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Budget Travel/Best Airfare Deals

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Expert: - 8/12/2011


Question
Hi Annette,

Can you tell me where I can get the cheapest airfare for traveling within continental US?  I've been to many websites, such as Kayak, Orbitz, Expedia, etc.  whereby they advertised discount rates of up to 80%. But when I go to the official airline websites, such as AA, Continental,  BlueJet, etc. the prices are all about the same. Up the 80% off? I think it's a joke.

Answer
Kayak, Orbitz and Expedia pretty much have most of the advertised rates.  Once you find the going rates for your flight, you may be able to haggle that price down at Priceline or Hotwire.  But, Priceline and Hotwire tend to sell non-refundable tickets, so buy cautiously.

Different sites have different deals for different locations and that changes constantly.  In general, you will pay much more for a ticket if you book less than 21 days before the flight.  Also, the best time to book a flight price-wise is three to four months before the flight.  

I have a list of travel sites listed at a website called http://www.travelbargainsites.com.  I try to keep up with all the good travel deal sites.

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Annette

Expertise

I wrote a book entitled Best of the Web: A No-Fluff Guide. In the book, I have a section on travel sites that offer the best prices for air, lodgings and rental cars.

Experience

I had to test and research many travel sites on the internet before I could come up with a list of the most competitive sites in terms of price.

Publications
As stated above, I wrote the book Best of the Web: A No-Fluff Guide under. This book was written under my pen name Annette Morgan.

Education/Credentials
I have a Bachelor's Degree.

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