If planing a family vacation or a group getaway you already know that air travel is becoming more expensive by the day and with consolidation, no one knows how the prices will be affected.

However, there is a simple way to try and beat the system:

Book tickets one at a time.

Sometimes, the quoted price will be different depending on how many passengers are traveling.

Let's say you have a group of four or more, when the site or travel agent asks how many passengers, first type in or say the total number, in this case, four and check the price given.

Then, start the search over, but this time type in or say one. The price, in many cases, will be cheaper than the group rate.

There are a few reasons for this:

The airline might have spare seats scattered and will sell them off on the cheap to get the flight sold out. 

Another thing most travelers don't know are the different price points. USA Today says it best ,"no airline charges the same price for every seat on a plane, and I'm not just talking about the differences between first class, business class and economy. There are actually about 10 different price points on each flight in coach, and at any given moment (based on historical flight booking patterns) you might get a different price for a smaller group of passengers."

Price also depends on when the flight is booked. If planing ahead, sometimes, instead of getting the cheapest flight, the airline charges more. Though it is risk, to save money, don't book the flight to far in advance--airlines usually will cut the price as the date nears. Again, the purpose of this is to fill the plane. This works mostly with international or coast-to-coast trips.

Check the airline or website every week to see the change in prices. 

Don't forget about the time of week. 

Weekend travel is most expense--try midweek, Tuesday or Wednesday.