Shopping for airfares can be tricky business. That first tantalizing airfare often fizzles under closer scrutiny.
Let's start with a mythical $499 USD roundtrip airfare to your favorite European destination. It looks great in your email box or on that deal-oriented newsletter as a "best fare of the week," but then you start trying to book tickets at that price.
What's this? The fare only applies to certain departure dates, and most of those are already sold out? Now you must patch together a difficult itinerary (if it is even possible) or watch the $499 fare become $850.
If you shop for online domestic or international fares, you will have this experience. It's probably already happened to most of us.
How can you avoid this annoying fate?
A huge shopping advantage is gained if you can find out what other recent searches have revealed for the same itinerary. You want to know what people actually pay.
There are places on the Internet where this information is available. Click "next" below and find out why one new tool has travelers "buzzing."
