If you're in charge of planning the next family reunion, high school reunion, or student vacation, one of the first things you need to do is find cheap airfare for your group. If you want to get the best possible rates, it's a good idea to buy your tickets well in advance. In addition, it's always ideal to ask group members if their travel dates are flexible. Sometimes the best deals are simply a matter of booking tickets a day earlier or a day later than you planned.

Many airlines offer better ticket prices during the week when business travelers are less likely to take up seats. If you're group is able to travel on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, you have a better chance of finding the lower fares. If your group members are all leaving from the same city, you might want to check prices for departures from other nearby airports.

Booking Group Airline Tickets

One of the biggest mistakes novice travel planners make is settling for the first price quote. Many times the airlines can do much better than the initial price quote they offer. If you do a little research, you can get a good idea of the typical ticket price range for your destination. If one airline doesn't meet the lower end of this range, you need to try another one. When planning a group vacation, it's important to stick as closely to the group budget as possible.

If price is your main concern when shopping for group airline tickets, you need to make sure to read the fine print. Many of the cheaper flights come with restrictions. In addition to being non-refundable, many cheap tickets are also non-exchangeable. As a group, it's important to determine how last minute cancellations will be handled. When booking group travel, it's a good idea to invest in travel insurance to avoid incurring the costs of last-minute cancellations.