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With fewer people flying these days, due to the sour economy, airlines are looking to fill seats. And you're already doing the first thing you need to do to find the cheapest fare. Keep yourself updated on airfare wars by keeping up with the news, and watching out for promotional offers.

1. Be Flexible

If you can be flexible when you schedule your flight, you can save big. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are typically the cheapest days to fly. Late night and early mornings tend to be discounted as well.

Also, when you're booking your ticket, ask about standby fares... flying standby means you're hoping they will have space available, so if you're flying during peak season, that can be a problem.

2. Stay with the same carrier

Plus, if you stay with the same airline for the entire trip, you can get round trip or connecting fare discounts.

3. Compare low-cost carriers

Compare low-cost carriers with the major carriers, and remember, the best fares may not be out of the airport closest to you. In L.A., for example, check fares into Orange County or Burbank... sometimes they're a little cheaper than LAX.

4. Saturday stays and 14-day advance purchase

A lot of times you can save money by including a Saturday night stay, or buy your tickets 14-days in advance, but those discounts vary. Contact the airlines and ask them which days of the week and and times of the day have the lowest fares.

5. Check airline sites and discount sites

Even if you are using a travel agent, check the airline sites, as well as the internet travel sites, and look for special deals.

If you call the airline, always ask for the lowest fare. If you don't ask, you don't get.