With a background in public relations and marketing, it occured to me that everyone talking about how terrible the economy is in America and the rest of the world has a job.

You know, those CNN, FOX, and local stations that compete for what's left of our brain cells to keep them as negative as possible....

THEY ALL GOT A JOB!

(Yes, that was bad english but that's what I thought--let us re-PEAT!)

THEY ALL GOT A JOB!

What I'd like to see is the best news team on tv, as good looking as they are, they still get a very hefty paycheck. They fly first class, and they haven't cut back on much of anything is my guess.

So as a travel pro I thought to myself, "What is it that I know about from my business education in travel that can help people save more money?" So we rallied the YTB troops together and talked about some tips that work for anyone who wants to fly as cheaply as possible.

JUST LIKE WITH POETRY AND ARTICLES:

WORDS MATTER!

After perusing all of those online advertised sites with words like:

"3 tickets left at this price; 2 tickets left, 1 ticket left"....

Now y'all know that's a marketing ploy? ALL the planes are ALWAYS overbooked. They just want your money! And when some of they say on the site: "No booking fees"...they make it up in taxes, fees and other "reasonable" charges. So look before you book.

Sometimes it makes more sense to fly non-stop and pay a little extra if it's worth you having a 99.9 percent chance and a prayer or two of keeping your luggage. And if you do have a lot of luggage. . . .think of comparing UPS shipping to a safe destination. (Don't ship to hotels, you might not get your stuff--not to say it but some personnel might be your size and do a bit of one-stop shopping.)

So the next time you're at the air terminal, look around. Observe the crowds and the lines. Go up to the ticket counter, and ask nicely without looking TOO concerned, this question:

"Excuse me, but would you say that this flight might be booked to capacity?" Do the same thing at the gate.

When they say, "Yes"...both times, say this if you're not in a rush to arrive somewhere:

"I'd like to offer up my seat (or however many are in your traveling party)."

That means one or two things: Free hotel overnight stay if it's late and the next flight they put you on is in the early morning next day, and a flight credit. They run now around $300. That's domestic air credit. (Back in the good old days it used to be about twice that much.)

But you know, it saves money and if you do it enough times, with air miles added up, we're talkin' free trip potential.

Also, most people tend to book last minute packages. (See attached). It tells you from my own perspective how I tend to do it and it works out for me very well. As far as airline tickets, no online travel company holds the reins on that matter. It's ALL AIRLINE VENDORS. They call the shots.

But if you really need a last minute trip, be sure to read all the terms and conditions, make sure that you can get hold of customer service 24/7 and that (no offense) if you cannot understand your customer service representative because of a particular accent in the voice, don't feel bad about saying, "I'm sorry I need to call back." Then call back until you get someone's voice you can understand plainly.

English is a second language that many speak fluently. But not everyone is able to hear clearly at times, (or speak clearly) due to things like sinus conditions or voice tonation, or speed. Just feel comfortable talking to someone about your information. After all, it's your money, your confirmations, your secure info that you'd be reading to the other person on the line. Be sure they understand that when you say "1" they don't translate it as "9" and say "We can't find your information."

Happy travels.

 © 2009 cynth’ya lewis reed
all rights reserv’d