How to get cheap airfare to Las Vegas
Are you sure you are getting the best airfare rates? Do you spends hours on the phone or internet setting up a rate, only to find out the guy next to you got the same ticket for less?
Thousands of travellers wonder if they could have flown for a little cheaper. After all, Las Vegas is not known for its frugality. The “city of lost wages” is not always cheap but, hopefully we can help you save a dime on your airfare.
The first thing you have to know is that nothing comes for free. This applies to cheap airfare as well, if you want to save some money on a flight you are going to need to sacrifice some time.
It is also important to note the time of year you are planning on travelling to Las Vegas. Low-season will ALWAYS be cheaper than any other time of the year. In Las Vegas the quietest time (low- season) is from November to January excluding the New Year’s festivities. Other times throughout the year when you are guaranteed a cheap fare to Las Vegas are weekdays, the two weeks before Christmas and in the middle of summer and December and August.
Last, thing you need before booking your flight is a flexible schedule. It is always easier to get a good rate if your time frame is not set in stone.
To start my airfare booking, I usually start with a copy of my local paper. I find the travel section and start a base price. It may seem obvious but if you don’t have a starting price how do you know if you are getting a deal?
My next step is phoning a few travel agents. The key here is to always try and get a new agent to beat the price from the previous agent. So if your first “quote” is $200, phone around until you can get a “quote” for $190. Rinse and repeat until you can’t beat the previous price.
Now I take my search online. Travelocity is my travel engine of choice but there are lots to choose from including Expedia, Priceline and CheapFlights.com. This is basically the same process as with the “bricks and mortar” travel agents. All I am trying to do is beat the previous price but, this time I am also taking note of the airlines.
Now, the last trick is to take the best rate from the travel engine and take it directly to the airline . This is an awesome technique in that you are essentially taking out the middle man. You may be surprised though as the buying power that Travelocity represents often nets them a much lower rate, often but not always.
Here are a few last thoughts:
- Check out the smaller airlines, some such as Allegiant Air offer amazing rates that you may miss when dealing with the larger travel agents
- Phone the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority (702-892-0711) and make sure there is no convention booked on your chosen dates. You can also visit their website at http://www.vegasrooms.com/convention.htm to learn what conventions are booked for the whole year.
- Coupons! Sometimes there are coupons available for the travel engines. Here is one for Travelocity.
That is it for now, if you have any thought please feel free to add them to the comments.
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