Hoping to get some good opinions from this great group again. We are recently retired -have time for travel- looking for the best deals in airline tickets.
Any advice really appreciated. Where are the best airline deals? Thanks for any help.

You may want to sign up to some of the following and then they send out notices to you.

Travelocity.com
AARP.com
AAA.com
Travelzoo.com
ShermansTravel.com
Bookingbuddy.com
Hotwire-travel.com
Expedia.com
Sidestep.com
Priceline.com
[email protected]

Using some of the above you will find others. Be picky and be sure to read the Terms of Service and such. I hope these are of some help to you, good luck!

If you live in or near a city where Southwest flies, then sign up for their "Ding" fares. You can get really good prices on flights if you don't mind getting up really early or getting in late and you are flexible with days and dates.

Take a look at

airfarewatchdog.com
smartertravel.com

If you sign up, you'll receive frequent notice of airfare bargains from the departure city you designate.

Hey- thanks a lot for all the ideas-always appreciate this site and the help recieved- thanks!!

You should also sign up for e-mails for any of the airlines you'd like to use. On occasion, like now Lufthansa sent a good special, you'll get some lower fares before Travelocity or Expedia get them.

It would really hope to know where you live and where you'd like to go. Folks could then give you mroe specific advicer. I always start a search on kayak.com and then use their chart for a particular route (ie from your home town to wherever you want) to get an idea of what time of year is cheapest and how high or low prices are now vs. other times.

PS
lastminutetravel.com sometimes has good air/hotel deals and Expedia is known for thei air/hotel deals. That said, I always prefer to buy an airline ticket from the airline itself for better service, better flexibility and better seat selection.

Thanks guys for all the great ideas and advice. We have recently retired- got more time on our hands than we have money- and are searching for good airfare. We are two adults- ready to do some serious travel when we find flight bargains especially.
Our immediate need is LAX- we have tickets to the Rose Parade- we live in NC- and have a beach home in SC- so we can fly out of Raleigh-Greensboro-Charlotte-Myrtle Beach- or Wilmington with ease.
Thanks for any help- please keep the thoughts coming- we are still in search of tickets to either LAS Vegas (where we will do a car rental and drive to LA for the parade) or fly to LA - for the benefit of attending the parade of which we already have tickets- rooms etc--just no flight at the moment.
Northwest advertises a flight from Charlotte to LAX for 170.00- but it must be a sham- I have been trying for days to get this deal with no luck- and checked every avenue I can think. Thanks for any help.

You always have to read the fine print--that fare may be an ad for "$170 each way, round trip". And there will be taxes and fees that can be as much as $50 on domestic flights.
Pretty sure Southwest is flying out of Raleigh. Greensboro/Triad airport often has good fares. Folks from Charlotte used to drive up there to get them, but Charlotte is getting a little better in the competition.
Your time is getting VERY close now unfortunately. Once inside two weeks you will not get many bargains.
If your time is flexible, you need to search for earlier arrival or later departure also. That is a heavy travel time undoubtedly so it may really be hard.
Driving from Las Vegas may also be very expensive--parking, etc. plus rental. Would you then drive back?

I just looked on Hotwire and became aware of the dates and how they fall during the week. I got a fare of $652. What kind of fare are you expecting. As I mentioned, your time is VERY close now and it is a holiday. This is also true of car rentals and fees there.
You might look at Orange County airport also. I don't like to be pessimistic, but I think this is going to be expensive.

I see flights today for $464 for the dates 12/28 - 1/12, RDU-LAS, LAX-RDU using kayak.com. Also $427 RDU-LAX-RDU.

If you wait until you are even closer to the travel dates the fares most certainly will change.

For the absolute best deals in airfare (if your travel is flexible), befriend an airline employee and use their buddy passes.

I recently flew from JFK to Paris, coach out and business class back for about $450. Would have been quite a bit more on a full fare basis.

Buddy passes are wonderful IF you are totally flexible. We have flown on DD's flight attendant perks, and have still had to "buy" a fare. It isn't all wine and roses.

Just be aware that the price you see may not be everything. I just booked a bargain flight on Spirit for a friend's mother. The $139 flight quickly turned to over $220 by adding one checked bag each way, a seat reservation each way, and the usual taxes. It's sometimes kind of funny that people will grab at a fare that is $20 less, but ignore add ons that the more expensive airline might not even have.

Thank you all for the great advice. I guess I am just disappointed as to the prices. I see the bargains everywhere, but when I attempt to book them- the price goes up dramatically. Seems to me these special deals that are listed are nothing more than a scam. I saw a fare a few days ago for 170.00- but when I clicked on it to book- that 170.00 went to 800.00. Incredible- thanks!!

On fares, one often chooses convenience versus price (but not always). 5 AM flights are sometimes less expensive as are itineraries with one or more stops. Routes and airports with competition are sometimes less expensive.

Since you have not travelled much recently, just be more careful with connection times than you are probably accustomed to. It used to be if you missed a connection you simply got on the next flight with a minimal of hassle - today, that nixt flight may be completely booked.

Just reread your thread and looked at your dates. The issue here is the dates you are flying - over New Years. When I checked same routes for random dates a week or so later, there are plenty of RT fares for just over $200. With timing of New Years and Christmas, I think airlines have increased fares especially high over those 2 weeks - seems everyone has at least 12/26 and 1/2 off and wants to fly the weekend on one leg or the other of their itinerary.

If you want to save big time, fly ON Christmas Day. Some huge discounts. Some almost as good ones for Christmas Eve, and not quite so good ones for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The couple days before and after both holidays are the MOST expensive.

Debra,
This suggestion won't help for your upcoming trip, but will for the future: Do you have a credit card that earns miles or flight segments? If not, check into the different cards offered and their specifics. I try to charge absolutely everything I can on my card, and over time have accrued enough credits for several tickets. I have a Continental Chase Bank card (Continental has the most flights from where I live) and in addition to miles, Continenal Chase cardholders don't get charged for the first bag.