Airfares

Airfare Watchdog (www.airfarewatchdog.com) – This site scours the Internet for the best airfare bargains, including low fares that airlines often reserve for bookings only through their own Web sites. The Watchdog is known for posting of time-sensitive bargain fares very quickly.

Farecast (www.Farecast.com) – Buy now or wait for a better price? You type in your basic criteria — departure and destination airports, approximate dates for takeoff and return — and the site lists itineraries and options. Red, orange, and green arrows indicate whether it’s a good time to book your flight. Farecast uses historic pricing data to help users make an educated decision about whether or not a fare is likely to fluctuate over the next few months. Farecast now also offers international predictions on airfares in 200 markets between the US and Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and Canada. Note: the company predicts fares to Europe during the peak summer months will average 11 percent higher this year.

FareCompare (www.FareCompare.com) – Shows the lowest ticket prices by month between nearly 80,000 North American and 200,000 international cities. It also offers ratings of one to four stars for fares within the US and Canada based on more than two years of fare history.

ITASoftware (www.ITASoftware.com) — A Boston-based airline IT and services provider whose site lets you search any 30-day period for the lowest airfares.

Kayak (www.Kayak.com) – Users compare historical data for prices and itineraries. Kayak’s Best Fare Trend graph tracks the cheapest fares found by other Kayak users within the previous 90 days.

MileMaven (www.MileMaven.com) – MileMaven publishes information on even the most obscure promotions, and with which airline partners those miles can be used. Note: users should check the airline’s site before booking because many promotions require preregistration in a points program.

Yapta (www.Yapta.com) – Yapta (Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant), was created in 2007 by a former airline pricing executive. The site tracks airfares after you book them, and sends you an email if any significant price drop occurs along with information about how to get a refund voucher.