Best Days

• As a general rule, Wednesday is the day when air fares are lowest on most airlines. A close second is Tuesday. In terms of departure days, Fridays and Mondays are probably the least desirable days, because weekend travelers most often depart for their weekend getaways on Friday and begin their return home on Monday. If you must fly on a weekend day, Saturday is probably your best bet. Most weekend travelers have already set off for their two- or three-day getaways on Friday and won't be heading back home until Sunday or Monday.
  
  

Best Seasons

• Most airlines offer very attractive fares in the fall and winter months, sometimes putting the fares on sale for a limited time. It's typically a period of two or three weeks, but usually are good for travel for a much longer time span. The fall and winter months may have little effect on business travel, the bread and butter of airline revenue flows. But they do bring a sharp drop in fares to destinations that are not usually considered warm-weather vacation spots. If you're willing to bundle up a bit to see the sights of London, Paris or other European capitals, the off-season is an excellent time to make the trip. Obvious exceptions to this rule are holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, when demand is high and fares are too.
  
  

Best Times of Day

• If you don't mind getting up in the wee hours of the morning to catch a flight to the destination of your choice, you can find some real bargains. In general, airlines offer lower fares on their first flights out in the morning, with somewhat higher fares kicking in at 7 or 7:30 a.m. If you're more a night owl, you can also realize some savings if you take a red-eye flight, one that departs late at night, typically arriving at its destination early the following morning.
  
  

Other Worthwhile Tips

• Although flying at the times, days, and seasons discussed above are generally the way to get the lowest possible fares, bear in mind that there are a number of airlines, both U.S.- and foreign-based, that have built their reputations on offering consistently lower fares than their competitors. These carriers, which include Southwest, Jet Blue and Allegiant in the United States, and Virgin Atlantic in the transatlantic trade, are good bets when bargain fares are not available from other major airlines.