Here are The Traveling Professor's tips on getting good airfares:
Use http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ to Search for Airfares. I have published a 7-page guide, free to anyone who subscribes to my monthly newsletter that will get you not only the best airfares, but the best air itinerary to Europe and just about anywhere else. If you are already subscribed. the link will be published in my next newsletter coming out next week. Otherwise, subscribe here and you will get the link immediately once your subscription has been confirmed: http://eepurl.com/bbMuuL
DON'T use Expedia, Orbitz or Any Other Site Than the Airline Site to Book Fares: We find that if customers need to make changes, get refunds, or if they have any issue at all with their booking, it just adds another layer of red tape to the problem. For instance, if a flight is changed/cancelled for weather/mechanical reasons flights booked anywhere but directly through the airline seem to go through extra, sometimes frustrating, extra layer of procedures in order to be re-booked.
Look at Alternative Airports: In Italy for instance, Milan (MXP or LIN) is by far, the cheapest airport to fly into. Bologna (BLQ) offers some good deals too. For instance, I have a trip coming up to Florence. I get into Milan at 6:20 a.m. on a $783 (now lower) R/T flight from New York JFK. I take the 1.5 hour train down to Florence and I am there well before check-in time. By the way, matrix.itasoftware.com will let you plug in those alternative airports, that's why it is important to have my 7-page guide to show how to do so.
Use Alternative Airlines: Norwegian Air, IcleandAir have offered some terrific deals, especially for Economy Comfort and Business Class. In general, the service, cancellation/change policies, and equipment is better than what can be found on some legacy carriers like AA and Delta. But once using these airlines, stick with them to build up credit in loyalty programs.
"LIke" My Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/TravelingProfessor): A few days ago I posted a under $500 deal from New York to Milan on AA. How about $549 to Hawaii from New York? Being in the travel business, I get first look at all sorts of special offers and I am happy to pass them on to you.
Be a Loyal Customer: I try to limit the number of airlines I fly. This lets me accumulate a significant amount of airline miles into a limited number of accounts. The best way to redeem miles for flights is a story for another blog post, but I would say every 4th or 5th flight I take to Europe is "free".
Loyalty Matches: As The Traveling Professor mentioned, it's good to be enrolled in a loyalty program. But what if you want to switch from the American Advantage program and you have Platinum Status and would like to start flying Delta but not have to go through accumulating all the flight miles to have the commensurate elite status with them? Simply apply for a "status match" and they may immediately grant you corresponding elite status in order to get your frequent flyer business without having to earn it from scratch.
Sign Up for The Flight Deal Daily Newsletter: By far, this is the best no-nonsense, authentic place to find special airfares. This is where I found my $1 (plus taxes) one-way flight on AA from Newark to Copenhagen that I took advantage of TWICE. This is where I regularly find my $80 R/T fares from Boston or New York to Dallas on AA. I find airfares on major airlines regularly under $800 from the US to Europe. I don't go to Asia at all, but I see terrific fares there all the time. Here is the website: http://www.theflightdeal.com/
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