There are very few people who like to pay full price for just about anything. Most of the time we have little choice as to what price to pay when we purchase an item. That doesn't mean we aren't on the lookout for good deals wherever possible, particularly when we travel by air.

Nobody wants to pay full price for airfare but most of the time we have little choice. Fortunately if you know where to look and how the ticketing system works it is possible to find really cheap airplane tickets to just about any destination.

If you normally purchase your ticket through a travel agent you might want to rethink that strategy. While they do offer a level of convenience and can find good deals at times you have to remember that selling airline tickets and travel packages are how they make their living. There is normally an added fee for using their services that adds to an already expensive ticket.

If you are looking for inexpensive airfares here are 4 strategies you can use to hunt down highly discounted tickets.

1. Airline Ticketing Search Engines - The internet is a wonderful thing when it comes to planning, pricing, and buying any type of travel package. The problem is wading through all the different travel sites trying to find the cheapest tickets. It can literally take you a couple of days if you were to try and look at every site and find the best deal. Now you can use airline booking search engines that do all that work for you. They search the hundreds of travel sites for you looking for the best deals that fit your travel plans, saving you time and money.

2. Call the Airlines - Pick up the phone and call the airlines ticketing representatives and ask them what kind of discounts they have available. Most airlines offer daily specials but they seldom advertise them to the general public. Here's a tip to really cash in on calling direct. Everyday the airlines ticketing system updates all its fare information, including dirt cheap airline tickets, at midnight. If you call just after midnight you stand a good chance of scoring a big savings on your next air travel date.

3. Plan Ahead - If you know you are going to need to travel a few months in advance then take advantage and find some inexpensive tickets. The window of opportunity is generally between 4 months and 18 to 24 days before a flight is scheduled to depart. Anything more than 4 months out will see little in the way of discounts and once you get to two weeks before a flight the airlines know they can charge the premium ticket price.

4. Be Flexible - Travel at off peak times such as the middle of the week or the off hours of the day. You can usually find savings if you do. If you want to be really flexible you can even score free tickets at the airport by giving up your seat on what is becoming a continuing airline overbooking problem. When they make that call looking for people to give up their seats for a later flight they will usually give vouchers for free tickets to anywhere they fly. Free is about as cheap as it gets.

Once you start to understand how the airline ticketing system works and where you can find the best deals it becomes much easier to find those really cheap airplane tickets. Having extra cash in your pocket because you are able to purchase inexpensive airfares makes learning how to work the system that much better, and who doesn't want extra money to spend at their destination anyway.