Cheap flights are like ordering off the dollar menu at a local fast food restaurant.
By the time you order the burger, the fries and the drink you have to ask yourself how much cheaper is it than ordering the meal you really wanted.
Cheap flights are sold with the same thinking in mind.
It is the ala carte options that add up.
But your goal is to stick to the "menu" items that are the least expensive and get to your destination without dropping a boat load of cash.
In order to make a cheap flight even cheaper you have to play by the airlines rules.
Knowing the rules is the first step in getting around them.
All that fine print should be read.
It is annoying and written in a way that no one wants to read it, but it is advantageous to read it and re-read it until it is understood.
There are reasons why the airlines print everything so small - they hope you don't read it.
Once the rules are understood, play by them.
Make sure that you stick to your end of the deal, so when they don't or there is an issue you will be one hundred percent in the right.
If the rules say that a carryon bag can only way up to seventeen pounds, then do not let that bag go over seventeen pounds.
If the rules require that you are at the airport one hour before liftoff be sure to be there on time, so if anything happens with the flight your end will be covered.
If there is something that is unclear or there is supposed to be a special discount that is offered but wasn't granted call and ask why.
If you know the rules and have held up your end of the deal and there may be some additional discounts that you may be offered fight to get that additional discount.
The airlines bank on the idea that most people will not bother with the extra twenty dollar discount or whatever it works out to.
Cheap flights can be cheaper.
Take advantage of any specials you have seen in print or anything that the airlines has advertised, and use competitors deals as incentives when you call to book a flight, take advantage of other offers of cheap flights to bargain with the airlines.
Don't be afraid to wheel and deal - the airlines wants your business.
And last of all, learn to travel smarter.
A smart traveler will book their flight well in advance of their anticipated departure date, and they will be flexible about the days that they are willing to fly out of the airport or fly back from their trip because they know that they can literally save hundreds of dollars by departing on one day versus the next.
Smart travelers seek out the best days to fly and they look for the cheapest departure times on those days - and they plan their vacation or time off around what days are the best for saving the most money.
Smart travelers also pack less so that they don't pay excess baggage fees, and the really smart traveler looks for online discussion groups to join that can sometimes find them privy to deals that they wouldn't learn about anywhere else.
The smart traveler may go so far as to book their entire trip with one travel company in order to get a deep discount not only on their cheap flight, but on their hotel accommodations or other lodging, car rental costs while they are on vacation, and the costs of meals and admission to events and shows.