Five secrets to finding cheap airline tickets

TIME is flying. The holiday season is nearly upon us.

So, are you sick of having to pay a fortune for flights? Determined to change your luck this time around?

Here are five rules to follow if you want to score a cheaper airline ticket, according to advice website MakeUseOf.com .

1. Aim for the middle ground

Normally, avoid booking your flight too late - the airlines will be able to smell your desperation and prices will usually be significantly higher. You could also miss out entirely.

But, paradoxically, if you're not set on flying on a particular date, you could try your luck at scoring a last minute discounted flight. Sometimes, prices will drop for last minute tickets if airlines find they still have empty seats to fill. Just don't rely on this method, as you won't know when your luck could run out!

Here's another tip - don't buy too early, either. When it comes to air travel, the super-early bird rarely gets the worm. The best time to buy a ticket is usually between three and 12 weeks before the flight.

2. Timing is everything

Sometimes, you'll have a set date you need to travel on. Other times, when there's room for flexibility, try to fly during off-peak seasons - or "dead zones" - such as after January 7, during September, the first two weeks of November, or the first two weeks of December.

Also, where possible try to fly at the middle of the week instead of the weekend. Most people tend to take to the skies on Friday and fly back home on Sunday, pushing the price of air travel higher on these days. Tuesday and Wednesday are usually the least expensive days to fly.

You could also book a very early flight (such as 4am) - if you're really, really keen to save!

3. Play smart

Use flight comparison websites to help you in your bid to track down the best deal, such as Kayak.com. which launched a feature this year that predicts whether airfares will rise or fall across different routes. Other flight comparison sites include Hipmunk.com and Faregeek.com .

Look at all your options. If there are a few different airports in the area you want to visit, check them all in case one of the smaller airports is cheaper to fly into. Same goes for finding alternative routes - sometimes if you choose the longer route with the painful stopover, you could end up reaping the financial rewards .

If you're not set on using a particular airline, browse through all the different carriers you could choose. You may want to sacrifice seat comfort and service to save some extra cash.

Also, many frequent travellers swear by deleting the cookies on their internet browsers. Return visits to an airline's website can bump up the flight prices.

4. Seat selection

Not all seats are equal.

When you're flying with companions, you may not see all the seat options as the airlines typically show you the lowest ticket prices available to the whole group. That means, for example, that if you're flying in a group of five people you may never see the cheap $100 seats at the back because there may only be two left, which isn't enough for the whole group. Instead you may be shown five $200 seats for all.

To get around this, make sure there's enough seats on the plane for the whole group. Then, go back and search one ticket at a time, so you could get two $100 tickets and three $200 tickets, instead of all of the five ending up being $200 tickets.

5. Uncover the hidden fees

Make sure you're aware of extra fees such as those to choose your seat, check your bags and for snacks on board. Come prepared.