Finding cheap airfare is the name of the game for people that travel frequently these days.  When you can cut the costs by almost half, it is certainly worthwhile.  Even if you are taking a family trip, there is no need to base the whole budget of the trip on airline tickets.

Planning is the key to reducing your budget for trips like these.  Try to take a vacation far from major holidays.  You will find better deals and more comfort when the plane is not jam packed.

Of course, not everyone can take their vacations whenever they feel like it.  But, at least try to plan trips between Tuesday and Thursday as well as during the morning or the midday hours.  These will be much more spacious and much cheaper flights.

Be prepared to spend a fair amount of time browsing different websites to find the best deal.  You must find the correct airline and the correct site.  There is a lot of chance involved, when you factor in what day it is, what time it is, how far in advance the flight is, which airline it is, and which airport you are starting from.  You could find the best deal right away or it could take many hours.  But, those will be the most worthwhile hours of trip planning you have ever spent.

Begin your search at the major airline websites, at least a week or more in advance.  Check every price that is being shown by the different airlines going to your desired location.  Do this search with at least three different times throughout the day to find the best price on a particular day. 

After those sites, spend some time with the big travel websites.  You can always find good deals with these sites because that's the way they designed it with the deals they have made with airlines to offer lower prices.  All the same rules apply with these sites.  Try different days, different times, and always get your ticket in advance.  

Last but not least, there are special websites that will search all travel and airline sites to find and compare the best deals.  These are the easiest and quickest to use so that you do not have to go to all the different websites.  This will automatically search all of them for you.  Be sure not to leave these special sites out of the picture.