Tips on finding cheap airfare

1. If you're quoted a fare that's too expensive and the flight connects through an intermediate city, price two separate itineraries, to the connecting city and to your final destination
2. If you are traveling with someone old enough for a senior discount, remember - the discount may apply to you as well
3. If you or a family member is in the military, you may be able to get a Space-A flight through the armed services, at a tiny fraction of the usual ticket cost. Also, if you fly in uniform, some commercial airlines will give you a discount
4. Buy a first class upgrade for as little as $25 on some small regional airlines
5. On international flights, it may be substantially cheaper to book your connecting domestic flight on the same airline and as part of the same itinerary; they will put you on their domestic partner airline
6. Since most discounted round trip tickets require that you complete travel in 30 days, check out a pair of one-way tickets if you want to stay longer
7. It can sometimes be cheaper to fly through the city you really want to visit to a farther destination, spend a short time there, and then fly back to your actual destination. Unlike the so-called "hidden city discount," where you never board the second leg, this is legal and works even if you're checking bags
8. If you have to fly repeatedly to one city (say, as a consultant) for short trips that would not span a Saturday night (and therefore qualify for low rates), buy a one-way ticket to the destination city, and then a series of round trip tickets from the consulting city back home (each of which crosses a Saturday night)
9. If you want to fly, always call the airlines on Wednesday morning at 12:01 a.m. That's when they release all of their new fares and that's when you can get the cheapest flights. Wednesday also tends to be when the e-mail airfare special bulletins come out
10. Minor change in airports and departure dates can sometimes slash hundreds of dollars off airfares. For instance, if you want Miami, try Fort Lauderdale or West Palm. Oakland and San Jose are easy alternatives to San Francisco. Albany, Hartford, Philadelphia, Islip, and White Plains are all pretty close to New York. Moving your flight date a day or two up or down, or changing the time of day, may also give you significant savings
11. Directly search for low airfare on the low-cost airlines websites