Home THE JOURNEY Air Guide to Low-Cost Airlines in the United States

Guide to Low-Cost Airlines in the United States

Image by Bilal EL-Daou

If you are planning a family vacation or have to go on some official tour, a significant amount of your trip’s cost is spent on the airfare.

Every day, more than 2.6 million passengers travel in the United States, therefore finding a cheap and affordable flight deal is as important as finding the right place to stay, the right travel company, and the right things to carry.

Most of the airlines provide hundreds of amazing offers – from mistakenly published flight rates to discount coupons to decrease rates for competing with other commercial airlines. However, you need to follow the right approach to find the appropriate travel deals. To avail the best offers and Air Travel services, you can consider Faremart, a platform that works to ease your travel with full satisfaction.

Below, we have listed the different ways which will help you to find a low-cost airline in 2019.

Follow the points mentioned, and you’ll never be the person who paid the highest price for a ticket on a plane.

Here is the 10-point guide on how to find low-cost airlines in the United States:

2. Ignore the Myths

First of all, you need to remember is that there is no secret ninja trick to finding a cheap and affordable flight. There are several false and incorrect information available on the internet about finding the cheapest flight ticket.

You might have come across hundreds of them while searching for the best flight tickets. Most of them will try to scam you. The websites just publish outdated and common myths which are not true.

The airline companies use advanced computing algorithms to determine the flight tickets based on several parameters such as time of the year, the demand for tickets, weather, major events, fares of competitors, and many more.

If someone tells you otherwise, ignore them and don’t fall into any scam. It is recommended to check the official websites of the airlines and avail the best offers. American Airlines deals include plenty of offers which are worth grabbing, one can look for the same if you are planning to make an air journey soon.

2. Flexible dates and timings

The ticket fares vary greatly depending on the time of the year, holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and others. If you choose to fly when most of the people are also flying, then the fares will automatically be high.

Therefore, it is advised to fly during the off-season if you can. Also, try to fly in between the week and not on weekends as most passengers travel on those days.

Flight tickets are also cheaper in the early mornings and late-night after a major holiday because very few people travel at that time of the day.

Be flexible in your flight timings and try to fly way ahead of everyone else.

3. Fly low-budget carriers

A decade ago, if you wanted to travel between countries and continents, there were only a few options available which were very expensive.

With the advancement of the aviation industry, more low-budget carriers are available which has made it possible to travel the world with very less money.  

As of now, there are 17 major air carriers in the US, and American Airlines is considered the largest airline in the world, based on sales.

Here are some of the budget airlines of the United States of America.

The budget airlines are an excellent alternative to the expensive ones. Although you get very few perks, you can save hundreds of dollars on a single ticket.

Make sure to check all the fees. Most of the low-cost airlines charge fees for using a credit card, checking bags, and many other things. Add all the cost and find out whether the price is lower than the other airlines.

4. Don’t fly direct

Along with dates, and destinations, being flexible with the routes is also one of the best ways to book a cheap ticket. There are several budget carriers that fly across each of the states; therefore instead of taking a direct flight, you can use multiple airlines to save some money.

For example, if you want to go to Sydney from New York, the price of a non-stop flight would be approx $1000, but instead, you can fly to Honolulu for $600 and get a $63 flight to Sydney. The overall flight time will be longer, but you can save a lot of money following this method.

To do this, first, find out what’s the price of a direct flight to the destination. Then, look at the nearby airports and their prices. Look at the difference between the ticket price and book the most affordable flight.

5. Use the best flight search engines

Go through several websites which can help you to book the cheapest flight tickets. Some of the budget airlines are not listed on the sites as they don’t want to give any booking commission.

The flight search websites are different from each other and can’t be treated equally. All of them have their flaws.

However, there are a few sites which are better than the others and provide information about the cheap flights as well.  

  • Momondo – It is one of the popular flight search websites that provide the cheapest airline fares.
  • Google Flights – It provides fares for multiple destinations.
  • Skyscanner – It has a great UI and provides low-budget flight fares.

6.  Mix and Match Airlines

To get the best flight deals, try to mix and match flight tickets. The booking websites mostly book tickets from the same airline if you have to change flights between a routes.

For example, look at this ticket:

If you mix and match airlines, then you can save a lot of money by choosing a low-cost airline.

7. Use Points to fly free

There are several rewards programs such as airline rewards programs, and others that provides points that you can redeem later for free flights

The more often you fly, the more points you get. You can also use these points for online shopping, exclusive deals, and others.

If you are smart with your money and collect the points whenever possible, then you can travel the world with a very low budget.

Also, keep an eye for the exclusive deals by signing up to the newsletter or mailing list of the airlines and flight search websites.

8. Search tickets as a single-person

It is not advised to book multiple tickets in a single purchase. If you buy a group of tickets, then the airlines usually show the highest price.

For example, if you buy three seats together, and each seat, i.e., A is for $150, B is for $240, C is for $300, then the airline will calculate the fare as $300 each instead of adding the tickets individually.

Hence, search for tickets as a single person, and at the end select the seats in such a way that all your family members sit together.

9. Buy ticket in other currencies

Searching the airfare in a weaker currency helps you to find the cheapest flight tickets. For example, the New Zealand currency is weaker than the US dollar.

Therefore, if you are searching for a ticket from Australia to California, then search in the New Zealand version of the airline, you will find the tickets at a very low price.

The trick does not always work but is worth a try.

10. Book your tickets early

The flight tickets price increases if you book them before a few days of departure. However, there is a midpoint when the airlines either increase or lower the fares.

You should neither book your tickets too early nor in the last second.

It is said that the best time to book a flight ticket is three months before the departure date if you are traveling during the holidays, or at the peak season.

Final Words

To book a ticket on a low-cost airline, you need to be flexible, and smart in your approach. If you follow the tips mentioned above, you can easily find the most affordable tickets.

However, don’t take forever to find a cheap and low-cost airline ticket. If you are spending more than an hour booking your flight, then you need to change your strategy a little bit.

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