Online - November 20, 2004

Ticket Master

Tricks of the Trade: Cheap Airfare

Swap the pit bosses for consolidators and booking airline tickets online looks a lot like gambling. High stakes, low odds, lousy deals. Total crapshoot.

Unless you know the ace-up-your-sleeve secrets for scoring cheap tickets. We got the skinny from the insiders at agencies, airlines, and online aggregators.

Call Their Bluff: Look for fares at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, when airlines release the week’s new deals.

You’re Up, You’re Down: Ticket rates fluctuate wildly. Not even the experts can get around this. So play multiple sites till you get lucky. Of the biggies, Orbitz has the best customer service. Check the cheapies’ own sites (JetBlue, Southwest, Independence): They don’t list with consolidators (they save cash selling directly to you). Do a comparison check at mobissimo.com or sidestep.com. Then call the airline and ask for a better deal. Agents can’t talk about lower fares unless you ask them specifically.

Lucky Numbers: For domestic, book at least seven days in advance; for overseas, twenty-one is best. Fly on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Include a Saturday stay and your fare could drop another 25 percent.

Tip the Travel Agent: Like dealers, they’re good friends to have. Especially if you’re flying to multiple cities (which is tough to book online) or in a pinch (bad weather, holidays). Agents have access to real-time booking screens (the Internet is four to seven hours stale). The $20-to to $30-per-ticket fee is a bargain when the alternative is spending the night in the Des Moines airport.

High-Roller Curses: Fat cats flying on the company time (and dime) don’t care about deals. Avoid their pricey circuit and don’t travel when they do (Friday C.O.B. and Sunday night). Fly to fringe airports. Do nonrefundable tickets.

Sweeten the Pot: After you’ve booked, call the airline for a better seat, frequent-flyer miles, and a nicer meal. And don’t give up on the first try. Savvy jet-setters will call back as many as three times till they get the response they want. The bad news? You can’t get free upgrades, which are strictly based on rewards status these days.

Don’t Blow It at the Last Minute: Most airlines let you print your boarding pass before you get to the airport. Bring photo I.D. Wear slip-on shoes for easy security-gate access. And — duh — go to the right airport on the right day at the right time.

Then cash in your chips. You played a mean game.

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