After the holidays consumers try to cut back on spending because they are spent and traveled out, and there aren’t as many destinations that are desirable for mid-winter travel since a lot of the bigger cities in the U.S. are experiencing colder weather. "Airfares are always lowered from about now until Mid-February, when the school vacations start up – with the exception of some higher fares around Martin Luther King weekend."
1. Look for Airline Tweets
A low fare could pop up at any minute of the day or week, so shop around, follow tweets — because the best deals only last a few hours — and be prepared to go wherever it's cheap rather than where you can't afford.
2. Sign Up for Alerts
First, sign up for AirFareWatchDog's fare alerts and email newsletter that sends cheap flight deals based on your home airport. Most domestic deals are under or around $200 – and some right now are so low, it's mind blowing. A roundtrip trip from Las Vegas to Long Beach, for example, could cost as little as $68.
3. Let Web Sites Do Your Legwork
Another site worth checking out is SkyScanner, which is perfect for flexible travelers. By typing "everywhere' into the destination search and selecting when you want to travel, the site reveals the cheapest options out there.
Kayak also lets you search "everywhere" through its Explore feature, which shows on a map the prices to fly to certain destinations.
4. Know When — Exactly — to Buy
While searching for deals, remember that traveling on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are the cheapest days to fly, while Friday and Sunday are the busiest travel days and the most expensive. The most cost-efficient time to fly is also first thing in the morning and red-eyes, according to FareCompare.com, followed by lunch time and dinner-hour flights.
The best time to purchase an airline ticket, however, is Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET, as discounted flights hit the sites. Most of these specials are pulled by Thursday, FareCompare said.
It may seem extremely difficult to get exactly what your looking for but with a little extra time and strategy you can still get great deals now and all year round.
