http://www.kayak.com/buzz, and http://www.farecompare.com/dealfinder I think also do. It's also a good idea to look at individual low cost airline websites separately when you get things narrowed down (like southwest).

For availability of cheap flights (but not consolidator flights) to all US airports from your home airport, here is what you can do. Copy: http://search.travel.yahoo.com/bin/search/bfsearch?z=1&intl=us&oc=BWI (but change BWI to your 3-letter code). You will then obtain a list of the lowest fares to various airports. You can then check the fares you are interested in to see what the fare requirements are.

If you use the month long option at ITA Software, it tells you which day of the month has the cheapest flights for the market you choose - you can't purchase there, but then use a consolidator to do that.

I'm retired too and in the same boat! I've found that the real secret these days is advance purchase - like at least 6 months advance!

Tripadvisor staff removed this post because it did not meet Tripadvisor's forum guidelines with regards to the participation of business representatives.

Hello Everyone!!!

Finding cheap airfares is a complicated business that even seasoned travel agents find a challenge. The best advice, if you have the time, is to shop around, as while most companies offer cheap flights, none can guarantee the best deals to all destinations. Also note that many travel websites and travel agents will not offer both scheduled and charter flights, and few will offer flights on low cost, budget airlines (such as Easyjet, Ryan Air and Flybe) as they offer no commission to travel agents and encourage customers to book direct for the cheapest airfares.

As a general rule, to get the cheapest airfares b e flexible with flight times as midweek flights are often cheaper than those on weekends. If you are flexible enough to fly indirect or leave at an anti-social hour, airfares are likely to be less.

I love Skyscanner. I'm using it at the moment to book various long-haul flights between Asia and Europe and because I am flexible with my dates and even countries of departure, I've found some inexpensive flights. Sometimes they also list budget airlines but for me on long-haul it's all about the best fare on a full-service airline.

You may be able to cut costs also if you can fly one of the few domestic carriers having no bag fees. We save $100 round trip (for 2) for a regular flight that we take just by switching from AA to JetBlue.

It helps to know what range of prices are available. Check to see if there are deals offered for your destination and can help to obtain tickets during the off peak season. Compare fares from various airline websites to find the lowest rates. Be flexible with your travel dates if this is possible. You can sometimes find reductions by being flexible about your flight time or being willing to fly at short notice. It sometimes helps to travel in the middle of the week as fares can be lower then when there may be fewer passengers. Be sure to check all nearby airports and consider nearby destinations if this is possible for you.

Be prepared to buy your tickets online. They may be priced lower this way compared with travel agencies. Check the airline website over again to see which way prices are moving. If you are flexible about your travel times and airlines, you can bid for a plane ticket at a travel-bidding site. But make an informed bid. You may also be able to act as a courier to carry documents as baggage and, in return, the courier service may pay part of your plane ticket. However, you need to travel light in order to do this.

[url=http://www.cheap-fly.com/how-to-find-cheap-flights/]flight travel budget[/url]

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.