Trick I used to book a $40 flight to Chicago

I needed to fly from Dallas to Chicago last minute for a family thing. Instead of using the big search sites, I went straight to the airline's website on a Tuesday at 2am. Turns out they drop unbooked seats at weird hours for way less. I snagged a round trip for $40 total, no baggage fees because I used a backpack. Has anyone else tried booking at odd hours like this and seen big savings?

3 comments

3 Comments

daniel59328d ago

Wait, was it Spirit or Frontier? @sullivan.finley I think a lot of those cheap fares still have the taxes bundled in, but some airlines like Frontier will show you a base price and tack fees on later. I've had luck doing the late night thing on Southwest though, their site just shows the full price upfront.

sullivan.finley28d ago

Wait was that $40 after all the taxes and fees or before? I've tried the 2am thing before but only saved like 15 bucks on a flight to Denver. What airline was it that actually honored that price without adding on some "carrier imposed fee" that doubled it? I always get suspicious when the deal sounds THAT good because the fine print usually screws you.

wendy_jackson28d ago

Oh come on, you're giving these airlines way too much credit. That $40 price was probably legit for a middle seat at 3am with a bag that fits in a lunchbox. @daniel593 mentioned Southwest, but even their "transparent" pricing comes with its own headaches. The whole late night booking thing is a myth anyway - if you're hunting for deals at 2am, you're just seeing leftover inventory nobody wanted during peak hours. Airlines like Spirit and Frontier know exactly what they're doing with those base fares, and the fine print is literally written in size 8 font for a reason. You want to actually save money? Stop playing games with booking times and just fly on Tuesdays like everyone else who's figured this out.