At one time or another, we all have to travel at the last minute, and when that happens, we want to avoid paying exorbitant amounts for a ticket. The airlines have calculated that they make more money by charging high last-minute fares than they would by filling every seat by offering last-minute discounted fares. Because of this, few options exist for those who want cheap flights at the last minute, but if you have some flexibility, there are ways of finding a good deal.

Some of the newsletters in the Travel Newsletters section provide last-minute deals that might make you salivate. But sometimes you are forced to bite the bullet, and pay up (the airlines have to lose less money somehow). Unfortunately, the weekend specials listed here that airlines and travel companies offer are only good for so many people. There is no silver bullet for finding cheap airfares at the last minute unless you work for the airline.

If you buy tickets at the last minute, you could pay through the roof, but if you have the ability to purchase a last minute package that includes a flight and hotel and/or car, then you could actually save hundreds by purchasing the package over purchasing the ticket by itself. A number of sites are dedicated to offering last minute package deals, but only one offers the best deals. That site, Site59 is covered in depth in my ebook, Take Control of Booking a Cheap Airline Ticket. Site59 is by far the best provider of last minute travel deals, it really does have the market cornered.

Site59: Site59 is probably the best place to buy tickets at the last minute. The major disadvantage with Site59, however, is that the site only sells tickets for Thursday-Saturday departures and Sunday-Tuesday arrivals. But, using the site can save you planeloads of money. You can book your entire package with Site59 and still pay less than if you were to book the ticket by itself on the airline’s Web site.

Interestingly, the prices offered at Site59 are also offered at other Web sites, also operated by Travelocity, which owns Site59. Travelocity’s own last-minute deals can be found for the same price at Site59 or another site, Lastminute.com. It shouldn’t matter at which site you purchase the package; you should pay the same amount regardless. Travelocity also operates most of the last minute deal sections found at airline Web sites. Most last minute deal sections on airline Web sites use the Site59 booking capabilities but will likely charge you more since the flight will be on the airline who’s Web site you’re on, instead of the cheapest provider.

If you’re looking for flights alone, some airlines offer last minute deals directly from their Web sites, and perhaps the best example of this is United.

United E-Fares: United’s E-Fares are typically only good for Saturday departures and Monday or Tuesday returns, but the airline offers a wealth of destinations for each departure city. Similar programs are offered by other carriers, but United's typically offers the most destinations. E-Fares are very restrictive fares that can only be bought a week or two before departure, but the deals can be as good as if you bought far in advance. You can also get E-Fares from your home airport sent to you by email, if you desire.

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