Finding The Cheapest Air Line Fare

There's never any guarantee when it comes to finding the cheapest air line fare. I am afraid that there is no way to ever guarantee that you are getting the cheapest fare, you can only hope for the cheapest that you can afford. However, there are a number of ways to make sure that you get a great deal on air fare. I've listed the ways I use to find the cheapest air line fare below, and I hope that some of them will help you as well.

Online Travel Sites

Before you go to check for the cheapest air line fare, be sure that you know exactly where it is you want to go. If you are willing to land at a smaller airport just outside of where it is you actually want to go. Smaller airports can usually offer you a cheaper rate than the major international airports.

The first thing you want to do is check with the online travel sites. I usually start with Priceline.com, because it seems to service the most airlines. You can not find out the exact details of the flight you choose until you have actually made the purchase. But you can name the price you are willing to pay; and if you don't mind a few layovers, once you have arrived at a price you like, you will generally find that you have gotten the cheapest air line fare available. Sometimes it will be with a lesser known airline, but often it is a flight on one of the four major lines.

If you can't get the price you want at Priceline, there are several other companies to choose from. If you know which airline you want to use, try Orbitz.com or Tavelocity.com. Both sites have discounted flights from most of the major airlines. It is important to keep in mind that Orbitz.com is actually owned by the airlines; so, while you are probably going to get a pretty good deal, you still may not be getting the cheapest air line fare available.

For absolute last minute deals I always try Hotwire.com. They usually have great fares for last minute flights. Unfortunately, like with Priceline you will not know the details of your flight, such as the airport you will leave from, or the name of your airline, until you have purchased the flight. There is also a time limit on buying flights from Hotwire.com. I think that you have only an hour to actually purchase your tickets after they give you the flight information.

I have never actually used Site59.com, but I have heard that it is much like Hotwire.com in the time limit to buy, and the lack of flight details until your purchase is actually completed.

If you want to get the cheapest air line fare directly from an airline, then I always use Southwest airlines. You have to get the information for Southwest's flights directly from their website, or from one of their customer service representatives, though. At this point in time, they have not contracted with any of the current online travel sites for rate and flight information. Southwest has always been known, though, for having the cheapest air line fare available out of all of the major airlines.

Like I said before, there is never really any guaranteed way to know for sure that you have gotten the cheapest air line fare available; but if you're willing to go the extra mile, and wait for the lowest possible price you are willing to pay, it is possible to get a great deal on the cheapest air line fare.