Five Ways to Find Cheap Flights in 2011
Jan. 6, 2011— -- I'll be brutally honest: if you get on a plane this year, chances are excellent you will pay more than you did in 2010.
If you've filled your tank lately, you know what's going on: the cost of gas has zoomed, and that's true for jet fuel too. You don't have to tell the airlines; they've already launched two airfare hikes in the last month alone, and both United and Continental have slapped on new $20 roundtrip "peak travel day" surcharges for all future travel dates.
We'll see more of this kind of thing in the future. So what's the traveling public supposed to do?
Be a smart airfare shopper. Or not. Here are five ways to sabotage your chances of getting cheap flights this year; take a look -- and learn from it.
For more travel news and insights view Rick's blog at farecompare.com
#1: Follow the Crowd
That's right, sabotage your chance at a cheap airfare by following the crowds to the most popular seasonal destinations. You know, the Caribbean or ski resorts in winter, or Europe at the height of the summer.
Much better would be to fly during a dead zone, which is when the airlines have trouble filling their planes; the first couple of weeks in December is a good example of a dead zone, as is much of January. That's when people are typically not flying; they've done all that during the crush of the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
Don't follow the crowd: prices to Europe drop at the end of August, so go in the fall when the kids are back in school and the weather is perfect; try flying in winter, too if you're a harder sort. Or try the Rockies in the summer. These locations will still be beautiful; it's just a different and cheaper experience.
