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Despite news of surging luggage fees and extra fuel surcharge to be imposed by most airlines this coming holiday season, travelers are delighted with the silver lining that comes in the form of cheap flights.

According to a research, domestic fares were found to be lower by 15 percent as compared to the same period last year. One of the reasons being cited for such considerable decline is the difference in oil prices. Looking back, fuel prices soared to record levels last year, which forced airlines to charge more in order to stay afloat.

Of course, experts agree that travelers should be flexible and vigilant when it comes to hunting for cheap flights. You should also keep in mind that airfare can frequently change as much as several times a day especially for very popular routes. For this reason, it is best that you grab the deals that will give you the best value for your money as soon as you see it.

To enjoy the best prices, travel gurus are encouraging travelers to purchase their holiday tickets before October ends. And if you want to be updated with the latest deals, subscribing to email alerts or RSS feeds will be a good and practical idea.

Fliers should finally accept that traveling on the busiest holiday dates will mean spending more. Just recently, airlines have decided to impose a $10 fuel charge during 3 holiday dates as well as 10 more next year. Knowing these dates, fliers should do everything to make sure that they avoid them if they want to save some money.

Although the surcharge is considered to be a burden for consumers, analysts believe that it is actually a simple supply and demand issue. Again, travelers should be flexible with their holiday plans in order to avoid the fare hike.

For example, fliers who want to enjoy cheap airfare should check the website of Continental Airlines. The nonstop flight from New Jersey or Newark to Chicago will cost you about $378 if you leave Wednesday before Thanksgiving and return Sunday. However, if you return on Monday, you will only have to pay $251.

Enjoying cheap flights is certainly up to the traveler. There are numerous ways to ensure that you do not pay so much more including checking baggage weight limitations, your frequent flier membership status and even considering to travel lightly.

It is not surprising how consumers today have become quite savvy when it comes to pinching pennies just to reduce travel expenses. Aside from patiently hunting for cheap airplane tickets, most travelers would ensure that they only packed the essentials in order to avoid paying for too much checked baggage.

Of course, there are some instances when travelers have no choice but to shell out money for their luggage. If you are among these people, you might want to take advantage of the new offer from United Airlines.

By paying an annual subscription fee of $249, travelers can now check two (2) bags without having to pay any added fee for every flight. If you are traveling with a group that uses the same confirmation code, the “Premier Baggage” program can also be availed of by at most eight of your companions.

Considered to be the third largest carrier in the United States, United was actually the first airline to impose or charge $25 for the second checked bag in order to stay afloat amidst the high fuel prices. A lot of travelers have complained about the additional fee and some even decided to give up traveling altogether even with offers of cheap airplane tickets.

With this new service, the carrier hopes to revive their business with families as well as those people who travel quite regularly.

According to the US Transportation Department, airlines have already collected a whopping $669.6 million from the fees they impose on checked baggage during the 2nd quarter of this year. The figure is three times larger compared to a year ago.

The service cannot be availed of by the members of the airline’s frequent flier program, particularly those who have average accumulated miles of 25,000 per year. These travelers already enjoy the privilege of not having to pay for their first and second bags.

The airline believes that their new program will boost their income as well as promote loyalty among their customers. This is because most travelers would decide to fly with them even if there are cheap airplane tickets available from other airlines because they have already shelled out the $249.

With prices of airline tickets stabilizing, travelers are already having a difficult time finding ways to make sure that they do not go over their budget.

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.

Travelers looking to enjoy cheap flight tickets amidst news of soaring airfare will be glad to know that efforts are underway to achieve such goal at Huntsville International Airport.
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