Tips On Buying Cheap Airline Travel Tickets

Be prepared to buy when you find a good flight deal!
If you find an airfare slashed with 40% off a similar published ticket, do not attempt to get a better deal, as in reality, good flight deals often disappear very quickly.

Real Cheap Tickets are available from airlines that don't want to fly empty seats
Buying a last-minute-flight ticket can sometimes be the cheapest flight ticket which major airlines just give away about half an hour before takeoff.

Generally the best days for flying that are much cheaper are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Being able to book a flight at least 2 weeks in advance generally rewards you with a cheaper airfare rate.

If you can, fly during off-peak tourist seasons to your specific destination, as many travel experts say that the ideal time to book a truly dirt cheap flight on the Internet is the middle of January to the end of February, and April through to May, and from the middle of September to mid-December.

Book a flight on the day of the holiday when it's often cheaper than departing days before or afterwards. Book your flight in advance, such a ticket is generally less expensive. Most airlines offer special discounts for advanced bookings.

If you try to book a flight the day before you want to leave, the airlines will charge you the highest price imaginable. Make your bid, and the airlines may say yes.

A good way to find some exceptional flight deals is to frequently surf the various web sites of your favorite airlines, because you are looking to get really cheap airline fares and get possible discounts, you will have to know the ins and outs of how airlines work.

Make your bid, and the airlines will either say yes or no, depending on whether they have empty seats to fill.

Now you can take advantage of some of the clever ways you can save money on getting Really Cheap Airline Tickets and Bargain Airline Tickets when you shop online next time.

What Airlines Don't Tell You
Never accept the first fare quoted. Half the time, some other airline's flight within hours of the one you booked has a special, less expensive deal.
Take advantage of "illegal" connections. These are connecting fights usually less than 45 minutes apart-too close for airlines to feel safe in making them connect. Result.- These flights usually do not even show up on the computer when your trip is being routed. Way out Have your agent write up your flight on two separate tickets. The second is for the illegal connection that originates at your transfer point.
Example.- You arrive at O'Hare in Chicago on the way to San Francisco. Instead of waiting three hours for the safe connecting flight, you already have a separate ticket from O'Hare to San Francisco on an illegal connection. If you miss the connection, you turn that ticket in for the next available flight. Cost for two separate tickets.- No more than one through ticket. Baggage.- Waiting for it to be unloaded can cost you valuable time on this tight schedule. Best.- Travel with carry-on luggage.

Some supersaver fares are so low that even if you can't stay as long as their requirements (some ally seven days), you will save by buying two round-trip tickets-one from your home to your destination for the day you want to leave and one from your destination to your home for the day you want to return. The total may be less than the regular round-trip fare.
If you miss your flight and there's just time to catch another, go right to the other airline's departure gate instead of to its ticket counter. If it has an empty seat, the second airline will usually honor the ticket for the flight you missed.
Best seat in the plane. After first class, the choices center on your priorities. For comfort and a smooth ride, pick a seat over the wings. For silence, sit as far forward as possible, but avoid the galley and rest rooms. For leg room, try the first row or seats beside the emergency exits.
Best way to get a standby seat. Reserve a coach seat for your flight. Arrive at the airport the day you are to leave and see if you can get a standby ticket (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are the best standby days). If you do get a standby seat, become a no-show on your reservation (it's built into the price of your ticket) for a full refund. You may win. You can't lose.
Source: Your Money and Your Life by Robert Z. Aliber, Basic Books, IO E. 53 St., New York 10022.

The Most Dangerous Airlines in the World
Based on the number of fatal accidents per lion flights, the five airlines with the worst records over a 20-year period (excluding terrorist-related fatalities) are: Aeroflot @R)... China Airlines (Taiwan) ... Turkish Airlines... EgyptAir ... CAAC (China).
Based on the number of fatalities per million passengers, the airlines with the worst records over a 20-year period (excluding terrorist related deaths) are ... Turkish Airlines (124.48 fatalities per million passengers) ... Air India (21.48 fatalities) ... Avianca (5.93 fatalities) ... Nigeria Airways (5.53 fatalities) ... LOT Polish Airlines (4.54 fatalities).

Source: Conde Nast Traveler, 350 Madison Ave., New York 10017.

If You Want to Be Bumped from a flight To Save the Airfare
Expert bumpees, who have more time than money for traveling, Suggest that when you make a reservation on a regularly scheduled airline, you ask if the flight is almost sold out. (Bumping compensation rules don't apply to commuter airlines or charter flights.) Make a reservation only if a flight is almost full. (Pick popular routes at popular times.) Check in 15 minutes prior to boarding, but stay at the end of the line. If the airline asks for volunteers for bumping, speak up. Remember, however, that you don't get a free flight if the airline can get you on another flight for the same destination within the hour.
Source: You Can Travel Free by Robert William Kirk, Pelican Publishing Company, I IO 1 Monroe St., Gretna, LA 70053.

Handling Hotels
When you arrive at the hotel, check your bags. Then go to the pay telephone in the lobby and call the hotel. Ask to have your reservation confirmed, give them your charge-card number, and go on your way. Reason: You'll sidestep convention check-in lines.
To avoid the long line after the convention, go down to the desk very early in the morning, before official checkout time, and check out. You won't have to turn in your room key, and you can still use your room until official checkout time (usually around 1 PM).
Don't stay in your hotel room if you're waiting for a call. If notified, the hotel operator will transfer your calls to another room, interrupt the call you're on for a more important one, or hold calls while you run out for a soda.
Save money by not paying for things you didn't order. Don't charge anything to your hotel room. It's too confusing to verify the list of room charges when you're checking out. And it's only too easy for the hotel to make a mistake. Most travelers just sign and pay without looking at the list. If you don't charge anything at all, you'll know that extra item on your bill can't be yours, How to do it.- Pay cash for room service, laundry, etc. Use your credit card for food.
And don't depend on the hotel only for information. If you need a service in a strange city (typing,. film developing, etc.), call the local convention bureau. It's specifically set up to help out-of-town business people, and there is a convention bureau in every city.
Source: Dr. Barbara A. Pletcher, executive director of the National Association for Professional Saleswomen, Box 255708, Sacramento, CA 95865. She's the author of Travel Sense, ACE Books, 51 Madison Ave., New York 10010.