What is the best place to find cheap airplane tickets? Is it best to buy months in advance, or can I get cheaper tickets if I buy right before I want to leave? I'm looking to go visit my family for about a week in January. Any advice would be helpful....
www.sidestep.com is the best site on the planet for plane tickets and hotels. Searches the entire web, even other SEARCH websites.
prices will go up and down randomly. I've bought 6 weeks in advance only to see a cheaper price at T-4 weeks. Sometimes I see the cheapest at T-2 weeks. And sometimes (when I don't really care if I make the trip or not), I've gotten the best price at T-2 days or 1 day... a lot of times Southwest and Airtran cheap fares open up right at the end (but it's certainly not something you can count on). www.farecast.com is nice for being able to see previous historical trends for your flight (and it tells you whether you should buy or wait based on past trends)
Are you a student? Sites like www.studentuniverse.com show some pretty good discounts for students, faculty, etc. Do a google search for more.
