4 Tips for Getting Good Airline Deals Now

With Covid-19 dominating headlines and suspending ordinary air travel, there's never been a better time to get a great deal on an airline. Thanks to the aggressive social distancing measures in place and the substantial economic shutdown, there's never been a better time to buy cheap airline tickets now in order to travel later this year.

With this in mind, here are 4 tips for taking advantage of a buyer's market and getting good deals on airfare. 2020 may be starting with a pandemic, but that's not likely to last. And once it's over, why shouldn't you enjoy travel again?

1). Take Advantage of Low Airfare Prices

With regular air travel largely suspended because of the coronavirus, airfares have been slashed. That means it's a great time to buy tickets for a trip later this year.

In keeping with the laws of supply and demand, airlines are knocking their prices down because there's so much less demand. You might as well make the best of the situation and buy tickets while the buying is good.

Of course, it's also a great time to start the process of applying for the TSA PreCheck and Global Entry. You'll still need an acceptable ID to fly, but getting on the plane will be easier than ever.

And while this is an ideal time to buy tickets, even if you've already bought tickets you might still be in a good position to benefit.

2). See if Change and Cancellation Waivers Apply

Even if you bought tickets before the coronavirus shut down travel, you might be in a position to benefit if your ticket is subject to waivers of change and cancellation fees. A number of airlines are waiving change and cancellation fees, so if you already have a ticket and you want to cancel or change it there has probably never been a better time.

To give an example, American Airlines is offering to waive change fees for those customers with tickets purchased before March 1st, with the flights scheduled through April 30th.

Granted that's a pretty narrow window, but if you're in it there's some good news: you have lots of options for changing your flight. You can get a new ticket at any point until December 31, 2020, or 12 months from the original date, whichever one is earlier.

It's important to note that you may still have to pay if your new flight is more expensive - that is to say, you'll still have to pay the difference. The benefit we're discussing here, though, is that you won't have to pay a fee to get your ticket changed.

Also, canceling your ticket doesn't mean you are refunded. Instead, airlines issue you the amount of the ticket as a travel credit.

3). Choose a Flight for Later This Year

There's a reasonable chance that if you choose a flight that is farther out than the next few months, the impact of the coronavirus will actually be largely gone. While it's still hard to say at this juncture, there's a reality-based chance that things will actually be largely back to normal by then.

Bearing this in mind, and bearing in mind that this is still very much a fluid situation, think about where you want to go. There's a great chance that you can buy tickets for much cheaper.

4). Be Prepared to Be Flexible

There are a lot of uncertainties right now. We don't know how bad this pandemic is going to get or how long it will last. We don't know when ordinary travel arrangements will return.

It's a good idea to mentally prepare in advance to be flexible. You might want to make plans for a few months out - say, four - bearing in mind that although travel restrictions will probably have lifted by then, you can't really be sure.

The best way to approach this situation is probably to be flexible as you make your plans, and think about what you'll do if you have to change them. On the plus side, airfares are a buyer's market right now, as we've seen, so even if you do have to change your plans you'll probably be doing so under favorable conditions.

Conclusion

As the world reels from the Covid-19 pandemic, discerning travelers can take advantage of lower airfares. It is likely, but not certain, that the governments of the United States and many other countries will have reinstated ordinary travel conditions after the next few months. Plan ahead, be flexible, and buy tickets while the airfares are cheap.