Airfare turbulenceFluctuating ticket prices frustrate air travelers(CNN) -- Finding the best airfare deal these days is no easy task -- airfares are a deal one day, and back up at stratospheric levels the next. On a recent flight from Atlanta to Dallas, an informal survey of passengers showed they paid between $170 and $270 -- though one frequent traveler on the route said he'd paid as much as $918 for a round-trip ticket. The airlines say they constantly monitor reservation demands and adjust prices to meet that demand, sometimes even on an hourly basis. But author Lawton Roberts says the fluctuating airfares are little more than an enticement -- deals that are there one minute and gone the next. "The $99 specials and the $199 specials get a lot of attention," says Roberts, who wrote "Unfair at Any Fare." "But there are not as many of them as there used to be, and I think they are teasers." Enticement of not, travelers say rapidly changing prices make it difficult to shop around. But some industry analysts say record numbers of people competing for seats justifies different prices. "For the business traveler, if they want to have space available on that airplane for them to get on there (at the last minute), there must be some higher fares which block leisure travelers from taking up every seat on the airplane," says George Washington University's Darryl Jenkins. So how should airfare-shocked travelers find the best deal on their flights? Try booking early for advance purchase specials, or ask a travel agent to check all airlines for the lowest fares. Another option is using reservations services via the Internet . One service set to launch this spring, Walker Digital Corporation's www.priceline.com, says it has reached deals with major airlines that will allow passengers to name their own price for tickets on flights departing at less than capacity. Whatever method used, diligence pays off in the search for lower airfares. Based on a report from CNN's Business and Travel and Beyond. The segment appears weekdays on Early Edition at 7 AM (ET) and on Morning News at 10 AM (ET). 
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