A lot of airline companies have popped up over the last few years offering great opportunities for consumers to save on air travel. Finding the right price for air line tickets can be a challenge. Some airlines only sell plane tickets on their sites, some use a multitude of sites, and some others have joined with other airlines to offer only on specific travels.

After choosing a destination, travelers can use the Internet to find schedules and fares for airlines, hotels, rental cars or vacation deals. Then they can book online or reserve their travel through a toll-free number. Leading booking sites such as Expedia.com and Travelocity.com let travelers compare rates among hundreds of airlines, hotel chains, or car rental companies. So it's much easier to find the best price at one of these sites than by going directly to a supplier's site, such as Delta, Hilton, or Hertz.

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Travel agents have an edge over Internet travel sites, because they are trained to work the system. Travel agents know how to use the central reservation systems better and faster to unearth information. They may have access to all airline booking systems, although sometimes they are under contract with only one central reservation system. They also can check fares on lesser-known air lines not in the four systems. Typically, airlines outside the systems are the smaller, cheap airlines. Obviously, you don't want to leave them out of your search!

Another travel agent benefit is the access to a wide range of services beyond the flight. A travel agent can provide information about vacation package deals and finalize accommodations and car rentals in one fell swoop. These packages can be amazing, because even if the flight itself isn't such a deal, you might get tremendous savings on hotel prices. Internet travel sites also provide these services, but like the airline searches, they require an affinity for entering dates and specifying choices.

Agents also have in-depth knowledge about your destination and can provide the personal touch, helping you with restaurant recommendations and reservations, for example. When selecting an agent, ask friends and family to recommend someone they trust who has come through for them in the past.

So why not ditch the Internet and go straight to a travel agent? The answer is simple: convenience. While travel agents are a good source of information, they are human and deal with numerous demanding customers such as yourself. That means you may be put on hold or your agent may not be available when you are, whereas the Internet can be accessed at any time. Speaking of the Internet, travel agents abhor the web because it takes them and their commissions out of the picture. Granted, their commissions have dwindled recently because airlines don't want to pay as much. Agents make 5% commission on airplane tickets, which is capped at $50 for a round-trip and $25 for a one-way domestic airplane tickets.

The commission system could also affect how hard they search for the cheapest airplane tickets. While travel agents say they actively pursue the lowest fare for each customer, how much time would you spend tracking down a $200 ticket rather than selling the $500 one? Which ticket makes your 5% commission bigger? That's why you should still do your own independent research on the Internet, even if you use a travel agent (and vice versa). If you find a lower price, throw it in his/her face. Then the agent will know that you're a vigilant consumer and might just give you what you want.

By knowing when and how to purchase the ticket, one can enjoy substantial savings on an air line tickets purchase. Certain days of the week are typically low-travel days. Tuesday through Thursday fall into this category. Cut airfare costs by traveling on such days such.

There are certain sites like Travelocity, Priceline, Expedia, and many others which help selecting out lowest possible cheap air travel. People who are willing to fly any carrier at any time of day from any airport in their area tend to get the best bargains. So its profitable to be flexible with your schedule.

Most airlines sell thousands of seats to Wholesalers and Consolidators at a fraction of the price they charge you. These Wholesalers and Consolidators offer deep discounts that can save you up to 85% off regular airfare prices. It can be a nice idea to consider such people for buying cheap air line tickets. However tickets from consolidators have a lot more restrictions, including travel dates and other considerations.

Many airlines cut down an additional 10 percent off ticket prices to customers who purchase tickets on the net. So online purchase of the ticket with instant online payment can save you some money. Plus this way is more convenient and hastleless.

Special deep discount rates are likely to be there for last minute travels. Airlines change the price for air tickets on the same airplane for the same flight at the last minute. All you have to do is to keep an eye for such deals. Keep receiving e-mail alerts from airlines to trap such deals. Sites like last minute travel.com can be used.

A package deal might give you airline tickets, hotel accommodations and a rental car for your dream destination at a much lower price. Compare package deals with prices that you could get o­n your own.

Surf a bit at various sites before finalizing your ticket usually help. Check for online specials from individual airlines and then visit sites such as Travelocity.com, Expedia.com, Orbitz.com, Bestfares.com and Smarterliving.com. Compare the prices, deals, dates etc. and then decide.

Sometimes additional taxes and special fees are attached to the flight ticket price. These are usually not evident at a casual look. Be sure to check them as they can increase a ticket price by $100 or more.

There has been an increasing trend in airline industry to cut down travel cost by cutting down the frills. No frill low cost carriers can be chosen to save money. These low-cost carriers are growing rapidly. Most are profitable, led by category king Southwest. They focus on a small number of high-traffic markets. Simpler service networks allow them to fly only one or two aircraft types, keeping training and maintenance costs low. Crew and aircraft scheduling is quite efficient. Elaborate meals are obviously not served. So carry your own sandwich on the flight