In case you didn’t know, airline travel is notoriously expensive. The cost of the average flight is currently hovering around $380, and that number is only likely to grow in the future, especially if fuel costs continue to rise.

But while you’re going to have to pay money for a flight no matter what, the good news is you can pay an amount well below this average if you are aware of some basic creative cost saving tips.

Here are the top creative ways to reduce the cost of a flight:

Pick An Airline That Will Not Charge You for Checked Luggage

Most domestic airlines will charge you around twenty five dollars for checked luggage, but the more luggage you bring with you, the more the price will rise afterwards. The good news is there are certain airlines out there that will not charge you for checked luggage, so you’ll want to do careful research to find if there are any such airlines serving your local airport.

Look For Travel Coupons

Looking for good travel coupons such as a Cleartrip coupon code remains one of the simplest ways to save your dollars on your next vacation or business trip. You’ll have to search hard for the discounts that can truly save you a lot of money, but they’re out there.

Take Two Separate Airlines To The Same Destination

This strategy may seem like the more expensive option, but the truth is it can save you cash if you play your cards right. For example, whereas a round trip to your destination may cost $2,000, there could be an alternative route where the first flight costs $1,000 and the second flight is only $500.

Change Your Time Of Travel

Believe it or not, but the prices of airline tickets can fluctuate greatly by the day. On Saturday the price of a ticket may be enormously expensive, but then on Tuesday it may drop in price by ten percent or more.

Switch Airlines

Since each of the airlines are competing with one another, many will offer a lower price over the nearest competition in an attempt to attract more travelers. Several routes across the United States or around the world are very competitive, which forces airlines to continuously lower their prices in response to others doing the same.

These drops in price can also happen within mere minutes, but they may also last for a few days. The point here is you need to keep your options open by paying attention to the changing prices of multiple airlines, rather than just sticking with one that you usually use. It’s understandable if you’re loyal to specific brands of airlines, but if your goal is to save on money, then shop around.

Reducing The Cost Of Your Next Flight

Each of these are valuable cost saving tips that you can use to dramatically lower the amount of money you have to pay the next time you travel via plane.