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(c) Elliott Publishing.

Master the Ticket Game
Cheap Charlie · April 7, 1999

Think of buying a cheap airline ticket as playing a game.

Most carriers have dozens of different types of fares for domestic flights and more than a hundred in various international markets. But there are some
basic fare groups that serve as a starting point for breaking them down.

Remember: the fares you would pay if you merely walked up to the counter and purchased a ticket for a flight on that same day are nothing short of mind-bogglingly high.

So you have to plan ahead. You can take advantage of tickets such as:

  • 21- to 14-day advance purchase.
  • 7-day advance purchase.
  • A round-trip Saturday-night stayover.
  • Deep-discount tickets (often called supersavers)
  • And more . . .
Here are some tips to help you decide between airfares:
  • Be flexible in your travel plans if you want the lowest fare. Often there are complicated conditions you must meet to qualify for a discount. The most usual requirement is that you purchase your ticket at least 21 or 14 days in advance (sometimes seven days in advance, sometimes less) and stay over a Saturday night.
  • Plan as far ahead as you can. Some airlines set aside only a few seats on each flight at the low rates, so that the real bargains often sell out very quickly. (But you can keep trying. The airline may change its number of deep-discount seats several times during any promotion.)
  • Some airlines may have discounts that others don't offer. In a large metropolitan area, the fare may depend on which airport you use. In Chicago, the airfares from Midway almost always beat those from O'Hare. In New York, fares from Newark are often much less than similar fares from La Guardia (and with Southwest coming to Islip, new bargains will start appearing).
  • Does the airfare include types of service that airlines have traditionally provided, such as meals or free baggage handling? (Many of the low-fare scheduled airlines only serve snacks and soda, and they normally do not participate in what is called interlining of baggage -- the transfer of bags between airlines.) This normally is no big hassle, but you should be aware of their policies.
  • Find out what will happen if you decide to switch flights. Will you lose the benefit of your discount fare? Are there any cancellation fees? Is there a cutoff date for making and changing reservations without paying more money?
  • Remember, when you purchase a non-refundable ticket, the ticket is what the name implies: non-refundable, even only two hours later. Most airlines, however, will allow you to apply the cost of the ticket to another ticket on their airline.
  • Differences in airfare can be substantial. Careful comparison shopping between airlines does take time, but it can lead to real savings.

As I said last week, "Compare, compare and then compare again."

Charlie Leocha is the Boston-based author of Travel Rights: Know the Rules of the Road and the Air Before You Go. Cheap Charlie appears every Monday on this site. E-mail him at cheapch@aol.com or access his Web site.