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Airline Tickets
Keys to cheap travel:
- Look for tickets in advance. Be flexible with travel dates. Traveling Mondays through Thursdays is often less expensive than traveling on Fridays or weekends.
- Search for tickets on popular internet search sites.
- Then, check with a travel agent for best ticket prices and direct discounts.
- Next, call the airline directly and ask if it can do better. Sometimes, they can give you a better price. Politeness and patience go a long way when you are looking for good ticket prices or dealing with airlines or travel agents. Be polite but persistent.
- Remember that airlines will not offer you an unsolicited discount (you have to have a coupon number or some other offer reference and ask for the discount).they will find the cheapest travel for the times and dates you specify. If you don't get the answer you were expecting from the first reservation agent you speak with, call back and talk to another. Booking with an airline over the phone can cost a fee, as compared to booking online.
- MCO (Miscellaneous Charges Order) are refunds issued by the airline industry because the tickets you bought actually went down in price! So, after you buy your tickets be certain to watch for lower prices. You must be assertive and call the airline politely and persistently asking for an MCO.
- Most airline companies offer membership programs that allows you to bank your travel miles flown. After you collect 25,000 miles, you can receive a free domestic flight! If you save up to 80,000 miles you can fly to Asia for free. You can collect miles for air travel, buying flowers, long distance telephone companies, renting cars, and many more services.
- Consolidator tickets can save you money, but may not award frequent flyer miles and have other restrictions. Be certain to ask before you buy.
- The following sampling of airline ticket resources will help you price and buy your ticket. Services such as STA Travel and Student Universe cater specifically to students and may allow more flexibility in terms of dates and lower change fees. Other sites offer good deals, but may lock the traveler into specific dates without permitting changes once the ticket is booked. Always shop around before purchasing your tickets.
- For information on airline travel, including specific airports, go to the Federal Aviation Authority or the Transport Security Administration.
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