Advice for Buying Plane Tickets

Here is an NPR story (All Songs Considered, Mon 03/09/2008) covering the recent slashing of air fares, a complete contrast to last year's outrageous prices.

In it, Rick Seaney, chief executive of Farecompare.com, offers some insider knowledge about buying plane tickets.

One trick, he says, is to buy airline tickets on Tuesday afternoons. That's the time he calls "the perfect sweet spot," when the sales have come in and all the airlines have matched.

He also says the absolute cheapest days to fly are Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, and that many of the lowest airfares come with rules stating that travelers can fly only on those days.