There are a number of factors that must be taken into account when buying cheap air tickets online. These factors include such things as the travel dates, the origin and destination, the preferred airline as well as departure and arrival times. In many cases the best place to begin the search is the carriers own web site although there are a great number of independent travel sites as well and discount clubs can also be the source of cheap air tickets, this is especially true for those who are flexible and make their purchases well in advance of the travel day.
It is a good idea to start with the web site of the carrier you are considering for your flight. If you are making your reservation late with only a couple of days until departure you may find that the airline starts to make special offers to ensure the upcoming flight is full. Although you may have a carrier in mind, if there are other carriers going to the same destination, look at their offers as well.
Do not miss visiting the web sites of the travel companies, although you are looking for cheap air tickets it is on these sites where you will also find additional deals. In many cases these sites can offer very good package deals if the airline tickets, hotel accommodation and even a rental car are all booked at the same time. For those who do not need a hotel or rental car, chances are the deals offered at the airlines site will be better.
There are so many travel web sites, as a consumer you will be wise to visit as many as you can; compare prices for the same package on at least eight or ten of these sites. When you broaden your search you put yourself in a position of finding the best deal possible.
Perhaps the best advice that anyone can give the budget traveler is to shop early. Prices change over time, you can visit a web site, think they have a great deal but then hesitate, when you return to the site tomorrow the prices can have changed, in most cases the prices are higher. For the traveler who knows when and where he or she must be, get online early, shop around and be prepared to book and pay for your ticket, the best prices are those that are still in effect 14 days or more prior to the departure date, to get really good deals even make your choice 21 days in advance or more.
One word of advice; if the deal looks to good and the deal is being offered by a company that you are not familiar with, it should probably be avoided just to ensure there are no problems on the day of travel.
