Capturing a Fare Deal ... Continued

Quest for the Perfect Fare

At this point you could simply book the best fare and be done, knowing you've found a pretty good value. But if you can't rest without knowing whether you've got the very best deal, you'll have to go further. Airlines themselves are trying to draw more business by offering lower fares to customers who book through their own Web sites.

So you should check with the airline to see whether you can get a deeper discount on the same ticket. Even if the flight is the same exact price, you should consider buying from the carrier because unlike travel-agency Web sites, most airlines don't charge booking fees (which run as high as $12.50 on Travelocity, for example).

Look for Low-Fare Carriers If you're still not satisfied, you may want to check with new airlines such as Skybus and low-fare airlines, which may not have surfaced in your search of search engines. You can take a quick look by visiting Airfarewatchdog.com, which includes Southwest in its listings.

Otherwise, to snag one of those cheaper flights, you have to know whether a discount carrier serves your destination. If you don't already know, visit the Web site of OAG, a flight-information company based in London, and click on the Who Flies Where link. You can enter the city of departure, your destination and the date you're planning to travel and the program will give you a list of carriers that fly that route. Another tool helps you find out whether a particular carrier serves your city.

But Wait, or Maybe Not There's just one question: Should you buy now or wait? "Pricing changes over time," says Bob Harrell, president of Harrell Associates, a New York airfare consulting firm. "You may find the lowest available fare at the time you happen to be shopping, but it may not be the lowest fare." Most travelers, he says, book within 90 days of traveling, but airlines begin posting fares about 11 months in advance.

Harrell recommends that you start shopping early, though you don't have to book. Some larger travel Web sites, if you request, will notify you by e-mail if the fare drops for the flight you want.

For guidance, check with Farecast, which provides an instant prediction about whether the price is likely to fall on flights among 75 U.S. cities. If the site tells you that you're getting a good deal now, you can book immediately. If it projects that the price will fall in the next month, you can wait and try later.

Making the Most of Your Miles

You can change that arithmetic by boosting yourself to elite status, according to Randy Petersen, a loyalty-program guru and chairman of Frequent Flyer Services. That gives you a better shot at upgrades and special mileage bonuses for flights.

The bonus amount depends on the elite tier for which you qualify. Typically, you need to fly 25,000 miles in a year to be in the first elite level, 50,000 for the middle tier and 100,000 to make the top level. At that point you earn a 100 percent bonus on the miles you fly.