Finding the Lowest Air Fare

So you don’t want to spend the big bucks on that air ticket from L.A. to Honolulu or London? The ways you can save on scheduled air fares are legion.

But it takes time to ferret out deals, and your savings will vary from a few bucks to a couple of hundred. Generally, the more flexibility and time you have, the more money you save. Here are selected strategies and sites that may help:

THE INTERNET

It has revolutionized the discount air fare scene by allowing airlines to get rid of unsold seats at the last minute. You’ll find weekend and other specials, sometimes carrying deep discounts, posted on airlines’ Web sites.

Check sites such as https://bestfares.com, https://www.smarterliving.com or https://digitalcity.com/travel, which post specials and weekend fares for many airlines and destinations.

Hotwire, at https://www.hotwire.com, claims it can save you up to 40% on flights, hotel rooms and rental cars. But you have to be willing to tolerate an element of mystery, because the site will tell you the fare but not flight times or the airline until you have purchased the ticket. Tickets are nonrefundable, non-changeable and nontransferable. If you run into a problem, you may not deal directly with the airline.

Like Hotwire, the Orbitz Web site works with major airlines to sell unused seats. The savings the online Orbot gives you aren’t as substantial as on Hotwire, but you’ll get basic information--airline, price and flight schedules--before you buy. Expedia has a bidding feature called Flight Price Matcher.

At the auction site Priceline.com, you can bid on flights, hotels and car rentals. Do your research before you submit a bid because once an airline accepts it, you are locked into a nonrefundable, non-changeable, nontransferable seat. And you won’t get frequent-flier miles or upgrades.

CONSOLIDATORS

Airlines also fill unused inventory by selling seats at discounts to a wholesaler, which will pass some of its savings to consumers. Discounts can vary by route, season and flight time, among other factors. Generally you will save the most from consolidators if you are looking for a seat at the last minute or in high season. That discount comes at a price: Tickets often can’t be returned, changed or exchanged, and in some cases you won’t get frequent-flier miles. Often you can find consolidators’ ads in newspaper travel sections. Here are a few:

Cheap Tickets: 801 Royal Parkway, Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37229; (888) 922-8849, https://www.cheaptickets.com.

Cheap Seats: 19351 Londelius St., Northridge, CA 91324; (800) 675-7482, https://cheapseatstravel.com.

Air Brokers: International tickets only, excluding Mexico and Canada; 150 Post St., Suite 620, San Francisco, CA 94108; (800) 883-3273, https://www.airbrokers.com.

Flight Centre: Various locations in the Los Angeles area; (877) 967-5347, https://www.flightcentre.com

COURIER FLIGHTS

These are best for solo and flexible fliers. The number of companies offering courier flights has dwindled, a result of the Sept. 11 attacks and advances in technology and customs clearance.

The system works like this: A cargo company buys a passenger seat to send a shipment overseas as baggage because it can clear customs faster. Then the company sells the seat--the discount depends on routes, time of year and how quickly the cargo needs to arrive--to a passenger willing to give up his or her baggage allotment and fly only with carry-on luggage.

One travel expert has said that courier travel is dead; certainly the deals aren’t as good as they once were, and in some cases consolidators can meet or beat courier prices. Some organizations with a line on available flights and other discount services for dues-paying members:

Air Courier Assn.: Offers several forms of discount air travel, including courier, consolidator and space-available fares; 350 Indiana St., Suite 300, Golden, CO 80401; (800) 282-1202, https://www.aircourier.org, https://www.cheaptrips.com. Membership $29 a year.

Courier Travel: Offers courier, consolidator and space-available flights; P.O. 3051, Nederland, CO 80466; (866) 470-3061, (303) 570-0282, fax (303) 582-3061, https://www.couriertravel.org. Membership $40 lifetime.

International Assn. of Air Couriers: P.O. Box 980, Keystone Heights, FL 32656; (352) 475-1584, fax (352) 475-5326, https://www.courier.org. Membership $45 a year.

Jupiter Air: Sells courier flights from Los Angeles to Bangkok and San Francisco to Singapore and Manila. Call San Francisco for information: (650) 635-1700, Ext. 216; fax (650) 635-7363, https://www.jupiterair.com.

SPACE-AVAILABLE FLIGHTS

This is a bit like flying standby. Company A sells you a voucher for a flight between two regions during a time period you specify. In return for the steeply discounted price, you may not be able to specify a departure airport or your arrival airport or flights, and you may have to go the airport to wait for a seat to open up. But the company will get you from Southern California to, say, Hawaii or from the Northeastern U.S. to Europe. Under another category, called “space available confirmed,” you can reserve a seat from 24 to 48 hours before your departure. Among the companies offering space-available flights:

Air-Hitch: 481 8th Ave., Suite 1771, New York, NY 10001; (877) AIR-HITCH (247-4482), fax (212) 736-2062, https://www.air-hitch.org.Air-Tech: 588 Broadway, Suite 204, New York, NY 10012; (212) 219-7000, https://www.airtech.com.