Oddly, it's even harder to find the area that lets you make the purchase. I routinely end up phoning them on their 800 number, often to find out that the fares posted are either sold out or are no longer available because of some unforeseeable circumstance. Which may lead you to wonder if you'll always get the best airfare deals by working the Internet. I've tried Web sites to search for fares, then was told they weren't working with a particular airline, such as Delta. When I hung up and called Delta looking for a cheap fare, they beat the Internet fare.
Timing Is Everything Every day of the week, about a half-million airline seats go empty.
That's a lot of lost inventory. To get the best deals, you've got to think like the airlines. Realize that they would rather sell you a seat at a lower price than not sell that seat at all. Avoid buying airline tickets on the weekend. The best day for bargains is usually Wednesday.