Searching For Deals
When searching for an airfare or hotel deal, the first step is to pick a booking website. Nowadays there are hundreds of
different booking websites, not including the airlines and hotels themselves. We at FareAlert prefer the booking tools provided by
BookingBuddy.com. BookingBuddy combines all the major
travel booking websites in one handy page; simply enter the trip you are looking for and select one of the websites shown in the
right. A new browser window will open so if this search doesn't yield the result you want, simply go back to the first window and
pick a different search site, you don't even have to enter your requirements again.
Simple Tips For Finding The Cheapest Deals
Advance, Advance, Advance - book as far out as possible. Airlines and hotels love people that book a few days in advance,
those are the ones that will always pay the most; simply because they often have no choice. If possible, book at least 30 days
in advance to get the best deals, and the best chance of availability. Most airlines have "windows" (no, not those windows...
the window in which fares are booked). On most airlines these windows are 30 days, 21 days, 14 days, 7 days, no advance. The
longer you wait, the higher the fare will be.
Be Flexible - whenever possible try and add some flexibility to your trip. Checking fares 2-3 days around your planned
arrival and departure could yield some surprising results. Even though you really want a specific date, saving $1000 is almost
always enough to convince you to change your mind. It may even be cheaper to stay one night longer in the hotel then pay the
more expensive airfare. Also, check alternate airports, especially those which serve one or more "low-cost carriers." Other
airlines often match the low fares, and you save money no matter which airline you fly.
Keep Checking - Airlines and hotels "load" new prices several times a day, it is perfectly possible that a a trip can drop
hundreds of dollars in the span of a few hours. If you did book the more expensive trip, and the same ticket became cheaper (within
twenty-four hours), you can often call the airline or travel website for a credit.
Check, Check, Check - Not all booking websites are the same. Even though they almost all use the same source for their prices,
many have differing search systems. Some may even try and force the higher prices upon you. Before committing to a ticket, take a few
minutes to checking a competitors website. Buying a ticket is almost always a non-refundable contract, so don't make any mistakes.
Searching Alternatives
Alternate airports often have different fares, especially when one is served by a low-cost carrier and the other is not. Many airfare
websites allow you to search for the location and "the vicinity." An example is New York; flying out of JFK might cost up to 3 times
as much as out of LaGuardia or Newark. When searching for hotels, you can try the same strategies; stay away from the "hot spots" like
touristy areas and downtown business centers, enlarge your search area, and try checking for cheaper rates, specials, or promotions on
the hotel's own website.
Besides alternative airports, you should also consider alternative routes; flying from A to B doesn't always have to be a non-stop
flight, and many flights can be booked for much cheaper if you make a stopover. The fewer requirements you have, the cheaper the
fare will become. This also applies to the time of departure and arrival; late morning and early evening flights will usually be
more expensive, whereas "red-eye" flights or mid-day flights will usually be less full making them cheaper.
How To Determine Whether A Price Is "Hot"?
There's no perfect method to determining this. When you see a listing of airfares, you will most likely see anything from $200 to as
high as $4000 for the same trip. The cost depends on the booking class, the routing, and how far in advance you are booking. Many
airlines also still have penalties for travelers that skip a Saturday night stay or stay under their required number of days. If possible,
pull up the "fare rules" for the fare you are viewing and see what the airline's requirements are. To determine whether a fare really
is low (and perhaps even FareAlert worthy) follow a simple rule of thumb; if it looks too good to be true, we want to know! Simple
examples are, of course, $0 and $1 prices, but a $20 price tag on a $600 trip is also worthy of letting us know. If you think you've found
a deal that we can use, but you're not positive, please submit it anyway!
In Summary... What FareAlert Is And Is Not Looking For
Deals That You Should Submit To FareAlert
* Anything that you believe is mis-priced (e.g. a $100 ticket for $10, or a $250 hotel room for $5)
* Anything that is priced at $0, $0.01, $1, etc.
* Anything where the proper rules are not being enforced (e.g. you are allowed to book a free companion ticket without booking the original full-fare ticket, or a child's ticket can be bought for an adult)
* Anything that looks out of the ordinary
Deals That You Should NOT Submit To FareAlert
* Normal and/or Advertised Sale Fares
* Promotions
* "E-Savers" and other Last-Minute Fares
* Commercial Messages, Advertisements and Spam
Of course, if any of the above are out of the ordinary (e.g. an e-saver fare advertised at $100 but bookable for $10), please send them!
