How to Get the Cheapest Tickets for Your Next Vacation And already, american families are trying to plan spring vacations. So, we wondered, if there are any new ways to make sure you're getting the cheapest possible tickets for travel. Turns out, there are. And abc's paula faris shows us how to save real money. Reporter: Airline mergers can mean good news for consumers. You'll probably be flying on a newer aircraft. The bad news? With less competition, air fares can climb. Just over the last three years, air fare has risen as much as 20%. Reporter: Rising fares are very much on the mid of the rodriguez family today. Madeline and her three sons and daughter, hoping to fly from honolulu to ontario, california for a family reunion and looking at nearly $1,000 a ticket. It's just too much. Paula -- I need your help! Reporter: So, we asked abcnews.Com's travel expert genevieve shaw-brown for help. First tip, the rodriguez family is better off buying two tickets and then the remaining three tickets separately. Finding all five seats together can cost you more for the convenience of sitting together. You have to be willing to break up the family, potentially. Reporter: Tip number two. We've heard over and over that it's best to fly on wednesday, the least popular day to travel. But when's best to book? Turns out it's tuesdays at 3:00 p.M. That's when the airlines typically release their sale fares. So, they tend to load their systems around that time. Reporter: Tip number three. Use sites like hipmoneyiunk.Com and with your budget. But buy your ticket directly with the airline, often cheaper than a middle man. It's really in their best interest to get people to book on their own site. They do it through promo codes. They offer deals through facebook and twitter. Reporter: And finally, be flexible. The rodriguezes were looking to fly with a layover to ontario, california. We found them a non-stop flight to los angeles, just 60 miles away, for almost $2,000 less. So, maybe I will be able to make that family reunion. And that's real money. Reporter: Some airlines are going to hit you with a change fee. If you don't have time to monitor, there are websites alerting you if your fare drops after booking. We have more on our website, diane. Great to see you and your real money, paula.