how to get good airfare deals

There are some really good deals on airfares out there at the moment, as airlines try to stimulate business due to the economic downturn. With a little homework, you might be able to get a pretty good deal.

A few years ago when we were thinking of travelling to the US the following year, we went into our local travel agent to get an idea of the airfares. We found out that because Air Tahiti Nui had opened a new route from Sydney to New York, they had a special promotional deal on. We managed to get airfares for our kids of just $AU99 return to NY, plus taxes! Because the prices were so low, we brought the trip forward to that year, as we figured that we'd never get a deal so good again.

And Air Tahiti Nui turned out to be a great airline. I still think that their pilots do the best landings ever. They are so smooth and gentle. I guess it comes from all the practice of taking off and landing all the time when flying between the islands in French Polynesia.

From The Sydney Morning Herald, comes a list of ways to secure good prices for your airfares. These are somewhat Australian-centric tips, but you can adapt them to your own locale.

HOW TO FIND THE BEST DEALS

By following some simple guidelines, anyone can travel cheap.

Get in almost immediately when promotions are announced as the cheapest flights will sell quickly.

Fly midweek as the lowest fares are often on off-peak days.

Sign up for airline newsletters and travel alerts

Watch out for new routes: airlines frequently offer special deals to attract publicity.

Check regular sales, such as Jetstar's Fare Frenzy, 4pm-8pm every Friday, and Virgin Blue's daily Happy Hour, noon-1pm

Consider package deals that include accommodation.

Family Funday Sunday

Why did we not know about this? In our own city?

Family Funday Sunday came to us serendipitously. Today. Being Sunday, we took ourselves off to the city (Sydney) for a little day trip with the kids - to the Museum of Sydney and the State Library of NSW. We bought our rail tickets, and were charged the ridiculously low price of $10 for the family, return trip included.

We looked at the tickets, and marvelled at our good fortune. The ticket said "Family Funday. Valid Sunday by rail, bus, ferry."

Our interest being piqued, I couldn't help googling Funday and Cityrail when we got home and all was revealed at the Transport Planning Infoline website. We were amazed! How could we not know about this? Which public servant failed to notify us of this fantastic deal? And how long have other people been skulking around our city so cheaply without us ever realising it?

So, what's the deal? As the website says (and I quote): 

You don't have to spend a lot on a fun day out for the whole family. For $2.50 per person, your family can enjoy a fun day out with unlimited travel on Sydney's buses, trains and ferries every Sunday. The ticket will even take you to Newcastle and Wollongong!

There is a lot of other information at the website which we haven't yet explored, so further tips and deals may yet be unearthed.

Well, now that we know about this discounted travel deal, we are planning on becoming tourists to our own city (and surrounding areas) on Sunday afternoons. We will be using this service in the future for more exciting short adventures. For those in Sydney, or those planning to come - and you should be, it's beautiful - you'll need all the tips you can get on travelling about this city and the Transport Planning Infoline website is a great place to visit.