Real Deal: Get Cheap Summer Air Fares

In a recession, it's tough to convince people it's a great time to take a vacation, but the incentives are getting better.

Consumer reporter Michelle Buckman has the 'Real Deal' on what airlines are willing to do to get you on a flight this summer.

Unfortunately, the airlines aren't willing to drop all fees and they'll still charge you to check your luggage.

But here's what they are willing to do -- lower their air fares!

In fact, fares for travel next month are as much as 60% lower than last summer, according to analysis by FareCompare.com . Just chalk it up to good old supply and demand.

Airline prices were sky high last summer because demand was up. We hadn't realized we were in a recession yet.

But this summer, the reality of the recession means fewer passengers. Airline passenger revenue declined 26% in May - compared with the same month last year.

So to get you back on board, airlines are offering summer discounts.

Check out these examples:

A roundtrip from Philly to Ft. Lauderdale in July can cost as little as $159, including tax. That's down 20% from last summer!

A flight to Boston is now just $120. Last year, at this time, it cost double!

A tropical vacation can cost less too. Fly to Cancun for $286 - that's down 29%.

European flights are a lot more affordable too. Fly to Zurich and pay 45% less than you would have last August!

FareCompare.com crunched those numbers for us. You can use their website to find a cheap flight to your vacation destination. One-click does 180 searches in real-time!

The other advice I always like to give is search for the first flight of the day.

You can usually find a good deal on 6 or 7 a.m. departures and try to book your flight on a Tuesday or Wednesday - but especially Wednesdays, the cheapest day of the week.