Cheat sheet for holiday airfare deals

•If you travel for the Christmas holiday, you might get a better price by returning before New Year's Day.

•Compare airfares with the costs of traveling by land, Mr. Hobica says. Savings from traveling by car can be substantial if the flight is to somewhere within a day's drive (no stopover at a hotel required), and if more than one family member needs a ticket. An easy way to check costs for a trip is the online "fuel cost calculator" from AAA.

•Check prices by searching for just one ticket, even if you want to buy four. That's because of the patchwork of prices offered on a given airplane. You might find you can buy three seats at a lower price and pay a bit more for a fourth one. (Otherwise, you might end up paying the higher price for all four tickets.)

•The more you use the Internet, the more deals you'll find. Some airlines such as JetBlue offer alerts via Twitter. Others use "promo code" bargains to lure savvy customers. Many travel websites will track prices on a desired trip for you and send an e-mail if a deal appears.

•Scan more than one website, and be ready to pounce. You'll have a better chance of getting the best deal if you don't need to confer with a spouse when it shows up. In addition to airline sites, try sites like Expedia, Kayak, Travelzoo, Priceline, and Cheapseats.

•If you need a hotel as well as an airline ticket, look on Bestfares, Cheapseats, or other sites that offer package deals.

•Flexibility on travel dates is rewarded. Many websites allow you to search within a range of days. If you gravitate toward a better price on a different date, also check the prices that day at nearby airports.

•If you like racking up travel rewards on credit-card purchases, American Express offers a new "Premier Rewards Gold Card" that lets you use points at 17 airlines, or for gas or groceries.

•If you want to go to Florida soon, consider driving a rental car there and flying home. Florida needs rental cars for its busy season, so you'll probably pay less than if you flew both ways and rented a car while there.

Finally, once you buy a ticket, keep an eye out for schedule changes. It's been happening more often this year, and the last thing you want is to be stuck in an airport at holiday time because of outdated information.

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