How to get cheap flights | Insider secrets to scam, trick and cheat your way to cheaper airfares. How to work the system to get insanely cheap flights everytime. http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/ en-us travel,air travel,flights,leisure neville@nevillepettersson.com 2011 How To Get Cheap Flights How To Get Cheap Flights This page is all about how to get cheap flights. The methods described here can be very effective and will quite often give you some very good deals. However, they are not the best tricks around. If you really want to get some great ways to scam, cheat and trick the online booking systems be sure to check out our home page for all the best stuff. How To Get Cheap Flights Myths I'm going to start by dispelling a couple of common misconceptions a lot of people have about how to get cheap flights. One of the most common theories is that standby flights and red eye flights offer the cheapest prices. MYTH. This is totally not true nowadays. It may have been true 10 years ago, but things have changed a lot and now that air travel is booming, there actually aren't that many standby flights available anyway. Also, you can actually get a cheaper price simply by booking early, not to mention any of the other numerous tricks on our home page. The second common theory is that airfares will be cheap on different days and times. This is in fact TRUE, it's not a myth. The cheapest days to fly will always be the least busy times (i.e. during the week) and the best time to book flights will always be as early as possible. These are facts you can rely on. How To Get Cheap Flights Online Here's some basic information about how to get cheap flights online. If you search around you'll be using one of 3 types of airfare search engines. The first one is the airline's own website (i.e. www.southwest.com). These can often be the best because they don't charge any extra fees or commissions because you're buying straight from the source. Additionally, the home sites quite often offer deals and specials which are not advertised on partner sites or search engines. Also, don't forget that Southwest and US Airways don't offer flights on other sites, so you'll need to go to these sites manually to check the fares. The next type of search sites are aggregator sites such as Kayak, Mobissimo and Momondo. These sites don't charge fees or commissions on flights so are a good way to check multiple airlines in one place. Some of them don't let you book so once you see a fare you like simply go to the airline site and book it direct. The least effective mode of booking air travel is through a conventional booking site such as Orbitz, Travelocity or Expedia. These sites do the same thing as the aggregators except they charge you a booking fee. Remember that these tips are just the tip of the iceberg. If you really want to get insanely cheap flights be sure to check out our home page for all of the best tricks. How To Get Cheap Flights Last Minute If you really need to find out how to get cheap flights at the last minute your best bet is to check out cheapoair or lastminutetravel.com. As I mentioned earlier, standby flights aren't generally that good and most of the time you can't get one anyway so you might be left stranded. The best advice I can give you is to not get caught in this situation. Use the tips here. and on our home page, to book cheap flights early. Here's a few more useful tips. Firstly, sign up for the Top 20 Travel deals newsletter from TravelZoo. They have some amazing deals over there. Another good site to check for good deals is Airfare Watchdog. If you're on the lookout for something in particular I'd recommend downloading the ding software from Southwest Airlines. It lets you know as soon as the good deals come around and is free to download and install. http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/ 20 Jun 2011 03:22:41 GMT travel,air travel,business,leisure neville@nevillepettersson.com Best Time To Book A Flight Let's get one point sorted before we explain this issue any further. The best time to book a flight is not the same as the cheapest days to fly. If you've done some searching on this topic you'll have noticed that too many people confuse these two things, but they're not the same at all. Folks that are trying to find out the best time to book airline tickets are usually looking for the exact time of the day, or day of the week to actually BOOK the ticket online and pay for it with their credit card. People looking for the cheapest days to fly are trying to find what day or time is best to actually book the ticket for. Best Time To Book A Flight Online Nowadays airlines release airfares for sale as long as a year or more before the actual flight. There's usually two camps of people who think they know when to buy airline tickets, both of which are completely wrong! Firstly, you get the people who'll tell you to book the flight as early as possible because the flights always are only going to go up. Wrong. On the other hand you get the folks who'll tell you that getting last second flights or standby flights because the airlines will be desperate to fill up any empty seats. Also wrong! Over the long term, the best time to book a flight is around 3 to 4 months before the date you wish to travel. If you book your tickets any earlier than this you always end up paying the midtier level price for the seat. This won't be the best price. The airlines make good money of midtier sales so that's why they're mostly offered and sold at this price. The reason to wait until 3-4 months out from the departure date is because this is when the airline will start actively managing the prices for this flight based on the current sales and projected sales based on the time of the flight. If you wait too long and more seats get sold you'll probably end up paying more so it's best to get them around this time. The only exception to this rule is for flights around peak times such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. For these fares it's generally best to get them as soon as possible. Best Time To Book A Flight Tuesday The best time to book a flight is just after midnight on a Tuesday or early on Wednesday morning. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, it's known in the industry that airfare prices increase towards the end of the week. Secondly, it's also a little known fact that midnight Tuesday is when most airlines update their booking schedules with the best fares for the week so this is the most likely time to get the best price. Best Time To Book A Flight - More Tips For more tips, cheats and scams on how to get cheap flights be sure to check out our home page. There are far more effective ways to find cheap flights. You can get some insanely cheap flights if you know a few insider tactics and cheats. Be sure to check it out. http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/best-time-to-book-a-flight.html 28 Aug 2011 15:07:30 GMT travel,air travel,business,leisure neville@nevillepettersson.com SWAirlines This short article is all about SWAirlines. Most people who do a search for SWAirlines are merely looking for Southwest Airlines, but can't be bothered typing in the whole words. This is fine as the search engines instinctively know this and rank Southwest high in these search results. There are however, a few more associated terms with SWAirlines which you may also be looking for. I'm going to talk about these briefly on this page. This site is all about how to get cheap flights. We are not affiliated with ANY airlines and aim to offer users the best tips, tricks and strategies to get insanely cheap flights everyday. We've got a big database of cool tricks and are continuously looking for new and innovative ways to buy insanely cheap flights. To find out more such as the cheapest days to fly and how to fly for free, visit our home page now. SWAirlines As Southwest Airlines Without doubt, the most common term for SWAirlines is used as an abbreviation for Southwest Airlines. Southwest has been operating since 1967 and is the largest airline in America carrying more passengers and operating more flights daily than any other airline. With it's base in Dallas, Texas, Southwest runs more than 3000 flights per day with a fleet of over 550 planes. Southwest is continually broadening it's operations base with the recent opening of Southwest Airlines Atlanta and the acquisition of Airtran, including Airtran U, as part of the Airtran Southwest takeover. Southwest are known as one of the best places to get airline tickets under 100 dollars, however, as with most cheap flights, the policy for standby flights and bereavement flights are the worst in the industry, so be sure you know what you're sacrificing when you fly low-cost. SWAirlines on YouTube SWAirlines has a listed account on YouTube. However, this account is not at all associated with Southwest Airlines. The profile is mostly blank containing no information about the account owner apart from the fact that the person is located in the United States and is 42 years old. The channel has had 454 views and lists a total of 16 videos (mostly non airline related amateur videos). The account was created on the 1st August 2006 and has had a total of 2000 views to all of the videos. SWAirlines On Twitter There is also a Twitter account with the ID SWAirlines which is also not at all associated with Southwest Airlines. The listed name is Lisa Smith. The profile is not filled out any more than this and there is no avatar or customisation on this account. SWairlines has no tweets, is following no one and has 3 followers. It looks like the account has been deserted and is inactive. SWAirlines Hot Rod Guy There is a 41 year old guy from Tampa, Florida listed on hotrodpitstop.com with the ID SWAirlines. It could be the same guy who owns the YouTube account mentioned above, but difficult to be sure. The profile here contains photos of a do-up job on a 1968 Camaro, very nice job I have to say myself actually. This dude also has an account on Photobucket with over 200+ photo and videos about cars, coins and other random stuff. http://www.hotrodpitstop.com/Swairlines http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/swairlines.html 26 Sep 2011 02:24:55 GMT travel,air travel,business,leisure neville@nevillepettersson.com Airtran Reviews Detroit AirTran Airways is a subsidiary company of AirTran Holdings. This low cost airline is designed for business travelers, offering affordable business class accommodations, convenient overhead bins, XM satellite radio, assigned seats and the A+ Rewards frequent flier program. AirTran features affordable and budget friendly fares to consumers worldwide. With excellent customer service and young all Boeing air fleets, AirTran continues to be a popular choice of the public. And according to many AirTran reviews online, the company continues to be the premier choice for individuals and travelers who are on a budget. AirTran offers in flight internet connectivity and coast to coast service all over North America. AirTran Airways offers service to round 70 cities worldwide, mainly in the Eastern United States, the Bahamas, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Aruba. The company currently maintains around 140 Boeing airbuses. As a leading consumer airline in the Atlanta market, AirTran Airways handles the biggest share of traffic in the Atlanta International Airport. The company has already been acquired by the Southwest Airlines in 2011. AirTran Reviews 2011 Through the years, the company has earned several mixed AirTran reviews from travelers. A lot of consumers have commended AirTran for their courteous staff and comfortable seating. The company boats seats that are 18 inches wide and 31 inches in pitch. AirTran currently charges for all checked luggage before boarding, but offers complimentary refreshments and beverages, WiFi on most of their flights, and XM satellite radio. If you are looking for airline tickets under 100, AirTran is one of the best places to look. And according to reviews coming from various sites, this budget airline is considered as a decent consumer airline that offers a good flying experience, with a few gripe about poor customer service and slow check in process. AirTran Reviews 2010 AirTran currently operates from its primary office in Atlanta with secondary hubs located in Orlando, Baltimore and Milwaukee. AirTran recalls its roots from the founding of ValuJet Airlines in the year 1992. The founders of the company were considered as industry veterans, including the executive group from Southern Airways, and flight attendants, mechanics and pilots from Eastern Air Lines. In the year 2010, AirTran opened its second base in Milwaukee. And as of November 2010, the company has already grown to serve more than 70 cities all over the U.S., in the Caribbean and in other parts of North America. According to several AirTran reviews, consumers were pretty happy with the low bag fees that they charge compared to other low cost airlines. AirTran Reviews Philadelphia According to several AirTran reviews online, the cheapest fares usually happen on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. AirTran Airways operates in Philadelphia International Airport through Terminal E. Passengers can still check in and use their baggage claim in Terminal D. AirTran continues to offer affordable, safe, and reliable air transport to leisure and business travelers. The company currently has around 3,000 dedicated employees committed to making their airline company a success and the best low cost airline in the industry today. Travel agents are now able to arrange business class seating and affordable fares that will suit your budget. As a premier consumer airlines, the company offers online check ins to help guests save time. The site also allows passengers to choose their seat assignments in advance. Aside from the many in flight services, AirTran also offers car rentals, parking reservations, remote baggage service and so much more. AirTran Reviews San Francisco AirTran is famous for the marketing of its new satellite radio on board with the celebrity appearance of Elton John. AirTran is a cost effective option for travelers who are looking to save on their air fares. The company offers occasional sale fares with airline tickets under 100. Make sure you go online early as these seat sales tend to get sold fast. AirTran also imposes blackout dates where consumers are unable to book promo fares (especially during the holidays). Despite of the mixed AirTran reviews online, AirTran remains to be a budget friendly airline which that provides value for your money. http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/airtran-reviews.html 04 Nov 2011 10:02:19 GMT travel,air travel,business,leisure neville@nevillepettersson.com Flights To St Thomas St Thomas is one of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and can only be reached by air or sea. Since an airplane takes between two and a half hours (Florida) and ten hours (California) to reach this island and boats take much longer, flights to St Thomas are popular. The major airport is the Cyril E. King Airport, though you have the option to land on the nearby St Croix island instead, in the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, if that is eas9ier or cheaper. While nonstop flights are available, most have connecting flights in Puerto Rico, which is about a half hour by plane from St Thomas. Flights To St Thomas From Boston St Thomas Island is about seven hours from Boston, MA, and the regular price of tickets range from around $700 to over $1,000. If you are hoping for a less expensive ticket, do some searching and you may be able to find them for as low as $300. In December of 2011, JetBlue announced that they will now offer direct flights to St Thomas from Boston. A nonstop flight may be more convenient, but a roundtrip ticket from JetBlue will set you back at least $1,000, if you leave on a weekend. If you leave and return on Wednesdays, with any airline, your ticket will cost you around $400. Flights To St Thomas From Atlanta Atlanta, GA is approximately six hours away from St Thomas Island. Average flights to St Thomas cost around $600, and can be as high as $1,200. If you fly on a Wednesday with Spirit Airlines, your ticket will cost you a little under $400; on a Saturday it could cost up to $550. When you book a flight on the Spirit Airlines website, you are directed to a calendar, which tells you the dates that are cheaper or more expensive than your chosen date, and by how much. This is very helpful if your dates are flexible, to find the best price. The cheapest possible price in the coming month, leaving on a Monday and returning a week and a half later on a Thursday, is $330. Flights To St Thomas From Tampa Flights to St Thomas can cost between $1,000 to as low as $300 when leaving from Tampa, FL, and they last around five hours. JetBlue offers the cheapest ticket: a roundtrip fare for $279. Another option you have, if you frequently fly, is to join Spirit Airlines' $9 Fare Club. There is an annual fee of $59.95, but if you fly even just once a year it will be worth it. You also save on luggage fees, which cost extra on Spirit flights. This may even be a good choice if you need only one ticket to one destination. You can sign up for a year, then cancel on the website or by mail before the annual fee is due again. Note that the $9 flights are not always available, so you may need to be flexible with your travel times. Spirit Airlines doesn't travel to or from all locations, so before signing up it's important to be certain they offer the flights you need; all fees are non-refundable. Flights To St Thomas From Baltimore Baltimore, MD is about six hours from St Thomas Island, but with layovers the trip can take up to nine hours. Airline fares are usually around $500, though they can cost well over $1,000. The cheapest flight available in the next month is a round trip ticket that costs $467. As with most destinations, flights to St Thomas Island vary in price depending on the day. This cheapest flight leaves on a Monday and returns that Friday--bypassing entirely the tourist times of the weekends. Since when you are traveling to this island you will likely be doing it at a time when you can stay longer than a weekend, leaving during the week is a good way to save money.http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/flights-to-st.-thomas-html http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/flights-to-st-thomas.html 06 Apr 2012 07:42:06 GMT travel,air travel,business,leisure neville@nevillepettersson.com Wholesale Flights When airlines realize they have open seats on a flight, they sell those tickets at a discounted rate to airline ticket resellers, known as consolidators. These consolidators receive tickets from several different airlines, and in turn sell the tickets to you, at a lower rate than you would pay if you bought them directly from the airline. These discounted rates are for what the airlines call wholesale flights. There are several sites that claim to sell these tickets to you, but beware; scams abound. If it sounds too good to be true, check for both positive and negative reviews of the company before you give anyone your credit card information. It's also good to be cautious of overly positive reviews, as this can often be an indication of the company's interference in which reviews are available to view. Wholesale Flights Scams When you find a good deal on airfare, it can be tempting to go for it. Many people are taken in by scams for this very reason. One site in particular to watch for is www.wholesale-flights.com. Wholesale Flights is a company that claims to offer you deeply discounted rates on airline tickets, but countless reviewers have decried these scammers. They have been called a "bait and switch" operation, as several customers were baited in by the good deals and excellent customer service, until they had a problem with their ticket and could no longer get in touch with the company. Other complaints are that the prices on the website do not reflect the actual price of the ticket, and when you sign the purchase agreement, if you do not read the fine print, you will also be signing up for a frequent flyers club that will cost you $9.95 every month. Some customers paid for tickets they were never given; one customer was out $4,000 from a ticket to Tokyo they never received. Wholesale Flights Reviews Any site will have both negative and positive reviews, but it is important to learn to distinguish between a positive review that is actually a positive representation of the company in question, and one that is simply another way for a scam operation to promote themselves. On review sites, watch for trusted reviewers. If there are a number of negative reviews and the only positive is from a new member with a poorly developed profile, trust the negative reviewers and stay away. A sign of a legitimate company is one that responds to the negative reviews with sincere options to improve the customer's experience. One such company is www.cheapoair.com. Although they are not under the label of a wholesale flights ticket seller, their prices are much more reasonable than even some of the scam companies offer, and they have several satisfied customers who back their services. Wholesale Flights To Europe Especially on flights out of the country, which can easily sell in the thousands, cheap airfare is a pleasant surprise. Wholesale flights can be an enticing option, but if you're not confident with the company, it's best to go with a reliable company, such as Priceline or Travelocity. Sites such as Eufares, ConsoidatorWebFares, and AirlineConsolidator, which each claim to sell discounted wholesale tickets to Europe and elsewhere, have very little information on them in the form of reviews. In these cases it is a safer alternative to spend the extra money and buy from a company you know is legitimate. It's better for you to spend more on a ticket than to purchase a cheaper one only to learn you've lost your money and still have no ticket. Wholesale Flights BBB The Better Business Bureau (BBB) rates companies on a variety of factors, including the length of time the business has been in operation, the number of complaints that have been filed with the BBB against the company, and whether those complaints have been responded to and resolved. The BBB has rated Wholesale Fares, which can be found at www.wholesale-fares.com and offers discount tickets on wholesale flights, an A-, on an A+ to F scale. This company has had thirteen complaints filed against them with the BBB, but each of these have been responded to or resolved. Unfortunately, the BBB does not give us access to these complaints. Wholesale-Flights.com, which is a scam company, has been given an A rating on this site, because although they have had 98 complaints filed against them, they have responded to every one. When deciding whether to purchase from a company, finding places to read the actual reviews is a better bet for you than relying only on BBB's rating.http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/wholesale-flights.html http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/wholesale-flights.html 06 Apr 2012 08:27:00 GMT travel,air travel,business,leisure neville@nevillepettersson.com Free Flights While cheap tickets are something we all hope and search for, free flights are even better. Getting an airplane ticket at no cost to you may seem like nothing more than a naive dream, but it is actually possible if you know how to fly for free. Businessmen who fly often and earn frequent flyer miles, CEOs, and people who are famous often receive free tickets, but what about the rest of us? Some airlines will purposely overbook their flights, in the hopes that some passengers will not show up. When there are too many people for the seats the plane can hold, airlines offer vouchers for free tickets to those who are willing to wait. You can take advantage of this by booking on the flights that are likely to have the highest number of passengers, such as trips to tourist traps during the busy times, or business destinations at the beginning or end of the week. This is always a risk, so only do this with flights you actually want to travel on. Free Flights For Military Military servicemembers and veterans, as a thank you for serving our country, are given the privilege of free flights for themselves and their family. These tickets are given when a military flight to their desired destination has open seats, and are called Space Available Flights, Space A, or military hops. Since whether you will be able to fly depends upon whether there are available seats, you may have to wait before you can board. Children and spouses are also welcome to fly with you, but remember that it will be less likely there will be enough open seats for all of you. If you are a military spouse, you are allowed to fly without your husband or wife, but you will be placed in the last group to board, called Category 5. What this means is, if there are military personnel waiting for the same flight, they will have priority, and you may have to wait for the next plane. Free Flights Credit Card Many credit cards offer a miles rewards program. The theory behind this is that the more you spend, the more mileage you will earn. When you've earned enough, you will be given free flights. Since you likely use credit cards daily or at least monthly as it is, this seems like a good deal, but be sure to read the fine print. A lot of these cards work on a point system, and it takes a lot of those points for even a one-way ticket. Additionally, even when you have enough to cover it, you will have to pay the fees and taxes, which can easily add up to $25 or $50. Chase has offered airline deals in the past, and their current deal is with their Sapphire card. With this deal, you earn a bonus of 50,000 points just for signing up, which they claim is equal to $625 in airfare. This card also has a $95 annual fee, which is waived the first year. If you're not prepared to pay that, be sure to cancel the card before another year is up. Free Flights On Southwest You probably know by now not to click on Facebook links that don't seem legitimate. Your friends could be hacked into, so always double check with them before clicking something that seems too good to be true. There was a scam last year with Southwest airlines, where Facebook posts touting free flights were abundant--and all false. A more reliable option is to visit Southwest's website and view their current promotions. Southwest has a credit card, and currently offers a free ticket (not including fees) once you make your first purchase. Free Flights To Japan In the fall of last year, there was an announcement made that, in order to boost the tourism industry, 10,000 free flights would be given to those who applied for them. Unfortunately for many hopeful travelers, the budget for this plan was not approved. In December 2011, they announced that Japan's government cannot afford this tourism boost, due to the funds that need to be put toward recovery efforts for those towns affected by the tsunami.http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/free-flights.html http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/free-flights.html 06 Apr 2012 10:00:14 GMT travel,air travel,business,leisure neville@nevillepettersson.com Cheapest Day To Fly In the never-ending quest for how to get cheap airline tickets, one of the secrets shared now and then concerns timing. There is, we are told, a cheaper day of the week to schedule your flight or to buy your ticket, and as it turns out, that seems to be true. The reason is complicated and has to do with how much demand there is for tickets on each day, and how easy it is for the airline to book flights so that all available seats are filled. Both these factors affect how much airlines charge for tickets on a given day of the week. Demand for flights is lowest, perhaps surprisingly, on Saturday. But it shouldn't be a surprise, because most flights are scheduled round-trip rather than one-way, and if one is traveling for fun, most people (anyone working a regular Monday through Friday job) would rather book the return trip for a Sunday instead of a Saturday. The second-lowest demand day is Tuesday, and the third is Wednesday. The most-demanded flight days are Thursday and Friday, again probably because of that go-for-the-weekend reason (taking one or two vacation days to extend the time). So that means the cheapest fares are for flights on Saturday, right? Not so fast. There's that other consideration. Again, bear in mind that most flights are round-trip, not one-way, so a flight out booked on Tuesday is not independent of another flight (for the return) booked on another, later day of the week. Most flights are at least overnight, usually a little longer, so that a flight out on Tuesday also means a flight back on Wednesday (not so common), Thursday, or a later day. And that all means that the airline will consider how hard it has to work to fill all of the seats on a particular flight both in and out. This works into determining the airlines' discounts and special packages and incentives for flights any particular day of the week. Which is a lot of unnecessary complication leading up to the simple statement that the cheapest day of the week to fly, statistically, is Wednesday. Does that mean you can't often find a flight on another day to the same destination that is cheaper than on Wednesday? No, it doesn't -- "statistically" means "more often than not, but not always." So you still need to do your homework here. There's no easy sure-fire method of getting the lowest fares. In fact, the day of the week impacts the price of the ticket a good deal less than what part of the year you want to fly. That's particularly true, of course, to seasonal vacation destinations like Hawaii or Vale, but it's often true about other destinations, too. Overall, the cheapest days of the year to book flights are in the so-called "dead zones" when fewer people fly: the first two weeks of December (after Thanksgiving but well before Christmas), most of the month of January, and in the spring and fall except for the scholastic spring break weeks in March and April. The difference can be very substantial. For example, flights cross-continent from Los Angeles to New York can be more than $200 cheaper during the dead zone than in peak travel times. Besides price, there's another advantage to traveling to any destination during an off-peak time: it won't be as crowded. Of course, that won't do you much good if you're going to someplace where there's only one thing to do and you can only do it in one time of the year (there's Vale again -- what's the point of going there in the summer?), but for many destinations, a lot of the attractions are available year round, but most people tend to go at only certain times of the year. http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/cheapest-day-to-fly.html http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/cheapest-day-to-fly.html 04 May 2012 11:49:43 GMT travel,air travel,business,leisure neville@nevillepettersson.com Flying Standby Standby flying refers to taking a space-available seat on a plane flight where your seat was not reserved in advance. Usually, this happens in one of two circumstanes. First, you may have missed your scheduled flight. In that case, the airline will let you board the next flight to the same destination on a standby basis, meaning that you will be able to take that flight if it isn't already full. Second, you arrive at the airport significantly early for your scheduled flight and want to see about taking off sooner than you booked for. Again, the airline may allow you to transfer to an earlier flight to the same destination on a space-available basis, meaning you get a seat if the flight isn't already full. Standby flying can also refer to taking the flight you reserved but with an upgrade in status. Many airlines allow passengers flying coach in an elite tier of ticket holders to upgrade free to flying First Class if there is space available in First Class on the same flight. Rules For Flying Standby The rules for flying standby vary from airline to airline and, overall, are becoming tighter. Some airlines charge a fee, usually $50 to $100, to board an earlier or later flight (in addition to the fare which was already paid). Many airlines allow airline employees and their families to fly standby at a reduced fair or free, with priority given on the standby lists for passengers who have paid full fare. All of that applies when the standby is at the customer's discretion. Passengers whose flights have been canceled, who have been denied boarding, or some similar case when it's the airline's fault rather than the passengers, are allowed free standby boarding. Not that long ago, free standby was the norm, but of late airlines have been seeking extra revenue wherever they can get it due to depressed economic conditions which have severely affected the airline industry, and, if the past is anything to go by, that is unlikely to be reversed once conditions get better. Purchasing Tickets For Flying Standby Under some circumstances and with some airlines, it's possible to buy tickets on a standby basis at a discount. What that means usually is that you buy a ticket on a flight to a certain location at a discount, and can board the first flight on the day you're scheduled to fly that has space available. Some airlines make this service available to all travelers, some offer it only to students, and many don't offer it at all. For most passengers, the option of deliberately flying standby and receiving a cheaper rate simply no longer exists. What Happened To Flying Standby? Standby flying was once an easy answer to the question of how to get cheap airline tickets if you didn't mind taking a risk on your flight being delayed. It was a decent deal for both you and the airline, in that you received a cheaper airplane ticket while the airline got to fill a seat on a flight that would otherwise have flown below passenger capacity. Sounds perfectly logical, but for most passengers that option has disappeared. What happened to it? The simple answer is that a lot of airlines have folded and others have cut back on service and flights, so that it has become a lot rarer for flights to most destinations to have empty seats. In addition, by using a method called "yield management," airlines can fill just about all seats on all their flights in advance, so there is no incentive to offer cheap standby fares, and standby flying has become an accommodation to a missed flight or to arriving at the airport long before a scheduled flight takes off.http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/flying-standby.html http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/flying-standby.html 04 May 2012 13:44:52 GMT travel,air travel,business,leisure neville@nevillepettersson.com Red-Eye Flight Red-eye flights are those that keep travelers awake at absurd times and leave them wishing they hadn't gone to such lengths to save money for approximately the time it takes to finally get a good night's sleep. Less facetiously, red-eye flights are those that take off late at night and land early the next morning, typically flying from west to east to take advantage of the time zone differential. Worldwide, the following red-eye flights are generally available. U.S. and Canada -- flights from the West Coast to the East Coast, usually taking off about 10-12 Pacific time and arriving 5-7 am Eastern time. Red-eye flights from Alaska and Hawaii to the mainland West Coast cities are often available as well. Europe -- not a lot of red-eye flights are available, but a few from European cities to Russia and the Middle East can be found. Asia -- a few flights can be found from Hong Kong to Japan and Australia, and from India and Southwest Asia to destinations in Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Southeast Asia. Australia -- red-eye flights can be found from Perth and Darwin to the larger eastern cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, etc.). There have at times been red-eye flights available from Australia to New Zealand and Fiji as well. Russia -- red-eye flights in Russia operated similarly to those in the U.S. and Canada, connecting Moscow to Yakutsk, Irkutsk and Vladivostok. In addition to these "classic" red-eye flights that always fly west to east across time zones, the term can apply to any flight that takes off late at night (after 9 pm, usually) and arrives in the early morning. Why Fly Red-Eye? The main reason to take a red-eye flight is for the reduced air fare. A late-night ticket can -- although it need not -- cost less than half as much as one for a flight during the day. However, there are other reasons, too. Check in is usually quicker on the red-eye flights because the airline isn't as busy as it is during the day. You may also have a less crowded airplane, making it easier to find space for your carry-on luggage, to snag the luxury of extra seats for a nice on-board nap, and to avoid the presence of crying children and rowdy tourists. Your luggage is less likely to get lost if fewer pieces of it are vying for the attention of baggage handlers. If you can stay awake after arriving at your destination, red-eye flights also allow you more time to spend where you're going, since you arrive early in the morning for a full day's work, play, or whatever. Then there's the travel to and from the airport. Late at night and in the early morning, traffic on the roads is a lot lighter, letting you get from here to there, or from there to further-there, with much less time and hassle. All in all, there are many reasons to prefer flying late at night, but as I said, the biggest reason is simply the reduced cost. And yet, one has to be careful about this, because it's no longer the case that all red-eye flights are cheaper. You can still get cheaper tickets for late-night flights, but you shouldn't assume that this will be automatic. Some red-eye flights are actually MORE expensive than flights during the day -- strange but true, and perhaps arising from the fact that the airlines have to fly more often with empty seats, so that they charge more to what customers they have in order to make up the difference. There is no substitute for doing your research. But if you are willing to endure the late hours and sleeplessness, the benefits in terms of money saved, stress avoided, and time for doing what you are traveling to do in the first place can be substantial.http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/red-eye-flight.html http://www.howtogetcheapflights.info/red-eye-flight.html 04 May 2012 14:01:26 GMT travel,air travel,business,leisure neville@nevillepettersson.com