Flexibility key to securing cheap airfare

A little bit of flexibility can stretch your dollar a long way when it comes to finding the best deal for airline prices this Thanksgiving, other holidays and school breaks, travel experts say.

Air travel is volatile, said Cassidy Young, a travel agent at the Bloomington branch of Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

“It’s a difficult time right now,” she said.

But it’s still possible to snag a deal.

To get the best deal, students have to shop around, be a little creative and keep an open mind, Young said.

She recommended flying on days people normally don’t think about travel, such as Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day, depending on how your family celebrates.

Students must also be willing to wake up for early flights, she said, because those flights can be cheaper.

She also said to look at prices at nearby airports other than Indianapolis, such as Cincinnati or St. Louis. Different airports might have better prices – sometimes saving a traveler hundreds of dollars – if a student is willing to go a little out of his or her way.

Tom Parsons, chief executive of the fare comparison Web site BestFares.com, agrees.

“Is it worth it for your mom and dad to pick you up and drive you 50 miles? That’s what it boils down to,” he said.

For this Thanksgiving, Parsons said, all flyers should avoid the Sunday following the holiday.

George Hobica, creator of Airfarewatchdog.com, said prices on that Sunday can be more than twice as much than if a traveler came back on the Saturday or Monday.

He also recommended booking flights two months in advance for Thanksgiving, Christmas and spring break. The longer someone waits, the fewer options they have, said Patrick Evans, marketing communications coordinator for discount travel site STA Travel.

Young recommended booking flights for busy travel seasons at least three months in advance.

Where students get their deals makes a difference, too.

Airlines negotiate with Web sites such as StudentUniverse.com and STAtravel.com to provide special deals just for students.

STA Travel, a company started in Australia in 1979, sells airlines’ extra seats to students who purchase a $25 international student card.

StudentUniverse.com also works with airline companies to provide faculty and students – and only faculty and students – with lower airfare, according to the company’s Web site.

There’s more domestic travel around holidays, Evans said, but a lot of their business is geared toward international markets.

Young said many of the student-oriented sites offer better deals when students book flights, hotels and related expenses together in a package.

While Web sites can be helpful, so can going to a travel agent and talking in person to an experienced agent who finds deals for travelers.

“That’s why we’re in this business,” Young said. “We all like to shop.”

It’s also possible to go straight to the airline’s Web site. Discount carrier Southwest Airlines doesn’t normally work with travel sites, but still offers deals on its own Web site, Hobica said.

Sometimes, though, a good deal just depends on luck.

Recently, a round trip flight from the United States to Belize was offered for less than $200, Parsons said. The price quickly disappeared.

“You snooze, you lose,” Parsons said.