ATLANTA,None — Channel 2 consumer adviser Clark Howard believes social media sites can save people a lot of money when it comes to travel.
Some people, like Marcus Barela, have already signed up for email alerts.
"The email alerts are huge deals, like, a flight that's usually $219 is $69," Barela said.
Email is only one way to find a great deal.
Another way is to "like" certain companies on Facebook. But Twitter is the king of the deals.
Travel agent Ann Lombardi, of the Trip Chicks, calls it Facebook on steroids. But there's a trick to using Twitter.
"The key things are to follow the right people," Lombardi said.
Influencersintravel.com will help find people to follow.
For example, the Twitter handle for the CEO of farecompare.com is @rickseaney; @airfarewatchdog is also popular. Another option is to use @flyfrom, and then add an airport code, like @flyfromatl.
Specific airlines have some interesting deals.
Jet Blue has @jetbluecheeps with a quarter of a million followers.
Travelers also solve problems on Twitter.
Delta's trouble shooting feed is called @deltaassist. People can complain there and get a quick response.
Southwest Airlines has tried a different route. It's just teamed up with Groupon to offer short-term deals. But beware -- all the social media deals have a short lifespan.
As travel agent Ann Lombardi put it, "You snooze, you truly lose in the travel industry."
WSBTV
