Top 10 tips for booking holiday flights

6. Factor new airline fees into travel costs
2008 has been the year of new airline fees, and travelers who haven’t taken to the skies in a few months will be in for a rude awakening this holiday season. Carriers are now charging for everything from checking your bags to booking an aisle seat, and even for simple things like headsets or a bottle of water. Consider that while American may indeed offer the lowest airfare on paper, if you’re going to be checking in a bag, flying with Delta or Southwest, for instance, may very well be the more cost-effective option, given that they don’t charge the $15 fee for your first checked bag like American does. Read our Top 10 Ways to Avoid New Airline Fees for expert tips on avoiding the fees of the à la carte menu in the sky. You can also Download our New Airline Fees chart for a quick-and-easy guide to the current luggage and in-flight fees being levied by airlines.

7. Shop around on many sites, including airlines’
Don’t leave any stone unturned when scouting airfare deals on the Net. Online travel agents like Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz offer huge amounts of flight inventory, while Kayak is another great site that compiles “scraped” prices from numerous airline sites (often sans the booking fees). ShermansTravel’s nifty QuickSearch tool offers a great means of searching multiple sites (including the above-mentioned), while only having to enter your travel information once. We might be biased, but it really does make comparison shopping a breeze! Don’t forget to go straight to airlines’ Web sites, as well: Popular budget carriers like Southwest and JetBlue, for instance, don’t list their fares with most online travel agents, and you can also save on third-party ticketing fees by booking through the airlines’ sites directly. You may also want to check out newer Web tools like FareCompare.com and Farecast.com, which serve to research and predict fare prices and trends — they’ll give you a good idea of the going rate of your trip — and whether to buy now or to wait.

8. Be prepared to layover to cut costs
Airlines’ recent route cutbacks mean quite simply that there are fewer non-stop flights out there right now, leaving those that do remain in higher demand — and therefore, pricier. If you come across a reasonable non-stop flight, we highly recommend booking it on the spot — the peace of mind and ease of travel alone may be worth a slightly higher price tag. But it’s more likely that booking an itinerary that includes a layover will be the real money-saver, in which case you’ll need to be conscientious of booking wisely. Always allow for sufficient time during the connection, particularly during the busy holiday season when delays are expected and winter weather is a factor — we recommend a minimum of two hours.

Also, attempt to use the same airline for both legs of the journey, so that their personnel will be more likely to assist you in the event of a botched connection. Finally, avoid delay-prone airports if at all possible — those in the NYC area and Chicago’s O’Hare are among the worst culprits. Being stranded at the airport is certainly no way to spend your Christmas (and how would Santa ever know where to find you?!)

9. Book a flight & hotel package for overall value
If you'd rather not sleep on Aunt Edna's couch this Thanksgiving, consider booking an air-and-hotel vacation together, which can save you a bundle over booking each component separately. Locking in one of the great-value hotel bargains that pop up around the holidays can really help balance out the overall cost efficiency of the trip.

Video   Holiday travel tips Oct. 15: Good deals can still be found during these tough economic times if consumers are patient enough to dig deep and look in the right places. NBC's Lynda Baquero reports. NBC News Channel

Indeed, flights are on the steep side this year, but we’ve also noted hotels posting even lower holiday rates than in years’ past, in an attempt to lure guests in the face of rising airfares and a sagging economy. Business hotels boast particularly good deals around the holidays, when they’re completely devoid of their normal clientele — do look to hotels near convention centers and business districts for some of the best package rates. Again, ShermansTravel’s QuickSearch tool offers a great means of comparing holiday rates on several package provider sites, while just having to enter your travel information once.

10. Get grounded: Look into trains, buses & cars
If you’re within a reasonable distance of your destination, do look into modes of ground transportation as alternatives to flying. Gas costs have dipped down quite a bit since their shocking highs some months back, and if you’re traveling with several family members, car-pooling can be a really economic option — look into a site like AAA’s Fuel Cost Calculator (www.fuelcostcalculator.com) for an estimate on gas costs based on your car model and itinerary.

More from ShermansTravel.com Top 10 Thanksgiving destinations Top 10 places to ring in the New Year Top 10 ways to avoid new airline fees

Bus travel is another good option, especially given the new breed of “boutique” bus lines that have popped up in recent years between popular cities, like DC2NY (routes between Washington, D.C. and N.Y.C.; www.dc2ny.com) or Lux Bus America (routes between Anaheim and Las Vegas; www.luxbusamerica.com). And lastly, don’t overlook hassle-free trains: They’re rarely delayed, don’t contend with traffic, and will allow you to kick back, relax, and enjoy that pretty winter scenery.

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