Plane Tickets.

This is my blog about how to buy plane tickets, i'm a ticket agent.

Everyday people call me asking how to buy plane tickets. I guess if someone never purchased plane tickets before it can be confusing. So this is how you go about buying plane tickets.

Getting the lowest plane tickets from Point A to Point B can be a ridiculously frustrating experience, especially if in mid-flight you discover your neighbor paid a third what you did. The way airlines work, failing to get the best fare happens more often than you would like to believe. This blog will help guide you through airfare hell to make sure you are the one with the cheapest plane tickets.

Pricing of plane tickets is a complex, unpredictable beast driven by three ugly words: competition, demand, and inventory. Airlines call it "yield management," but we doubt if even airline CEOs fully understand it. How could they? How can any rational person explain why a one-way flight is just as expensive as a round-trip ticket? Or why the only seats from Boston to San Francisco every weekend from now until eternity cost $1,000? Well, you found me in the nick of time, because before you even attempt to buy an airline ticket, you must know the forces at work. Only when you know your enemy may you slay him violently.All major airlines feed their available seats and prices into four central reservation systems that are owned by various airlines. The systems are Apollo, Sabre, WorldSpan and Galileo (sound like the names of American Gladiators, don't they?). Airlines then change their plane ticket prices based on demand.

If a certain flight is selling well, the price will increase. If another flight has no takers, the fare will drop until the airline gets some. As a result, fares and inventory are changing every minute.

So why is it so hard to keep track of the prices? A bunch of reasons:
Internet travel sites and travel agents use the central reservation systems which are updated periodically during the day. The four are not updated at the same time, which explains why different searches may yield different results.

The systems also may use different algorithms to search for the lowest fares, which subsequently provide varied fares.

Demand explains why it is cheaper to fly on a weekday (when fewer people are traveling), at odd hours, or on days other than major holidays.

Airlines change the plane tickets prices based on competition. If one airline flying the New York-Miami route drops its rates by 20%, chances are all airlines will drop their rates, so as not to give the discounter a competitive advantage.

Fare differences can exist for the same route on different airlines because of other factors. For example, if one airline has the market share for that route, it may not need to lower fares to attract passengers.

To complicate matters, all this happens at the speed of light. Prices for plane tickets can go up or down even as your travel agent is getting your credit card information from you, so your cheap ticket can be whisked out from under you. And your fare is never guaranteed until you have paid. That's the gamble. Fortunately, it can work both for you and against you.

Airlines also use inventory to their advantage and to lure the unsuspecting flyer. They divide seats on each flight into several price ranges and set aside a certain number of discounted tickets. Naturally, the lowest fares draw your attention to advertisements. Of course by the time you call (unless you are quick on the draw) those seats will be gone. Inventory brings us back to demand. If there is low availability and high demand, you will have to wait for a cheap tickets. But that does not mean you should give up on a trip that is very popular. Sometimes airlines will change their fares or open up more discounted seats, depending on how sales are going.

Because of all these factors (competition, inventory and demand), it is essential to look around and comparison shop. Regardless of whether you use the Internet or a travel agent, you will come up with a wide range of prices. The challenge is to know how to make the cheap plane tickets yours.


STEP 1: Check several computer reservation systems and online ticket brokers to find available flights and get an idea of price ranges, or click the box for "airline ticket" in the eHow shopping list and choose the "shop online" option for price information. Prices vary from broker to broker, and some have special deals.

STEP 2: Check an airline's official site for any deals offered only through the airline itself. Many of the best deals are offered for flights that week.

STEP 3: Access the site that offers the best deal. When prompted, enter necessary information such as time and location of arrival and departure, number of passengers and flight class (first class, economy, etc.).

STEP 4: Notice if the site gives you a choice of delivery options. If it does, choose the one that's best for you. If the site offers an "e-ticket" option, that's usually best because you don't have to pay any shipping charges or be available to receive a shipment.

STEP 5: Pay by credit card on a secure server. If you're not comfortable with online credit card transactions, you may be able to pay by check. If you can't find any information on alternative payment methods on the site, contact the site's administrators.

The best fares, especially for international destinations, are usually found through consolidators. Consolidators typically focus on specific areas, such as Eastern Europe or South America.