Best Websites for Discount Airfare and Airline Travel Tips

Travelers deciding to fly to their destinations can benefit from several travel websites that specialize, in whole or in part, with airline travel. These sites can help travelers score discount airfare or cheap airline tickets from low-cost carriers, track prices on flights, take last-minute vacations, organize your flight itinerary, and even choose good seats.

Here are some of the best travel websites, recommended by such travel industry experts as Fodor's and Travel + Leisure , for airline travel and airfare deals. Spending time with these sites can help save travelers money and make traveling easier.

Bing Travel markets itself as the travel site that helps users decide “When to Buy,” When to Fly,” and "Where to Stay.” Like its competitor Kayak, Bing Travel is an aggregator travel site that allows for searches from dozen online sources for airline travel.

Both Bing, formerly known as Forecast.com, and Kayak help users search for fares and compare prices between several discount travel websites. Either are good resources for quickly getting a sense of what flights are available, from whom, and the price range. Both provide flexible flight searches, which is beneficial to users with leeway in their travel dates or in the beginning planning stage.

Once possible flights have been narrowed down, Bing Travel becomes especially useful for travelers considering a purchase. Its seven-day Price Predictor provides recommendations – based on research and fare forecasting ­– about whether travelers should book or wait for prices to drop.

For travelers who want to search one site for the complete travel package, Bing Travel also offers hotel stays, rental cars, vacations, and other leisure and travel experiences.

Looking for a last-minute flight or vacation? Last Minute Travel, as its name suggests, is the place to start, especially for travelers who are flexible with their destination or travel dates. While Last Minute travel does offer searches for flights months in advance, it is its “Last-Second Deals” portion of the site where the deals are, up to 70% off.

These steep discounts on flight, as well as hotels and vacation packages, are offered for trips to be taken usually no more than two weeks in advance. As an added incentive for visiting, Last Minute Travel also offers discounts on activities, including sports events, theater, theme-park activities, and outdoor excursions.

SeatGuru offers airline seating charts that help make flying more comfortable, as well as reveal hidden costs. The site, which is associated with the travel review site TripAdvisor, provides schematics of different aircraft. Travelers can use those layouts to identify which seats offer the best legroom, which seats don’t reclines, or window seats that, surprising, don’t offer windows. Passengers, the true insider experts for a flight’s comfort level, submit seating information.

SeatGuru’s easily navigated pages and clear seatmap key, make it easy for travelers to determine preferred seats. The site also provides information about partners, baggage, additional fees, rewards programs, and who to contact.

TripIt offers travelers the convenience of an online personal travel organizer. Forward travel confirmations to TripIt and the site will compile them, create an itinerary, and add useful information (e.g. maps, weather forecasts, special events). 

Simple to use, with an intuitive editing feature, the basic edition of TripIt is free and fine for casual and leisure travelers. However, frequent fliers might benefit from TripIt Pro. Its annual fee of $69, provides a number of additional features, including mobile alerts for cancellations and delays, alternate flight options, and tracking points earned through rewards programs.

• JiWire: Use its searchable registry to find over 290,000 free and pay WiFi locations in 144 countries.
• OneBag: Learn to pack luggage lightly and avoid excess baggage fees.
• Pets on the Go: Get information on flying with pets and pet transportation options.
  
• TSA Travel Assistant: Keep updated on the newest TSA regulations and procedures.
• Vayama.com: Visit this search engine travel site for international flights, including low-cost carriers and discount fares, originating in the United States.

These travel websites are resources that allow travelers to save time and avoid stress, whether when looking for help finding discount airfares – with or without hotel rooms or as part of cheap vacation packages – or in organizing their travels. They help make a trip more affordable and enjoyable. 

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• A Plane Right Over Your Head, David Huets. flickr, Creative Commons license.
• Nantes – Le Caire, Marc Lacoste. flicker, Creative Commons license.
• Airplane Engine, Loren Sztajer. flickr, Creative Commons license.