How do you go about reserving flights to New York for the lowest possible price? Below are a few things to know. If reserving on your own, you will want to try multiple booking sites to find the lowest air fare on Tuesday and Wednesday of the week as lower offers are posted on those days. It is not necessary to fly on those two days but it is important to search during those times.

Please be sure to read the airline’s and booking site terms carefully before reserving flights to New York as some services may want you to be eighteen (18) and older while others will want you to be twenty-one (21) and older plus other restrictions.

Airlines
Airlines are always in competition with each other so be flexible when reserving flights to New York with airlines to get the best deal.

Airports
There are three (3) major airport for the Manhattan area (JFK, LGA and EWR) and each airport has an airline carrier that offers the best rate. When considering getting the best fare by airport, you should consider your airport travel expenses (using the trains, buses, shuttles or taxi) going to and leaving from your final destination in New York.

Booking Sites
* Bing.com
* CheapAir.com
* CheapOair.com
* Cheapflights.com
* Expedia.com
* Expedia.com.au
* Hotwire.com
* Kayak.com
* Orbitz.com
* Priceline.com
* Travelocity.com
* TravelZoo.com
* TripMama.com
* Vayama.com
* Yahoo.com

Class
Perks are given to the class (Business, First, Economy) so if you are looking for relaxing seats, snacks and beverages, headphones for movie watching, be sure to find out if these are already included. Often they are not and you will have to pay extra or bring your own from home or purchased in the airport after clearing the security checkpoint.

Connections
Connections plays a vital role when reserving flights to New York. The non-stop flights will have a shorter travel time to and from New York but multiple connections can mean a cheaper fare for you. If you are not in a rush and can find flights departing very early in the morning, this can work to your advantage. If New York City is not your final destination and you wish to explore on a layover, be sure that you have at least eight (8) hours so you do not have to rush and can make alternate plans due to inclement weather or rush hour congestion.

Credit/Debit Card
Credit and debit card companies often offer special discounts when used for air travel so be sure to review your card terms and conditions or speak with a representative at your financial institution. Please note that when using a debit card, holds may be placed on your card for a reservation and may take weeks to be removed so be sure to have some cash on hand before use.

Flexability
Be flexible on the departure and return dates when reserving flights to New York. This could require you to leave a day earlier or later than you plan for your your trip. Just make sure that your lodging expenses do not increase using this method with a late or early arrival. Most hotels will let you check out and leave your luggage on location for a few hours without any fees so be sure to ask when reserving hotels in New York.

Holidays
Holidays affects air fares in a negative way by increasing them so when reserving flights to New York, try reserving the flight months in advance or choose to arrive days before the holiday you plan to experience.

Luggage
Luggage adds weight to the plane which uses more fuel so airlines will charge you for your pieces and weight so try to limit the amount to things that you need to carry. If visiting on a business trip, try to use services such as Federal Express and United Parcel Service to ship these ahead. Your hotel or locker storage center will accept them for you.

Non-Stop
Non-stop flights are perfect for minors who will be flying alone since it is safer and required by the airlines. Only those who are wish to explore another city on a layover to gain the most out of their trip may want to avoid these type of flights.

Packages
If reserving hotels in New York while booking a flight, it may provide you with discounts so if you are not planning to stay with friends or relatives, so be sure to look into this option. Numerous are online while others are hidden and reserved to travel agents.

Rewards Programs
Register and use airlines rewards program. You will receive discounts for reserving flights to New York and other destinations in advance or after the flight as a cash back rebate.

Seating
Register When reserving flights, you will need to consider seating. Picking seats closer to the front will mean you exit the plane early but will board after other passengers thus leaving you less space to put your carry on luggage so consider a seat close to the rear or center of the plane to get a space and also easy access to the restroom for very long flights.

Travel Agent
There are many websites to aid you in reserving flights to New York but to gain added incentives, you may want to use a travel agent as the travel agents will have private offers not shown on booking sites. As the offers are not online, airlines can drop their prices very low to get your business without alerting their competitors.

Weather
Weather can make a positive and negative experience for you when you plan to travel to, through and from the New York area. As with all airports, JFK, LGA and EWR can experience 15 minutes to 2 hours of delays due to inclement weather so if making connection flights, be sure you have sufficient time to check in for your next flight. In bad weather, ground transportation (ie. trains and buses) are often taken making more seats available and often discounted tickets. When taking these discounted tickets, watch out for change and cancellation fees.

Weekends
Weekends may cost more than flying during in the week and more more on a holiday weekend. If your time is flexible, see what weekday flights will be a benefit to you and those coming along. Also, transporation (buses and trains) needing to get to your final destination may not be operating fully on the weekends and you can experience delays by necessary weekend construction.

Join us in our New York Forum if you have any comments or questions.