1] Check the Big Three Websites. Travelocity.com, Expedia.com and Orbitz.com are considered the big travel booking sites. And while they are good at keeping up with the latest deals and sales, they don't list every airline. They are a good place to start, though.
2] Try Smaller Airfare Aggregators. In addition to the three mentioned above, there are several smaller travel booking sites that can ferret out a good deal. Among the ones I recommend are bookingbuddy.com, cheapflights.com and mobissimo.com.
3] Visit the Airline Websites Directly. Now that you've found a good deal, visit that airline's website directly. The sites listed in steps 1 and 2 charge booking fees to pay their bills. You should be able to find the same flights on the airline site for $10 - $20 cheaper on a roundtrip flight, most of the time.
4] Consider Discount Airlines. Most of them do show up on the above search engines, but not all. Southwest Airlines often has low fares or sale fares, but you have to visit their website (southwest.com) to find them. JetBlue is another that has regular sales that can beat the competitors (jetblue.com). In Europe, budget airlines like RyanAir may not offer much other than a seat, but the prices are about as low as they come.
5] Fly Midweek. Most of the cheapest airfares will involve traveling on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You may also be able to find cheap fares for travel on Thursdays or Saturdays, as well. Mondays and Fridays will be the most expensive, on average, due to the merge of business travelers and weekend vacationers on those days.
6] Use Alternate Airports. Many major cities have more than one airport to choose from. For Chicago, you can choose O'Hare or Midway. For New York, you have LaGuardia, JFK and even Newark NJ. When booking your flights, consider these alternates as they can save you money. They are not a deal, however, if the cost of getting from the airport to your hotel in the city is more than the savings.
7] Use Booking Windows to Your Advantage. Most airlines have booking windows during which rates change. Generally, these are 21 days, 14 days and 7 days prior to your departure date. The closer you get to your departure date, the more your airfare will be.
8] Be Flexible on Dates. Sometimes leaving a day earlier or later can make a difference in the price. Many of the top travel sites allow you to factor this into the search, but if it doesn't, be sure to check on your own, if you have the flexibility on dates.
9] Try Last Minute and Bidding Sites. If you aren't that picky about your airline, these may be a good way to go. After you've found the lowest price via the above means, use that information to place a bid on priceline.com, to see if you can get it a bit cheaper. Be warned though, you won't know your airline until after you pay. Hotwire.com doesn't make you bid, but like Priceline, it also doesn't let you see the airline until after you've paid.
10] Sign Up For Mailing Lists. Two of my favorite travel deal websites are airfarewatchdog.com and travelzoo.com. Both list various airfares that are especially good. Sign up for their mailing lists (and those of the airlines serving your destination) to get the latest deals as they happen. If you're worried about spam, sign up for a free email at gmail.com, hotmail.com or yahoo.com and use that.
If you follow these tips you may be able to save enough on airfare to afford a nice little splurge once you get to your destination.
