anybody have good tricks for getting cheap airfare?

[Gato Moteado]

i need to buy roundtrip tickets to costa rica for early december. i'd like to fly out of austin or houston but dallas would be ok too.

[GOPisEvil]

1. If you don't care when you travel exactly, go with Priceline.

I've gotten up to 50% off before.

[Gato Moteado]

11. how long does it take for them to reply once you've entered your info?

nt

[Xipe Totec]

2. Here you go

http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/planetix/planetix5.html

[flvegan]

Cargo

You'll just need a box big enough for you and your belongings...

[tjwash]

3. Here's a trick to getting free airfare...

...book yourself on a flight that is notorious for being overbooked. When they ask for volunteers to give up their seats to standby passengers, jump on it, because you will get refunded, and they will give you a free trip to where ever they fly.:evilgrin:

[JVS]

4. Stand at the counter and discuss a horible airplane crash story that...

you've read about a crash where nobody died on impact but 40% of the passengers died from complications from the horrible burns they suffered when the wreck caught fire. Describe the scene of flaming people running from the broken fuselage.... they'll start lowering prices to get you to hurry up and buy.

[Gato Moteado]

5. hmmmmm....have you tried that method?

and did it get you cheaper airfare or a visit from security?

[JVS]

8. You need to phrase it in terms of "I saw this TV show...."

Definitely don't say "Wouldn't it be a shame if...."

[yellowdogintexas]

6. I use Orbitz, which also has a link to Hotwire

Hotwire can pin down your date, but your airline and travel time is pot luck.

I got a great last minute fare for my husband on Hotwire

[Shoeempress]

7. Hubby books our flights and he always Calls, does not go thru

on-line booking, very late at night. It's slow usually at the center and he chats them up. We once got round trip tickets to France, just 2 weeks in advance for less than $200.00 apiece, in April.

[On the Road]

9. Several Suggestions

(1) Avoid big operations like Expedia and Orbitz, which only include listed fares.

(2) Find a bucket shop on the internet. Sometimes that term works, sometimes you need to search under "cheap airfare Latin America" or something. The best sites are often small places specializing in certain regions.

(3) If there's a Hispanic part of town where you live, look for travel agencies in that neighborhood. They often have the best deals to Latin America. Helps if you speak Spanish or can get a Spanish speaker to call, but it's not absolutely necessary.

(4) If Costa Rica has a national airline, visit it directly or call them. Those fares are sometimes not listed elsewhere.

Depending on where you're flying from and when, you should be able to get a flight for less than $300 plus taxes (which could be another hundred).

-----

My girlfriend is visiting her family in China in December. I looked for tickets for her and couldn't find anything available that was less than $1800. After panicking, I suggesting she call a Chinese-speaking bucket-shop. She got a ticket for a little over a thousand dollars, including a stop in Japan on the way back. I couldn't believe it.

[Gato Moteado]

19. thanks....sounds good

[sbj405]

10. Taca usually has good fares to Costa Rica

http://www.taca.com/index.asp#

They fly out of Houston.

[Gato Moteado]

17. i'll give 'em a call

their website prices are pretty high.

[parkening]

12. Can you pass for

someone under 2 years old? Fly for free as a "lap child".

Seriously, I've heard you can fly real cheap on Fed Ex or UPS planes if they're not full.

[flygal]

13. Marry a flight attendant

[Gato Moteado]

14. are you single?

nt

[flygal]

21. LOL - no, and not a flight attendant anymore

[Zuni]

15. a gun at the ticket counter does the trick

[Gato Moteado]

16. not the kind of trick i'm looking for

i want to pay, just not an inflated fare.

[RebelOne]

18. Go to ClarkHoward.com

He always finds great rates.

[amandae]

20. Yeah, but Skinner doesn't like the sex threads

:hi: