I'm buying a plane ticket today! Ways to save??

[FIREseeker]

I read buying a plane ticket on Tuesday afternoons is best. So that's what I'm doing. Do you have any other tips for saving?? I have never bought a ticket in my life lol. My trips have always been paid for by internships/work/parents when I was in high school.

I know I can google this but it's kind of a rabbit hole. What works for YOU?

[disneysteve]

I would just check more than one source. Kayak is good. Check the airline's own site as well. Sort through the options. If your travel time is flexible, rates can vary dramatically by time of day. Also compare direct and indirect flights. If you do go indirect, make sure your itinerary builds in enough of a layover to accommodate any delay on the first flight.

[FIREseeker]

I would just check more than one source. Kayak is good. Check the airline's own site as well. Sort through the options. If your travel time is flexible, rates can vary dramatically by time of day. Also compare direct and indirect flights. If you do go indirect, make sure your itinerary builds in enough of a layover to accommodate any delay on the first flight.

Thanks for the tips, Steve. I've begun my search and it's getting complicated. Yes, I could save flying later in the day but that means I would need to fly out a day in advance in order to meet my commitments... is the hotel cheaper than the flight + extra food costs. Which airport and what would the travel expenses be from coming in to a farther away airport. Worth the hassle?

These aren't really questions, more of a rant. Time to get out my calculator.

[Like2Plan]

What works for YOU?

I'm always looking for a good bargain. I also check Kayak. And, I check Southwest.com which is an airline that isn't listed on kayak--sometimes they have good deals.

Sometimes we fly out of/into an airport that isn't necessarily the closest because we found a terrific deal. As you mentioned, there are a lot of factors to weigh.

I prefer non-stops--because there is less chance of travel disruptions and missed connections when there are irregular ops.

[disneysteve]

Thanks for the tips, Steve. I've begun my search and it's getting complicated. Yes, I could save flying later in the day but that means I would need to fly out a day in advance in order to meet my commitments... is the hotel cheaper than the flight + extra food costs. Which airport and what would the travel expenses be from coming in to a farther away airport. Worth the hassle?

These aren't really questions, more of a rant.

Yep, lots of variables to consider. We have sometimes flown to a different airport because the price was dramatically different. For example, one time we were cruising from Miami but flew to Ft. Lauderdale. We saved about $500 which was way more than it cost to take a taxi to Miami. Another time I drove to Orlando and my wife and daughter flew down the next day due to a schedule conflict. Except I had them fly to Tampa instead. It was only an hour's drive away and saved a fair amount of money. I didn't mind driving over and picking them up.

[Jluke]

I've heard that travel websites will recognize web activity when you are searching for airfare, etc

So the next time you visit the site, prices may go up.

someone at work mentioned prices were always lower on their home computer vs the work computer. Guess which computer they did most of their searching on?

I recall reading an article about this a while ago (MSN I believe).

Google it! or is it now Alphabet it???

[FIREseeker]

I have heard that. I've also heard that by selecting your home country as anywhere but the US saves you money. Just click on one of the other flags at the bottom of the screen. Apparently Americans are rich so they can afford to pay higher prices.

[disneysteve]

I've heard that travel websites will recognize web activity when you are searching for airfare, etc

I believe that's true. You should log out of anything you logged into, clear your browser cache, and then go back in.

[FIREseeker]

I have heard that. I've also heard that by selecting your home country as anywhere but the US saves you money. Just click on one of the other flags at the bottom of the screen. Apparently Americans are rich so they can afford to pay higher prices.

I tried doing this. I changed my country to India. Prices were about $5 lower. But once I was pushed to the Delta website, prices were the same as in USD. Not sure if my exchange rate was off or if this is a myth.

Got my flight booked. I used Kayak - thanks, Steve!

$285 from Nebraska to North Carolina and back again. Not bad, I don't think.