How to Find Cheap Airfare to Bonnaroo

The summer calendar is full of music festivals, but some stand out more than others. (And, as an aside, why do they all seem to have names that are impossible to spell?) The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is just one of the many fantastic multi-day music fests that take place during the summer, but this one usually has such an incredible lineup of performers that it’s a must-see for any serious music fan.

What makes it a little challenging, however, is that at first glance you’ll likely say, “Wait – Manchester, Tennessee? Where’s that?”

Unlike some summertime festivals, Bonnaroo takes place in a Tennessee city that – at any other time of year – has a population of just over 8,000. Since Bonnaroo started rolling into town in 2002, however, the local population is dwarfed for a few days each June by the number of festival-goers. In 2009, for instance, there were around 75,000 people who came in for the festival.

If you’re one of the people who’s planning a trip to the Bonnaroo Festival in 2010, then, you’ll want to be a savvy traveler – because obviously there are thousands of others who might just beat you to the cheapest fares. So here are the tips you’ll need to know to find cheap airfare to Bonnaroo.

>> Bonnaroo runs from June 7-12, 2012

Look at All Your Airport Options

Many cities around the country (not to mention the world) have multiple airports you can fly into, and making sure you’re including all airports within a reasonable distance from the city center will give you more options when it comes to finding cheap airfare. If you’re not an airport insider, you won’t know offhand which airports routinely have lower fares – so it’s always going to be better to keep your options open by including all of them in your searches.

Manchester, Tennessee isn’t a city that has a major airport, but it’s equidistant between two cities that do have airports. Nashville International Airport (BNA) is roughly 60 miles from Manchester and the state’s primary airport. But Manchester is also roughly 60 miles from Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (CHA). So you’d be smart to check flights into both airports to see which one has the better prices (not to mention schedules).

Stay Flexible With Your Plans

This is one of those tips that comes up regularly when you’re looking for tricks to save money on airfare, no matter where you’re going or when. If you get too specific with your travel dates and times, you could be missing out on great deals that are just a day or a few hours on either side of that – but you won’t know if you don’t cast a wider net in your searches.

You can do this manually by plugging multiple dates and times into any airfare booking site, but it’s much easier when the booking site does the work for you. If you see a box near where you put in your travel itinerary that says something like “my dates are flexible,” or “search 2-3 days on either side of this,” be sure to check that box. Doing so will make sure the system lets you know if there’s a better deal at a nearby date or time that could save you big money.

This can be more challenging when you’re traveling for a specific event like Bonnaroo, in that the cheapest flight may be after the festival has already started – but if you have more flexibility in your travel plans, you could go out to Tennessee a few days earlier than you planned to take advantage of a great deal (and then see what there is to see in Nashville before the festival starts).

Include Budget Airlines in Your Search

Some of the budget airlines in the US are big enough names that most people recognize – airlines like Southwest, jetBlue, and Frontier. But other budget carriers aren’t as famous, partly because they’re regional carriers. That doesn’t mean they’re not worth checking when you’re looking for cheap airfare.

With a trip to Bonnaroo, your best bet is to see which budget airlines serve the two airports closest to the festival – Nashville and Chattanooga – and then make sure you visit those airlines’ websites in addition to your regular airfare search. Some budget carriers come up in searches on booking sites, but some do not – so it’s always best to make sure you’re not missing a low fare by not looking at the airline’s site.

photo by World Resources Institute Staff