The price of air fares vary greatly for many different reasons. Time of year, fuel prices, flight demand, taxes and many various deals and promotions run by the companies. However getting the best deal out of all this information can be hard and confusing. Here are 8 great tips to help you in your search for a cheap ticket on your next flight!

If you can afford to change the date of your arrival or departure by a little bit you can sometimes cut the cost by 25 to 50 percent amazingly! You will of course have to balance this out with cost of accommodation for extra days and of course possible inconvenience but if you can be flexible you can make great savings!

When we say book ahead that is not just a week but even three to four weeks ahead. The prices of plane tickets seem to climb as the number of seats goes down. If you get in early you can save amazing amounts this way especially if you are used to booking only a few days before as that is when the price as more than doubled compared to a week or so before.

Many people may tell you that if you leave on a Sunday or later instead of a Saturday will save you money. Perhaps this was true once but now there seems to be no great difference between Saturday and Sunday or later. Let's hope that helps your flexibility!

While Saturday or Sunday are similar there is a distinct difference between the weekends and weekdays. Since most people travel on weekends the prices are raised for more profit, flights during the week however will be lower to various degrees so if possible plan to fly on Monday to Friday.

Sometimes choosing a close by airport to your actual destination will save you money. While you have to get transport back to your destination the cost difference between the extra public transport trip and a direct flight can be significant. Obviously this may add time to your trip but if you can afford the time the savings can often be well worth it.

Though it sounds just plain wrong sometimes return trips can cost LESS than one way trips! IF you are just going one way check the price for a return fare and you can sometimes find it cheaper! Why this is I do not know but airline promotions and sometimes just plain screw ups in their pricing system can work in your favor!

Fairly obvious this one but sometimes lost in the rush of our busy lives. Holiday season is the busiest time of the year for airline companies and they jack the price right up. If you can get in early or later you can avoid their price hikes. You can also avoid the air commuter crush of those times too!

Many airline companies offer deals on trips that have multiple stopovers. Instead of searching for individual fares for each leg of your trip see if you can get an all in one multi-city trip. These can often be cheaper then the individual trips but using all the other tips I have given it is not always so but keep it in mind!

Using these simple common sense methods you can shave hundreds of dollars off your trip which leaves you with more money to enjoy on your holiday or simply more money in the bank. You don't even need to sacrifice on seating and comfort if you don't want as most of these tips are a matter of good timing and organization!