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ONLINE AIRFARE SITES -- FINDING THE BEST DEAL

© Lain Ehmann

Who hasn't seen the Priceline.com commercials, featuring Captain Kirk crooning as a cheesy lounge singer? Despite his singing talent -- or should I say, lack thereof -- Priceline has established itself as one of the leading spots for discount airline tickets.

Recently, though, several other sites have thrown their hats into the ring, hoping to give Priceline.com a run for its money. Here's a rundown on the newcomers:

*Hotwire.com. A joint venture of American Airlines, America West, Contintental, Northwest, United and US Airways, this site is aimed at "last-minute, budget-minded travelers," according to a recent Boston Globe article by Scott Bernard Nelson. Hotwire.com is a way for these airlines to sell the last-minute empty seats on their flights. Instead of naming your price, like you do on Priceline.com, "you plug in the parameters you want and see what kind of discounts Hotwire can dig up for you," writes Nelson. You then have half an hour to buy the ticket.

*Expedia.com. Plug in your travel info and the search engine tracks down the lowest fares for yoru itinerary.

*Cheaptickets.com. Another low-fare search engine, but you'll have to enter credit card info before you search.

*Travelocity.com. Another low-fare search engine, Travelocity.com requires you to register first. It can be worth it, though, as you can set a "low fare" watch and have the site notify you when deals are available.

Nelson reports that the following sites are under development... check them out in the future for more deals: iDerive.com, Orbitz.com, Savvio.com, Revelex.com, FairAir.com.

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