Lots of people dream about traveling to exotic destinations they’ve only read about in books, venturing from place to place and seeing the sights and sounds of the world.
Unfortunately, most people never embrace their inner nomad, fearing the high costs of travel. But not every flight hurts the wallet. The most experienced travelers are the ones who took their time and found dirt cheap airline tickets.
A bigger commercial airline is not the first thing an inexperienced traveler will think about. Indeed, for many people there are no airlines other than the major companies that control the sky traffic. But many other smaller airlines exist that give customers the same safe quality flights. These cheap flights have gone largely unnoticed by new travelers.
Miracles of the Information Age
Fortunately, the Internet has made new things possible. The large advertising advantage that large airliners have over their smaller competitors has vanished with the help of this new medium. Even the best television campaign in the world is no match for a company that knows how to work its web presence. The seismic changes brought about by the Web have encouraged innovation, and smaller airlines are embracing it.
But how can smaller airlines give you the cheapest airline tickets when the bigger airlines charge big bucks? Common sense would suggest that large airlines got to where they are now because they give customers the best deals. That isn’t always the case.
Larger airline means large overhead. Large airlines have to keep up appearances and maintain their status through enormous advertising budgets. These large airlines are in the top spot because they spend a lot of money to get there and pass the bill on to the passengers.
By contrast, small companies are quite capable of giving out cheap air fare. Many of these small companies have already established a reputation for excellence, but only in their region of the country. For years they’ve been content to dominate smaller markets, but the Internet has brought to the spotlight.
Whether they’ll take advantage of this new attention or not remains to be seen. For many, their close-to-home business model is too good to fiddle with. Others view themselves as entrepreneurs in a new travel market that makes the process easier than ever for the customers, and respond accordingly. This close interaction lets them respond quickly to requests, and smaller airlines often offer airline discounts.
Other Options, More Savings
That’s not the only innovation that the Web has brought to the travel scene. Potential travelers can now purchase cheap tickets online that come directly from frequent travelers and airline brokers. Many times people will have airline tickets for a trip that doesn’t pan out. They need to do something with these tickets, and selling them as discount airfare still gives them a profit they otherwise wouldn’t be earning.