How do you find yourself uber cheap plane tickets?

[CM Crünk is teh 'CRAP!]

I really want to go to Europe in the near future and trying to find really cheap plane tickets. My dream is to go there and do the cheap European visit and spend less money as possible. I'm looking into Eastern Europe especially because the exchange rates are pretty good and I can get a hefty amount of other peoples currency with my Dollar. Anyone ever found really cheap plane tickets? My roommate from New Hampshire got plane tickets for 115 dollars to fly out of Kansas to Boston. The only thing bad was he took a huge detour to Houston first.

[Bob Schlapowitz]

"Shop................and...........compare!"

[Mr. Backlund]

1) Fly at weird hours (ridiculously early/ridiculously late)

2) Fly out of a major airport and try to land in a major hubs (ie with Delta you'd go from - JFK to Atlanta to Amsterdam as an example)

3) Fly in non-peak season to your destination

4) Use a website like Kayak.com to monitor all the travel websites

5) Buy early or buy very late (ie day before you leave)

I know someone who just got back from Hawaii who got a roundtrip flight for around $350 a person by buying a day before he left in October. Big risk, but it was non-peak season, late in the game, he flew through United's major hubs and his first flight left at 10:58 PM and the next was straight through to Maui.

[CM Crünk is teh 'CRAP!]

Dec 17, 2009 22:02:42 GMT -5 Mr. Backlund said:

1) Fly at weird hours (ridiculously early/ridiculously late)

2) Fly out of a major airport and try to land in a major hubs (ie with Delta you'd go from - JFK to Atlanta to Amsterdam as an example)

3) Fly in non-peak season to your destination

4) Use a website like Kayak.com to monitor all the travel websites

5) Buy early or buy very late (ie day before you leave)

I know someone who just got back from Hawaii who got a roundtrip flight for around $350 a person by buying a day before he left in October. Big risk, but it was non-peak season, late in the game, he flew through United's major hubs and his first flight left at 10:58 PM and the next was straight through to Maui.

What is crazy about my roommate is he flew during the peak season because it's Holiday time. His mom bought his ticket like a couple weeks before he left.

[Big L]

Will Shatner

[Mr. Backlund]

Dec 17, 2009 22:05:11 GMT -5 CM Crünk is teh 'CRAP! said:

Dec 17, 2009 22:02:42 GMT -5 Mr. Backlund said:

1) Fly at weird hours (ridiculously early/ridiculously late)

2) Fly out of a major airport and try to land in a major hubs (ie with Delta you'd go from - JFK to Atlanta to Amsterdam as an example)

3) Fly in non-peak season to your destination

4) Use a website like Kayak.com to monitor all the travel websites

5) Buy early or buy very late (ie day before you leave)

I know someone who just got back from Hawaii who got a roundtrip flight for around $350 a person by buying a day before he left in October. Big risk, but it was non-peak season, late in the game, he flew through United's major hubs and his first flight left at 10:58 PM and the next was straight through to Maui.

What is crazy about my roommate is he flew during the peak season because it's Holiday time. His mom bought his ticket like a couple weeks before he left.

Your friend also didn't go international or to a real tourist destination. There's a lot fewer seats on flights to places like Hawaii or Europe, while there's a ton of seats for something like what your roommate got. Long flights (read: flights to Europe) can have fewer trips, meaning fewer seats, meaning more cost.

It is peak season for travel, but its apples to oranges to compare the flight and what you want. And, as you said, the detour is likely why he paid less. I am flying to visit a friend in March and had an option of a flight that had one stop in Minnesota for around $200 (I was going from the Northeast to Southeast and that's a huge detour) and one that was more direct, but cost $350.

[Franchise]

Here's another example of how shopping around and playing with times can help...

I am planning a trip to go see some family in Vancouver next summer with my girlfriend. If I were to do this the most convenient way, we would fly from Toronto to Vancouver. We'd be leaving early, but not too early. This would cost us about $450/person, return trip.

Instead, our plan is to take a bus from Toronto to Buffalo (or perhaps enlist the help of one of her family members). We would then fly out of Buffalo, stop briefly in Chicago, then continue onto Seattle, where some relatives would pick us up for the approximately hour and a half trip to Vancouver. This saves us at least $200, and though it takes us a little longer, allows us to see more than we would have with a direct flight, which is right our our alleys.

Now I know that scenario isn't exactly possible for you, but my point is, detours save money and really don't take that much extra time. Also, keep buses in mind, they're obviously much cheaper than planes and can save you a few bucks as well.