Getting the Best Air Fares - Page 2

Airline Restrictions, Senior Discounts, Bereavement and Frequent-Flyer Programs

Check Restrictions

Ask about all restrictions on your fare. Typical requirements for discount fares include:

Purchasing a round-trip ticket.

Buying the ticket a certain number of days before departure - for many fares, at least 14 or 21 days before you leave.

Purchasing the ticket within 24 hours of making a reservation

Staying over a Saturday night.

Traveling during a certain time of the year.

Staying no more than 30 days

Refund and change restrictions as defined below.

Refunds and Change Restrictions

Ask about your ability to change or cancel your flight if you need to. Even if you get sick, you cannot assume you will get a refund. In fact, most discount tickets now are non-refundable, but can be applied toward the purchase of other tickets on the same carrier. You must usually pay an administrative charge and any difference between the fares for the old and new flights when you do this.

Consider Using a Travel Agent

Agents usually do not charge a fee (they get a commission from the airline), and they can tell you about "consolidators" and other sources of discounted seats that are not available directly from the airline. However, consolidator seats can have even more severe restrictions than the airlines' own deep-discount fares, particularly if the flight is delayed or canceled. A few travel agents sometimes have access to special deals with a particular airline (either discounts or extra services).

If you are flying to a popular foreign destination, or to Las Vegas or Hawaii, ask the travel agent about Public Charters. These charters sometimes offer lower fares, but again with significant restrictions that are spelled out in an operator/participant contract that you should review carefully.

Ask the travel agent if the city where you live or the city where you are going is an airline "hub." If it is, fares may be higher than for flights to other nearby cities because of reduced competition. Someone who lives at a hub might save money by leaving from another nearby city, even if they end up connecting through the hub to get to their destination.

E-mail Alerts

A number of airlines send e-mail messages every week to receive notification of last-minute fare specials for departures within the next few days. See the airlines' World Wide Web sites for information about these programs, or call their reservations line.

For a list of airline web sites, go to Airlines.com or Smilinjack.com (Do not assume that an airline reservation agent or travel agent will be aware of the fares offered to e-mail subscribers.)

Senior Discounts

Many airlines offer a seniors discount off any fare to travelers over a certain age.

Bereavement and Emergency Illness Fares

Some carriers offer bereavement and emergency illness fares with varying documentation requirements and discounts.

Frequent-Flyer Program

If you are a member of an airline's frequent-flyer program and you are considering buying a promotional or deep-discount fare, ask if that fare will earn frequent-flyer miles.

Recheck Your Fare

After you buy your ticket, you may wish to call the airline or travel agent once or twice before departure to confirm your reservations and check the fare. Fares change all the time, and if that same fare goes down before you fly, some airlines will refund the difference. But you have to ask.