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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Tips For Booking Cheap Flights: Tuesday Isn’t Best Day For A Deal

(AP)

If you’re trying to book a flight for a vacation this summer, you might want to pay attention to George Hobica.

Hobica watches air fares for a living, he founded the website airfarewatchdog.com and he says there are a lot of misperceptions out there about how to find cheap flights.

Tip #1: Tuesday At 3 p.m. Is Not The Best Time

Hobica says many believe that Tuesdays are the best day to find a ticket deal, but that’s not true. Airlines have deals throughout the week and you can sign up to get email alerts when a deal comes out.

Tip #2 Be Flexible If You’re Going To Europe

If you want to fly to Europe, Hobica says be flexible. For instance, a flight from Boston to Paris can be pricey. Instead, fly from New York to Berlin, then check out Berlin and make your way to Paris (perhaps via train or a regional flight).

Hobica says some European countries are cheaper to fly into than others. Ireland, he says, is a good place to fly into, because there are fewer fees than other countries. From Dublin or Shannon, you can hop a Ryan Air jet to the continent. Watch the luggage you’re bringing on to Ryan Air because they charge by the kilogram over a certain weight for checked baggage.

Tip #3 Look For Airlines With Minimal Fees

Hobica says look domestically for deals, too. Passengers should consider the fees the airlines are charging when booking a ticket. One thing that has passengers up in arms is that some airlines are charging customers to select seats — Hobica says if you don’t want to be charged, find a carrier who lets you select a seat for free — like Jet Blue.

Guest:

  • George Hobica, founder of airfarewatchdog.com

 

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. Post below. Please stay on topic and be civil. Comments may be moderated by us, but you are solely responsible for the content of your comments.

  • Linda

    Megabus is an almost unbelievably affordable bus option for getting to NYC.

    • D.

      we’re talking flights here

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