. Southwest and JetBlue are typically cheaper and more friendly in my opinion than the airlines that you can discover on additional travel websites.

The top way to conserve money on travel is to reserve well in advance. I was checking prices on a flight that was set for a Wednesday and it jumped 50% in two days (this was on one of the travel websites I mentioned earlier and not Southwest or Jet Blue). In this case, the more “in advance” you know that you’re going, the better off your wallet will be.

You can’t always rely on the travel websites either! You need to check with each separate airline. Most of the time the cost is the same, so you have to ask yourself if you would rather book from a third party like Orbitz or go directly with the airline? I feel more secure booking through the airline because I feel like if something were to go askew, it would be easier to deal with the airline then through the third party site.

When reserving your flight you in addition need to bear in mind which airlines charge fees for checked luggage. I am aware that Southwest and JetBlue do not charge fees for the first checked bag in coach class, but some airlines do. This was news to me when I had to book a flight and found myself taking U.S. Airways because of the nearness to the airport I was arriving at. All airlines charge fees for bags that weigh over 50 lbs and they normally have bag size requirements as well. So if you’re vacationing with another person, you can save some money on the baggage fee, but make sure that you check your airline’s site or phone the airline to make sure that your suitcase fits in the restrictions!

Happy vacation!