As the economy continues to batter most businesses including airlines, major airlines are looking into cultivating closer relationships with loyal fliers by making their frequent flier programs more attractive.

This week, Continental Airlines joined the Star Alliance and decided to eliminate some of its requirements before travelers can enjoy their reward points. After the transition is completed, Continental customers can already enjoy their travel rewards without making the Saturday night requirement and can already earn elite membership miles on discount airline fares. Fellow Star Alliance members include US Airways and United Airlines.

Early this month, Delta SkyMiles was formed by Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines to merge their frequent flier accounts, with Delta launching a new elite program for travelers flying at least 25,000 miles yearly.

Basili Alukos, a Morningstar analyst who monitors airline stocks, said that frequent flier programs benefit loyal fliers through discount airline ticket prices, but these programs also benefit airlines in big ways, such as borrowing money from business partners and fliers and obtaining crucial travel and consumer information for free.

For instance, according to Alukos, American Express purchased last year $1 billion worth of SkyMiles through its credit card venture with Delta and pledged to buy another $1 billion over the next year.

Southwest Airlines, meanwhile, is finalizing a new scheme to earn revenues from its Rapid Rewards frequent flier program.

Alukos added frequent flier programs greatly benefit airlines, so they are doing their best to entice travelers to become loyal members. With these programs, airlines can sell future travel and can estimate travel demand.

Airlines have started making reward travel redemption more easily, according to Randy Petersen of InsideFlyer.com. He said that United will soon remove its fee of $75 to $100 for booking reward tickets within 3 weeks of the travel date.

In addition, airlines have also been making it easier for fliers to reach the elite status so they are encouraged to fly more often. Holders of co-branded can use spending on their cards to increase reward points.

Last May, American Airlines launched one-way reward tickets for travel at least 12,500 miles. This year, Delta and United have also started offering mileage discounts on award tickets, essentially offering discount airline ticket prices.

As an example, Seaney cited fares for non-stop round-trip flights from Newark in New Jersey to Chicago in Illinois for Thanksgiving. He said that round-trip fares offered on the web site of Continental Airlines start at $378 for those returning on Sunday, but start at $251 for those who can wait and return on Monday.

Melanie Nayer of CheapFlights.com added that based on past online airline ticketing for the Thanksgiving travel, fliers who can take the risk and who can wait until the last hour can get the cheapest rates. She said that fares drop dramatically on web-based travel sites the day preceding Thanksgiving.

Seaney is also advising travelers to keep current with fare promotions and subscribe to alerts that provide updates on fares in real-time. FareCompare.com is one that provides real-time updates on fares, with its use of software systems able to make fare searches for various flight origins and destinations. It tracks 500 airlines that serve over 270,000 travel markets around the world.

One example of a fare promotion this week is the 72-hour fourth-quarter sale of Southwest Airlines. If you are reading this before October 29, you can still buy bargain airline tickets at amounts starting at $25 for one-way trips and just $100 for one-way trips more than 1,000 miles. These are tickets for trips from December 2 to December 16 and for parts of January and February.

If this promotion has expired, the information is still useful for you. This means that if you travel a lot, there are a lot of fare promotions that you can take advantage of if you just check reputable online air travel sites from time to time.

According to George Hobica, founder of airfarewatchdog.com, said that airline fares can change as often as 3 times in a 24-hour period for some routes, so signing up for alerts can result in a lot of savings for frequent travelers.

Nayer is also advising travelers to check their frequent flier benefits, as some airlines offer free baggage fees for members who have reached certain points.

All in all, buying bargain airline tickets entails a combination of flexibility and patience in keeping updated with promos and price changes.

The peak travel dates being targeted by airlines for imposing a surcharge of $10 are November 29th, the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day, and the second and third days of January.

Based on air travel history, the day after Thanksgiving and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving are the busiest days for air travel in the U.S., with the second and third days of January following in the ranking.

Among the airlines imposing premiums on these peak air travel days are American Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways Delta/Northwest, Continental and Southwest. Southwest Airlines though has been announcing that it will not be raising its advertised fun fares. Continental also has reduced the $10 other airlines are charging to $6 and $4 in certain routes.

According to airfare analysts, if the $10 hike is imposed by airlines on airfare tickets for other days, the hike would be the second increase imposed by the airline industry in two weeks and the fifth increase imposed this year.

Analysts also said that low-cost airlines such as Southwest and AirTran typically do not announce airfare hikes to match fare hikes by their bigger airline counterparts immediately, but it is possible they are also considering imposing surcharges.

In a media event conducted by Southwest Airlines, its chief executive Gary Kelly said that Southwest have record loads in October and ticket sales for travel in November and December are strong, but he reiterated that the rise in oil prices this week to $80 per barrel is a great concern.

Southwest though said it has been imposing modest increases to offset higher costs, and it is not planning on increasing fares just for certain travel days.

It was American Airlines which started the airfare hikes, when it imposed up to $16 for some roundtrip tickets. The other legacy airlines followed quickly, including Continental, United, US Airways and Delta/Northwest.

According to airfare processing system operators, most airfare hikes happen during the last days of the week and most sales and discounting occur at the start of the week. They also observed that airfare tickets have peak travel surcharges not only for travels for Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, but also for spring break, Memorial Day and Christmas.

Such problem is being faced by all travelers and already, 58 percent of those who are planning on traveling during the holiday season are getting concerned.

Of course, this problem can be addressed by making a conscious effort to cut your travel expenses. If you do not know where and how to start, consider the following:

Booking Early – although there are studies that show that average prices of airplane tickets will be lower this year compared to last year, travelers will still have to deal with expensive airfare if they failed to book early. This is because there are actually fewer flights and available seats for this holiday as airlines try to maximize their profit and stimulate demand.

Planning Carefully – one of the ways you can avoid having to spend so much is by making sure that your travel plans are flexible. This way, you can book cheap flights without having to worry about going over your budget. If you can avoid traveling on the busiest holiday dates, then do so especially if it means cutting the amount of money you pay for airfare in half.

Carrying Luggage – if possible, travel lightly in order to avoid paying the baggage fees. Bring only the absolute essentials and try to pack clothes that can be mixed and matched. If you must check your baggage, you should do so online since a lot of airlines impose fees if you check your baggage at the airport. You might also want to compare cost of having your things shipped to your destination.

Bringing Gifts – since it is the holidays, a lot of travelers exceed their baggage weight limit. In order to avoid paying for excess baggage fees on top of the checked baggage fee, you might want to consider shopping for gifts as soon as you arrive at your destination. You will be able to save much especially if you bought cheap airplane tickets and not have to worry about lugging so many bags at the airport.

For starters, airlines are offering fewer seats especially during the coming holidays and this usually drives airfare prices up. There are also the extra fees or surcharges that airlines are imposing for various services.

To be successful in your hunt for discounted airfare, you will have to be very patient as well as creative. Good ticket deals are out there and you only need to utilize all sorts of resources. Consider the following suggestions:

• Know when to search. Although there are different opinions when it comes to the right time to search for cheap flights, you will have better luck if you look for them morning, noon and night especially during off-peak hours. This is because offers from airlines keep on changing. To make it more convenient for you, you can subscribe to RSS feeds or e-mail alerts and even configure your mobile phone to receive such information.
• Know when to book. With the busy holiday coming up, it will be much better if your book your tickets as early as now. If you are not a fan of advance booking, you might want to check the airfare difference for the same travel dates if you book now and a month later. You might be surprised of how considerable the difference is. In addition, you should also consider having a flexible travel plan.
• Know how to look. Finding deals will be so much more convenient if you consider going online. In addition to the airline websites, you can also check the sites of travel agencies and aggregates. It is not enough that you check the ticket prices. You should also consider the surcharges and other fees as well as freebies. In other words, make sure that you look at the final cost of the ticket and choose the one which offers you the best value for your money.

The hunt for these cheap airplane tickets is certainly challenging. But if you follow these suggestions, you will find yourself enjoying considerable savings.

According to an airfare research company, the price of airline tickets is definitely lower this year than last year. The reason for this is the 15 percent difference in fuel prices.

But before you jump for joy, you should know that it will be more challenging than ever to stick to your budget because of certain factors.

For starters, you should expect to pay for numerous surcharges that most airlines are imposing. The newest of these fees is the $10 fuel surcharge which will be applied to three of the busiest travel dates for the season.

Of course, there are also the fees you have to pay for checking your baggage. Just this summer, several airlines have even charged passengers and extra $5 for each bag checked at the airport and not online. The said airlines justified the surcharge as a way to speed up the check-in process. But experts believe that airlines are just trying to earn more in order to stay afloat.

On the other hand, there are certain surcharges that will not affect all passengers. For instance, the fee for unaccompanied minors can be as high as $100. Travelers who also want to sit beside their family will have to pay an extra $90.

All these surcharges have made it difficult for travelers to really appreciate the value of their cheap airplane tickets. Airlines have certainly become adept in concealing fees which leave passengers surprised at the total amount they have to pay when traveling by air.

Unfortunately, the Department of Transportation is not authorized to regulate what airline charge their customers for the services they provide. They can only require airlines to make announcements involving baggage fees. In addition, they can also punish airlines if they fail to compensate their passengers in the event that the baggage are delayed or lost.

So, as far as travelling goes, consumers are advised to take the safe route and book way ahead of time. If you are a frequent flier, you are lucky enough to avoid many of the surcharges and even enjoy savings from the purchase of cheap flights. But regular travelers should be prepared for the worst especially if they are forced to travel during the busiest travel dates and do not have flexible travel plans.

Unfortunately, the airline industry is not making much effort to do the same especially with the discovery that they will be imposing $10 for at least 13 of the busiest travel dates this holiday season.

Initially, there were only two airlines (United and American) which decided to charge extra. But in a matter of two weeks, 3 more airlines (Northwest/Delta, Continental and US Airways) have joined the bandwagon.

It is also noteworthy to mention that at the beginning, only three travel dates were affected by the $10 fuel surcharge. Now, 10 more days were added to the initial three – December 19, December 26, December 27, March 14, March 20, March 21, March 28, April 11, May 28 and the Monday following Thanksgiving.

Low cost carriers such as Southwest, JetBlue and AirTran have yet to follow the other airlines when it comes to this fuel surcharge.

Even though the airlines will not be imposing the said fuel surcharge for all their single routes, travelers will still wince at this additional fee especially considering that there were no formal announcements made. Travelers are already having a hard time dealing with the fees imposed on extra baggage as well as choosing aisle seats.

Consumers are actually hoping that everything is included in the price of the airline tickets in order for them to stay within their set budget. At present, not a single traveler can make an accurate estimate of their travel expenses and usually end up surprised with the final amount they have to pay.

On the bright side, airfare is relatively cheaper in 2009 compared to 2008 when the airline industry were left with no choice but to charge passengers expensive airfare in order to recover losses from high fuel prices.

As always, travel experts are advising travelers to buy airline tickets as early as possible and avoid booking flights during peak days. In addition, it would be smart to pack lightly in order to reduce the amount you have to pay for your baggage.

For those of you who would like to enjoy saving money, it is important that you act immediately. If you are hesitant about buying your tickets now, you should definitely shop around for the best deals.

According to a travel guru, offers for long flights that cost $300 or below are already a good deal as well as $225 for short flights.

In addition to shopping and comparing deals involving airplane tickets, travelers are also urged to consider the capacity of the plane and when the tickets will be bought.

For example, if you purchase the tickets at the very last minute, you will actually be treated like business travelers. This means, you will be paying as much as 400 percent more.

Keep in mind that it the cheapest days for you to fly out are during Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. It might be surprising to see that Saturday is actually one of these days. A lot of travelers actually prefer leaving on Mondays and returning on Fridays. Only those traveling for leisure or pleasure choose to return on Sundays.

As for the perfect time to buy, Tuesday is still the best bet. Many airlines typically publish their seat rates and discounts Monday night. Come Tuesday morning, other airlines start to match it. By Friday morning, almost all of these offers and great deals will be removed from the system.

The good news is that prices for airplane tickets are about 18 percent lower compared to last year. Of course, these great deals on airplane tickets can disappear as soon as they are posted especially with the many frequent travelers who are using alert tools to notify them of airfare bargains.

Travel experts said that finding cheap tickets throughout the season depends on planning, flexibility and luck. They said that getting cheap tickets depends on where you live, when and where you plan to travel. You can get cheap tickets for traveling during Thanksgiving or Christmas as long as you are updated of all airline promotions and are quick to avail of the bargains.

Industry experts said that this year, holiday traveling is cheap compared with last year. The average roundtrip ticket in the United States during the Thanksgiving travel is $327, a drop of 20 percent compared with the previous year.

Similarly, the average domestic air fare during the Christmas holiday is $357, a decline of $50 from the previous year.
The current economic downturn and restrained consumer spendings have affected the airline travel industry. To boost their sales, cheap airline tickets are made available to travelers who purchase early.

You may also find last-minute cheap deals. However, there is the risk of few flight options and seat vacancies. For a large group or families with children, it would be to their advantage if they book early to avoid the trouble of not finding available seats in the same section.

Meanwhile, travel experts said that you should arm yourself with the knowledge about the best days to get better deals. For example, the busiest days during Thanksgiving holiday travel are before Wednesdays and after Sundays.

A roundtrip flight from the city of Chicago, Illinois to San Diego, California which departs November 25, Wednesday, and returns November 29, Sunday will get you a bargain price of $383, including tax.

But if you do your research well you would discover that flying on Tuesday and returning on Saturday is priced less, about $284.

There are many travel web sites that offer great bargains. They also can help you track down good deals. Industry experts suggest searching for cheap airline tickets on Tuesday mornings which are the time most airlines released discounts.

Many experienced travelers are actually holding back, thinking that prices of airline tickets could fall further. Even if this is true, AAA Travel services believe that seat availability could be a problem.

You should keep in mind that all existing special deals on plane tickets are usually capacity controlled. This simply means that there are actually fewer flights as compared to the number of people planning on flying during the holidays.

In addition, the availability of flights will be depended on the day and time that you wish to travel. If you do not have flexible travel plans, booking now would be the smart thing to do.

Aside from booking early, experts are recommending that travelers consider connecting cities, which do not suffer from much weather issue especially during the winter months. If you are not pressed for time, you might want to do additional research in order to enjoy convenience on top of the discount airline tickets.

If you choose to procrastinate and wait until the last minute, you might find yourself regretting your decision. Already, numerous airlines have announced that they will be cutting the number of flights for the coming holiday to compensate for the rising fuel prices as well as the low ticket sales experienced during the first half of the year.

It is thus expected that there will be a huge demand for seats on actual holidays and airlines will most likely take advantage and increase ticket prices for last minute travelers.

To grab these discount airline tickets, you should patiently shop and compare deals offered online. There are so many websites that could help you look for great deals.