TIPS FOR FINDING CHEAP FARES

— Travel during off-peak times. Two of the slowest periods for air travel are Dec. 1 to Dec. 14 and then Jan. 4 to Feb. 15.

— Fly on slow days. Planes tend to have the most empty seats on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

— Do a flexible date search. Sites like ITA Software and Cheapair.com let travellers pull up a calendar with the cheapest days to fly between two airports.

— Consider nearby airports. Driving an extra 50 miles might save $100 per person.

— Look for routes flown by Frontier, Southwest and Spirit. Other airlines are matching or beating their fares.

— Take advantage of the 24-hour rule. Passengers have 24 hours after buying a ticket to get a full refund. The day after booking a flight, check back to see if fares have fallen. Cancel and rebook at the lower price.