Kimberly has years of experience working in travel, and she’s here to share how to get the best deal on airfare so you can make the most of your next vacation!
Hey everyone, it’s Kimberly with Packed with Fun, the official blog for Get Away Today where we share ways to save and play at home and away. Some of you may know that I’ve been at Get Away Today for quite a while now, and before that, I worked at Delta Airlines. Today I’m excited to share some of my secrets that I’ve learned over the years on how to get the best deal on airfare.
-First and foremost, to get a good deal, you need to know what a “good” price is. Do your research, ask around, and realize that what’s considered good can change. For example, good airfare from Salt Lake to Southern California right now is around $150 – $170 per person. But, if you’re lucky, you can find it dropped as low as $130. In years past, good was anywhere from $200 – $250.
-Sign up for airfare alerts. Once you know what a good price is, get alerted when one becomes available. My favorite tool for watching airfare is on fly.com. They have a monthly calendar that shows the lowest fares available at a glance, search all of the airlines and different booking sites, and will send you an email when a fare you’re interested in becomes available.
-Check other airports. Families going to Disneyland have the choice of flying into Orange County (John Wayne), Long Beach, LAX, or Ontario. Orange County is the closest airport, but Long Beach isn’t much further. All four airports are known for having great deals. If you’re headed to New York, check LaGuardia, JFK and Newark, etc.
-Watch for hidden fees. The airlines are now required to show all taxes and required fees in the posted price (yay), but the airlines are charging more optional fees than ever before (boo). Most airlines allow you to carry on one bag for free, but some even charge for that. Before you book that $29 each way flight on a budget carrier, make sure you’re not paying double or triple that in baggage fees.
Speaking of baggage fees, pack in a way that you can avoid them. I shared my top tricks on how to never pay a baggage fee on Packed with Fun, so check it out.
-Get an airline credit card. There is normally an annual fee, but it can more than pay for itself with the points you get when signing up for the card, and sometimes the first year is waived. If the bonus points you get don’t cover the fee, most of the cards will allow you to check one or more bag free, which can pay for itself in one roundtrip. If you want to go this route, be aware it can take a few months before you qualify for any bonus offers, so you’ll want to sign up well in advance before booking your flight.
-Travel on Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday. Most business travel happens on Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday, so you’ll find better deals by avoiding travel over these days of the week.
-This is a little tricky trick… Airlines will sell a certain number of seats at one price, and then they bump up to the next price range. Some sites will tell you how many seats are left at a certain price, while it’s a guessing game on other sites. If you’re traveling with your family, first check prices for everyone all together to make for sure that you can all fly together. Then, change your number of travelers to one ticket to see if the price changes. If the price drops, buy as many tickets as you can at the lowest price. If you’re on a site that doesn’t tell you how many seats are left at that price (the little: “3 seats left at this price” button off to the side), start booking them one by one. If you know how many seats are left, snatch them up, then, book your second set of tickets at the next step up. You’ll have multiple transactions, but can save a lot of money.
-Be flexible with your seat assignments. Airlines are now trending towards charging for everything, including picking your seat before flying, which is something I won’t do. Just because you don’t have a seat assignment, doesn’t mean you don’t have a seat. The airlines hold a number of seats to be assigned at the airport at check-in. If you’re willing to split up into smaller groups, you’ll be fine. The airlines try to keep families with small children with a parent, and if they can’t accommodate you, most people would be willing to switch seats to help keep you together. I have two small kids and we’ve always been able to sit together even without paying to select our seats before travel.
-Book 3 – 1 1/2 months out for flights, unless you’re going over the holidays. If you are flying over a major holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas, you’ll want to book much sooner.
-My final tip is DON’T WAIT once you’ve found a good deal on airfare. If I had a nickel for every time someone said to me, “I found awesome airfare, but when I went to book it later that day the price went back up,” I would have enough nickels to fly my whole family first class to Hawaii. The news of a good travel deal travels quickly, (pun intended) so be ready to book at a moment’s notice.
And speaking of not waiting, that goes for our Disneyland packages as well. There is so much going on at the Disneyland Resort this year between the Diamond Celebration (ending September 5), the limited time Star Wars Season of the Force, and all of the beloved attractions and entertainment that are regularly at the Resort. By booking early you’ll get your first choice of hotel, and lock in your low price on Disneyland tickets. You can check out all of our Disneyland packages over at getawaytoday.com, or call our agents at 855-GET-AWAY. Our agents would love to help you!
For more great tips on family travel, don’t miss these posts:
10 Reasons to Book Your Disneyland Vacation with a Travel Agent
Liv says
I’m not going to Disney any time soon, but I have a trip planned for this Fall and I’m going to try my best to work the system and find a good deal. Thanks Kimberly!