Another trick for finding cheap flights at peak times is to use a second-generation fare aggregator,

Last week, I did something crazy. (Next week, I ll describe it in greater detail, so that you know precisely why it s crazy). Last Saturday, I purchased a plane ticket to Las Vegas – departing the following Monday!
You wanna know what s crazier? I only paid $190 for it, which is not too much more than I would ve paid had I booked in advance. Still crazier is the fact that I flew on a Monday morning, which is a busy or peak time – a time I shouldn t, according to conventional wisdom, be able to fly cheap, let alone fly cheap last-minute.
Of course, I ve flown cheap at peak times on multiple occasions, both purchasing my tickets last-minute and well in advance. Here are my tips for finding cheap flights at peak times. Have any of your own to add?
Classic peak times include the autumn and winter holidays, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving in the United States. Spring break is also considered a peak time, as it essentially the entire northern hemisphere summer.
Logic tells us that the easiest way to find cheap flights at peak times is to book well in advance. If you book as close after tickets go on sale as possible – this can be anywhere from 9 months to a year or more – the cheap seats will still be available, or at least they should.
Of course, booking in advance isn t always a surefire way to fly cheap at peak times. Airlines, after all, know their planes are going to be packed to the gills during holidays and other busy travel times, so they may artificially limit the number of cheap seats they sell.
Still, it doesn t hurt to at least start looking in advance – if you find an extremely cheap flight, you can book and your worries are over. If you don t, however, there are still other methods to exhaust.
But because traditional fare aggregators are only able to show fares that airlines have authorized for sale through re-sellers, lower fares may be available airlines tickets directly through the airline. If you can t find cheap flights for peak travel using a fare aggregator, it might be worth it to search directly on the website of your airline of choice.
Another airlines tickets trick for finding cheap flights at peak times is to use a second-generation fare aggregator, such as Kayak, Skyscanner or Hipmunk. Rather than selling tickets airlines tickets directly, these tools simply pool flights as sold directly through airlines, and send you directly to a particular airline s website airlines tickets when you click to purchase.
Being creative airlines tickets and persistent in your booking methods isn t sure to guarantee you cheap travel at peak times. But if a cheap flight is out there, being resourceful will only increase your chances of finding it.
At the end of the day, finding cheap flights, at peak times or otherwise, airlines tickets is often simply a matter of luck. While it s true that Hipmunk helped me find my cheap flight to Las Vegas – and my equally cheap flight back from San Francisco – it was ultimately a matter airlines tickets of luck that I was able to fly last-minute, and at peak times, with almost no fare penalty.
Robert founded Leave Your Daily Hell in 2010 so that other travelers would have an entertaining, reliable source of information, advice and inspiration at their fingertips. Want to travel more often? Subscribe to email updates today!
I had this moment 3 weeks ago. I was so bored at home and decided to check online if there are cheap airfares to Hong Kong. I found one in Tiger Airways and I booked immediately. That was Monday night, and after 2 days, I flew to Hong Kong and spent 6 days there! I only paid 100 USD (return) Clark to Hong Kong / Hong Kong to Clark.