How to Get a Lower Air fare

Make your reservation early

Many discount fares require that you make a reservation 7, 14 or 21 days in advance, depending on the fare. The best international fares often require a reservation 30 days in advance. Making a reservation as soon as you know your travel dates increases your chances of finding a great fare.

Remember, Airlines sell only a limited number of seats at the lowest fares. When those seats sell out, the price goes up!

Avoid Peak periods

For Brazil, if possible avoid the peak travel periods that are generally the school vacation periods in Brazil. Middle of December to late January, July and Carnival.

Be Flexible. Try an earlier or later travel date

To get the lowest round trip fare, the same fare must be available on both the departing and return flights you select. If the fare is sold out on either of these, the price you end up with will be much higher. If possible, consider flying on another date.

Flying on a weekday usually costs less

Flights departing on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday usually offer the lowest fares. Fares are sometimes (but not always) higher on Monday and Friday than on other weekdays. Saturday flights occasionally have discount fares, but as a rule it’s more expensive to fly on a weekend than a weekday.

Stay over a Saturday night

Most low fares require that you stay over at least one Saturday night before your return flight. However, some fares may only require you to stay a minimum of 3 or 4 days.

Consider an airport in the surrounding area

You may enjoy significant savings if you are willing to fly into nearby airports. For example, when traveling to Los Angeles (LAX), you may want to consider flying into the Burbank (BUR), Orange County (SNA) or Ontario (ONT) airports. Similarly, the cost of a trip to San Francisco (SFO) might be reduced by flying into San Jose (SJC) or Oakland (OAK), while travel to Miami (MIA) may be less expensive if you fly into Ft. Lauderdale (FLL).

Learn the fare rules

Getting the best price for your airline ticket may come with restrictions. Before booking, make sure you’ve read the fare rules. Some airlines have costly penalties if you need to make a change. You may want to offset the risk with travel insurance.