Airline Shoppers who Procrastinate Miss Out on Ticket Deals
June 15, 2011 -- The number one thing would-be travelers can do that'll kill them in the wallet this year?Procrastinate. And we're all guilty of this; as that famed philosopher Anonymous once said, "If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done."
Nobody seems completely sure why we put off important and not-so-important tasks; we justmight be wired that way, but my guess is that the "fun factor" is key. I mean, what would yourather do, perform a necessary but mildly tedious chore like searching for airfare or going to the multiplex to see if it's true that Hangover II really isn't as funny as the original? By the way, I'll show you how searching for airfare need not be a chore in the least, in #4.
That's right, I have a list for you. The sins of airfare shoppers. You'll notice that many of themhave to do with our old friend, procrastination, though there is one "sin" that involves the exactopposite.
Take a look; maybe I can't make airfare shopping a heavenly experience but if you avoid thesesins it will definitely be more rewarding because you will save money.
For more travelnews and insights view Rick's blog at farecompare.com
The Six Sins of Airfare Shopping (and how to avoid them)
Sin #1: Shop Too Late
What's too late? For legacy carriers, meaning the old boys network of airlines including Alaska, American, Delta, United and US Airways, "too late" usually means less than two weeks before travel. Most of these airlines require a 14 day advance purchase to get their cheapest airfares, although low cost airline with overlapping routes are sometimes an exception to this rule.
For low cost carriers such as AirTran, Frontier, JetBlue and Southwest, you usually have topurchase a week (seven days to be exact) before you travel or be treated as a business travelerwith deep pockets.
Sin #2: Expect to Find Last Minute Deals
A few years ago, it was not only possible to get deals at the last minute, it was possible to find out-and-out bargains, and that was never more true than for Thanksgiving 2008. Back then, prices had been sky-high, more so than usual during this priciest time of the year, so people assumed they couldn't fly and didn't. That left the airlines holding the bag with too many empty seats and the great airfare price slashing commenced.
