Travelocity

The Federal Aviation Administration stopped collecting taxes Friday due to a partial shutdown, so logic dictates that should mean a reduction in airfare considering those taxes make up nearly 20% of flight cost. Not so fast, my friend. U.S. carriers leaped on the opportunity created by lawmakers' failure to extend the agency's operating authority. By Monday, most U.S. airlines raised their fees to cover the difference, with the possible exceptions of Alaska, Spirit and Hawaiian airlines. Virgin originally bragged it wouldn't take advantage of the tax holiday, but joined the opportunistic crowd by Monday. Frontier Airlines followed suit.

So what's a traveler to do? Here are 15 ways consumers can reduce airfare costs and avoid those pesky added fees:

1. Shop Consolidators
OneTravel.com and Hotwire.com are just two websites that consolidate the lowest fares available. But check the terms carefully as there might be some semi-hidden restrictions.

2. Book Mid-week
Airfare prices are at their lowest in the middle of the week, according to FareCompare.com who claims Tuesday afternoon offers the best value and selection of low cost flights.

3. Weekend Layovers
Business travelers know it's actually cheaper to extend their visit over a weekend to save on airfare. That's because many plane tickets are sold for weekday round trips. Read more

March 23, 2009 -- Travelocity today announced the launch of the Travelocity Community Toolbar, powered by Conduit, a leading provider of Website syndication solutions. In an economic environment where saving money has never been more important, Travelocity will provide special promo codes and deals via the community toolbar.

"This community toolbar is an easy way for travelers to get the most up-to-date information on the best vacation packages and the lowest prices," said Victoria Treyger, chief marketing officer, Travelocity. "Using the Conduit platform, we have built a dynamic toolbar that is constantly updated to make saving money easier and more accessible to travel bargain hunters."

Travelers can obtain driving directions, language translations, currency conversion, flight status and travel support from Travelocity customer service directly from the toolbar. Read more