Useful Airfare information
http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch -sign in as a guest, useful for flexible dates
www.farecompare.com
www.cheapair.com
www.hipmunk.com
www.kayak.com
www.lowestfare.com
www.airfarewatchdog.com
For around the world tickets:
www.airbrokers.com
-also check Cathay Pacific's All Asia Pass for Asia multi-segment trips
Tip-
Always check the airline's own site after finding the cheapest
fare. If the fare is offered the too, buy it direct as you
receive bonus miles.
Tip-
Check major US airline websites on Tuesdays for weekend specials for
this week and the upcoming week. Travelzoo.com does this on
Tuesday and mails them to several million people on Wednesday, (only
some of the deals). So beat the rush for seat by looking on
Tuesday.
Tip-
For last minute travel www.site59.com is great, (despite being owned by
Travelocity), the get better the longer you wait to buy.
Sometimes buying a last minute airfare and hotel package is
significantly cheaper than buying the airfare alone anywhere
else.
Tip- Fridays, Sundays and Mondays are normally the most expensive days to fly.
Tip-
Despite airlines disapproving of this, sometimes it is worth the effort
to buy two roundtrips to get somewhere far away that has prohibitive
airfares, i.e., buy one ticket to Los Angeles or San Francisco, (both
hubs with cheap fares for flights to Asia), and another from Los
Angeles or San Francisco onward. Miami is a hub to South and
Central America, New York is a hub to Europe, and Europe is a hub for
Africa. (Often countries in Europe that held colonies in Africa
still have flights to their former colonies). Normally you
can collect extra bonus miles for each flight you purchase too.
Tip-
Be sure to look out for carriers that need to make a logistical stop in
the location you are heading and may have extra seats for the leg you
want to fly, i.e. If you are going to London, look for cheap fares from
Air India that flies from New York to London on the way to India,
offering cheap fares on the first leg just to not lose money flying an
empty plane.
Tip-Airfares are generally cheapest on Tuesday afternoons.
Other air travel related sites
Miles:
www.milemaven.com
www.flyertalk.com
Aviation news, (planes, routings, etc.):
www.airliners.net
www.flightinternational.com
www.atwonline.com
news.airwise.com
Seating:
www.seatguru.com
www.lovemyseat.com
Airline ratings:
www.airlinequality.com
Destination information:
www.lonelyplanet.com, (use the "thorntree" board
to get up to date travel tips and info from people
who are at the destinations now. Use the "world guide" to
get rough info on places, including costs, and major sites).
www.frommers.com
www.fodors.com
Currency converter:
www.oanda.com
Weather:
www.weather.com
Have questions? E-mail me at info@jettraveler.com