1. Ticket Consolidators. These are companies who have the ability to search a wide range of airlines to be able to offer you to compare fares. There are destination consolidators who offer flights (usually in hotel, rent a car packages) to specific destinations, wholesale consolidators who act as a sort of "blanket" organization by bringing many travel agents together in order to negotiate cheaper fares, and online consolidators who are the ones who usually come up when you search for airline tickets on the internet. This is usually the route that I have gone while purchasing plane tickets.
You should always try to book flights with consolidators as soon as possible if you want a better price.
2. Courier Flights. I have not yet tried this option, but I am told that it could be a good one. Basically, high costs of postage, lenghty shipping times, and import duties on internationally mailed packages have caused some business to send thier goods through the check-in baggage allowance of lay air passangers. So, basically, there is a need for passangers to take these flight just to haul baggage. Most often, these flights are dirt cheap or even free. Although many companies that arrange courier flights require potential passangers to pay a nominal (usually around $50) sign-up fee. This is what has always kept me away from these flights- it kind of seems like a gimmik to me. But I may try it someday just to find out how it really works. http://www.websciences.org/dvhpub/courier.html is a page that explains courier travel in detail.
You can usually only book courier flights a couple days in advance.
3. Budget Airlines. Simply put, these are airlines that seem to run on the NASA mantra of "faster, better, cheaper" asthey cut out unecessary details to provide cheaper flights. They usually would rather take a little money for flights than fly a plane full of empty seats. They just make sense.
Again, for a better price, you should book as far ahead in advance as you are able to.
On Airline Vouchers, Try to Get Them!
Are Airline Vouchers Pie in the Sky- By Jim WarrenCheap Airfare Links:
How to find cheap flights- short guide to finding cheap airline flights.
Sta Travel- student discounts and fairly decently priced flights. Somtimes you can get a really good deal from them. . . but lately thier prices have not been too much to boast of.
http://www.skyscanner.net/ This is an interesting flightsearch database that I got from Mark: www.itinerantwitness.com
Courier Flights:
Budget Airlines:
www.ryanair.com/ For flights around Europe.
Jetblue www.jetblue.com is a great airline for flights around the USA and the Caribbean.
http://www.easyjet.com/ Is also a budget airline with services around Europe.