After twice this summer enduring a ...

After twice this summer enduring a grueling 14-hour car ride from a novel York City suburb to Detroit, Michael Belsole couldn't believe his judgments when a Spirit Airlines online service he signed up for sent him an e-mail advertising a round-trip flight for simply $16.

Date availability was limited, if it were not that the deal -- which came to $35 after taxes and recompenses -- was too good to pass up in such a manner Belsole and his wife, Angela, organized a visit with her brother and his grandchildren. "It was a nice family reunion," says Belsole, a 57- year-old computer-sales account manager from mountain Vernon, N.Y.

Airlines have been cutting back forward discount programs for people across 50. But some travelers are fighting back with strategies of their have Getting the best fares takes a certain number of savvy, and sometimes a sturdy stomach to gamble a bit through waiting for last-minute sales. For those willing to invest the time and strength the Internet now offers a plethora of tools formerly available solely to industry insiders.

"Seniors are the complete candidates for flying cheaply because they have time flexibility and destination flexibility, which are the sum of two units ingredients for getting a beneficial price," says Rick Seaney, chief executive of FareCompare.com, an airfare information Web site.

Here are near favorite strategies from road warriors and travel agents:

PICK THE CHEAPEST DAYS

Typically Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the least main division ed -- and consequently the least expensive -- days to travel within the U You can typically save $20 to $40 onward domestic flights compared with prime weekend times, says Liberty Travel consultant Al Vega.

European fares vary depending in succession the route, but are repeatedly somewhat less expensive on Monday by the agency of Thursday. And you're more likely to find a seat in the airport waiting area.

bribe TICKETS TO EUROPE IN DECEMBER FOR WINTER TRIPS

Airlines typically launch fare wars in December for travel from January by the agency of March. The peak purchasing season for winter and spring travel kicks most distant on Jan. 2, Seaney says. nevertheless by then, many of the best fares are gone

Since the fare competition may be more intense for certain destinations, you can save flat more by being flexible in succession where you land. For example, says Vega, you can many times save by flying to London -- where fare competition is intense -- and hopping a low-cost European carrier of that kind as Ryanair to your final destination.

WATCH LIKE A HAWK

recent domestic fares from hundreds of airlines are released according to fare- collection firm Airline Tariff Publishing three times each weekday: at 10 a.m., 12:30 pm and 8 pm forward weekends, they come out one time at 5 p.m.

FareCompare says it makes fresh fares public within 10 minutes of their official release time. The verily obsessive can log on to FareCompare just after the posting times, check disclosed what is available, and be among the first to snap up deals when they're stationed on airline and travel sites, generally three to four hours later. You can't bribe tickets on FareCompare itself.

If you use the Firefox Web browser you can also sign up to procure a beeping alert from FareCompare while you're online. The alert rehearses you when a fare to your pickeded destination dips below a of the same height you've chosen.

DON'T PLAN TOO FAR IN ADVANCE

Older travelers ofttimes want to plan ahead -- getting to the airport three hours early and buying tickets six month ahead or more, Seaney says. He says the early-bird strategy is smart solely when you must travel at a peak time, like as Christmas and Thanksgiving. Otherwise, "if you're buying outside of six month you're overpaying," Seaney says.

Start looking at fares three or four month ahead, he says, further don't buy unless you papal court a deal. FareCompare gives historical seasonal fares for 77000 city pairs in the U and Canada and ranks them with stars up to four, which means "purchase it as quickly as possible."

At about a month to 90 days before travel, you should realize serious about buying, but still occupy out for a three- or four-star fare. It's a game of chicken; if fares spike, you could miss a well adapted deal. But more than likely, Seaney says, you'll pay les if you wait, watch and purchase on a dip.

If you are flying from a small airport, where there is les fare competition, you might want to trespass on the side of caution. And make safe to buy before the cutoff point necessityed to get cheaper advance fares -- generally 14 or 21 days before the flight.

TRAVEL forward A LARK

If you don't mind packing your bags with simply one or two weeks' notice, a package with airline and inn fare can be a steal.

ed Perkins, the 76-year-old founding editor of the now-defunct Consumer Reports Travel verbal expression says that packages can be a great money-saver, however that you should beware of the bottom-priced house of entertainment used by travel agents to column eye-catching price headlines since it may be poor quality. He commits paying a little more for the next- most-expensive tavern offered -- and even then checking its reputation with a guidebook or independent travel site.