How to obtain cheap fares

[kangaroota]

Can someone help me out.

When I try to obtain a cheap airfare which is advertised by an airline online, I insert the travel dates and invariably find the cheap fare is not available on that particular date, and after trying about ten different dates, I give up in frustration.


Is there a website that will identify on which days the "special" fares are available?

[Globaliser]

Is there a website that will identify on which days the "special" fares are available?Which airline(s)?

Often, the first and most important thing to do is to read the small print attached to any advertisement, to find out the period for which the advertised special fare is valid.

Then, if the airline in question has a website that allows flexible searching, use that to its maximum view to see whether the fare you're looking for comes up. I have most experience with the BA Fare Explorer which allows you to see the lowest fare available on each day for a 28-day period, so you can see which dates you'd need to travel on to get the best fare during that period.

Other tools that are available for other airlines include Skyscanner (http://www.skyscanner.net/wings.asp) (low fare carriers) and ITA Software (http://beta.itasoftware.com/) (US-based GDS-listed airlines), which also have wider-ranging search functions covering about a month at a time.

[slim_slag]

I think there is some accepted figure which makes a claim acceptable to the advertising watchdogs.

So an airline can say 'Fly to Timbuktu for £10 between 1st September and 31st October'. From memory, I think at the point of the advert, 10% of the fares available have to be for £10. The next lowest fare can be £110 and the claim is 'legal'. As you might expect, the £10 may not be available on the days you want to fly, but that's OK because the fare is available on the days you don't.

They all play the same game, it's part of life. Grab the bargains when you can, sometimes you pay through the nose, but that is the price you pay so don't feel ashamed when you do get a deal.

[Cyrano]

I think there is some accepted figure which makes a claim acceptable to the advertising watchdogs.
So an airline can say 'Fly to Timbuktu for £10 between 1st September and 31st October'. From memory, I think at the point of the advert, 10% of the fares available have to be for £10.
SS, I believe you're right, but the other key word is "from". In your example, it would be "Fly to Timbuktu from £10" and as long as 10% of the seats were on offer at £10 you're in the clear with the Advertising Standards Authority (note: these could be the ones on the Tuesday 0300 departure rather than the Friday 1800 one as long as there's a further "not available on all flights" disclaimer in exceedingly small print;) )

[goshdarnit]

terms and conditions apply only available when booked thru' out hotline number 08970 xxxxxx calls cost £3.50 per minute and will last no longer than 3 hours