Student Airline Discounts

There is something about college students and travel that just seems to go together. Whether it's a Spring Break holiday, or a summer long exploitation of a foreign land, it's a fact that students are constantly looking for good travel deals. The good news is, with a little research and know-how; you can easily find some good student airfare discounts.

The first place to look for student airfare discounts is in a student travel agency. Sometimes, you can find a student travel agency on campus at your University. It is a good idea to check with the student services office to see if such an option is available on your campus, as this can often be the easiest way to gain quick access to student airfare discounts. If there isn't a student travel agency on your campus, you can search several of them online. As with any online travel agency, it is a good idea to search a variety of different agencies to see which one can give you the best deal. Realize however, that if you're working with an online agency, you may be simply searching for and booking your own travel. It's a good idea to thoroughly investigate the website see if you can speak directly with a trained travel agent, who can help you search for the best airfare deals.

In addition to going through a student travel agency, you may also want to consider going directly through an airline. Some airlines may offer student airline discounts directly that beat the prices offered through third-party sites. Even if the airline doesn't offer student airline discounts directly, they may offer youth fares to individuals below a certain age. The cutoff age for these fares may vary by airline, though both 21 and 26 are common cutoff ages. These may not always be the best available fares, but they're worth looking into especially if you have difficulty finding any other discounts for your trip. As with travel agencies, it's a good idea to check with multiple airlines as many may have different discount policies and amounts.

One thing that is often overlooked in purchasing student airline discounts is that student travelers may need special kinds of identification in order to claim their tickets. Some airlines or travel agents may require that students traveling on student tickets purchase a student advantage card. This card certifies that the student has is a verified student, and thus qualifies for a student discount as well as verify the traveler's identity. In some other situations, you may be required to carry your student identification card that was issued by your school. Neither of these cards will take the place of a state issued ID or passport that you may need to board your flight, and age based discounts will require proof of age when picking up your tickets.

Also, keep in mind student airfare discounts may not be the best discounts you can get for your particular trip. It may well be worth checking online discounts available to the general public in addition to discounts that are available to students to see which will give you the better deal.

All this may seem like a lot of work, but it can save you significant amounts of money on your flight. If you don't want to do all the work yourself consider working with a travel agent. Travel agents make their money from travel providers, not from clients, so using them costs you nothing. A good travel agent may even be able to find you additional savings in addition to student airline discounts.