Finding airfare deals online

One of the most difficult obstacles for would-be Jetros to overcome is the idea that international air travel is prohibitively expensive. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. Flexibility is key, and if your dates or destinations aren’t set in stone, you’ll have more cash to blow on souvenirs for the losers back home.

Some great deals will fall into your lap (or inbox, rather). For others, you’ll have to scratch the surface a bit. But I’ll show you where to scratch.

The easiest way to learn about airfare specials is to register with your favorite (or future favorite) airline’s website. Usually every week, the major airlines send emails to those on their listserv detailing domestic and international fare deals, under the moniker of E-Savers or WebSavers or E-Deals or some such gimmick. Often, these are for last-minute travel (as in, departing within the next two weeks). To keep your normal email inbox from filling up with these announcements, consider establishing an alternate email account from a free web-based service (Yahoo! or Hotmail, for instance) where you can receive these notices without them interfering with your work or personal correspondence.

Among the U.S. airlines, Continental and Delta usually have good deals to Europe, while USAirways and Spirit can send you to the Caribbean cheap. International carriers that you might register with include Air France or Lufthansa for Europe and beyond, Copa Airlines for Latin America, and Cathay Pacific for amazing fares to Asia.

In terms of digging for a low fare, all you really need to do is add a few URLs to the “favorites” list of your browser. The most famous and still relatively useful include Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz; of the three, Travelocity allows you to search for the most economical flight combination within a range of travel dates. These sites, in addition to information consolidators like Travelzoo, also offer promotions via email if you don’t mind the inundation. For a faster, more comprehensive search, try using Sidestep or Booking Buddy, which search several airline and travel websites simultaneously (including Orbitz and Travelocity) and often come up with the cheapest options, utilizing airline code-sharing and multiple carrier pairings to maximize savings. Plus, all of these sites offer air-hotel package deals that'll really keep your bills in the fold. Even better, Airfare Watchdog compares fares and keeps track of unpublished fare reductions and sends you alerts via email, so you get the best deals all around.

If you already know where you want to go, but don’t have your dates pegged, try this:
Check first with Travelocity to narrow down the date range. Once you have your dates, try Sidestep. If the flight combo is with the same carrier, double-check with that particular airline’s website, which can sometimes knock off the $5 or $10 surcharge Sidestep may and Travelocity always does levy. The sites usually alternate as far as which one has the best fare for a particular destination and travel date.

Admittedly, it may take a half-hour or so to find your deal, but in the end, you’ll be satisfied in knowing that there is something constructive to do on the Internet other than chat and download porn (fellas!).