Hey,
Do you have more specific questions?
I generally use
Travelocity to check airline prices.
Orbitz and
Expedia are also good. For domestic flights on Travelocity, you can choose exact dates, +/- up to 3 days, or a general search for a time period (the latter is good if you're planning a trip in a few month's time...you can see what dates have seat sales or which dates are cheaper to fly).
Cheap Flights.com often has some great last-minute deals too.
My experience with booking tickets online is that air fares tend to be cheaper in the middle of the week. So fly in the middle of the week if you can, and book the ticket in the middle of the week too to save money. And if you really want to save every dollar, book directly with the airline to save travel agent's fees.
Sometimes choosing a different airport can save you money. For example, it's often cheaper to fly from Newark International (near New York) than the local airport for me (Newburgh). But you have to take into account the travel cost to get to the airport, so make sure to take everything into account if you're trying to save money.
If you're looking for cheap flights in the US, there are lots of small airlines competing for your money. However, often with discount airlines, you fly to their hubs, then you have to catch connecting flights. So that will increase your travel time. For example, Frontier's hub is Denver and Air Tran's hub is Atlanta. But hey, if saving money's more important than travel time, no big deal, eh?
Also, since you're a first time flyer, and if you're flying in the US, keep in mind the restrictions. There's limits on what you can bring in your carry-on bag. Check out the airline's websites, often they have the latest information as well as information specific to their passengers. For example, American Airlines's carry-on and checked baggage policies are found
here.
Is this the type of information you are looking for?
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