Is the high price of airline tickets keeping you grounded this summer?
A new report lists secrets for finding the lowest airfare to any destination. It's a method that could save you hundreds over what the person in the next seat is paying.
A better search engine for flights?
You know the drill: You want to get away, so you visit an airline's website, or maybe Kayak or Priceline to compare fares.
But the savings blog Financially Fit and Fab says that's the wrong way to find a deal.
It says the best search engine for discount flights is now Google Flights.
Enter your destination and the dates you want to travel on Google Flights and it instantly finds the lowest fare.
It even suggests better times of day to fly, and better days to fly, to save even more.
Still not happy with what you found? The report says you should then set a price alert, which sends you email alerts when the fare changes.
Caution about super cheap fares
But a word of caution if the cheapest flight is on a deep discount airline.
If the airline that comes up cheapest is Frontier, Allegiant or Spirit (the three biggest deep discounters), watch for seat reservation fees and carry-on bag fees that mainstream airlines typically don't have.
The report says a $140 flight on a deep discounter can add up to $212 after fees, making it more expensive than the same route on a legacy carrier.
Finally, don't wait
One more key to saving money: when you find a great fare deal, you should lock in that fare as soon as possible.
The report says if you wait a couple of hours, that bargain fare is often gone.
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