CINCINNATI -- Have you tried to book a flight for this fall or the holiday season yet? Make sure you're sitting down: Many airfares that were $200 round-trip a year ago are now $400 or more.

But before you cancel your plans, NewsChannel5 consumer reporter John Matarese said you might want to check out the advice from an Ohio teenager.

Mark Becker is a computer whiz who discovered that the best fare sales are posted deep within airline Web sites.

"The problem using sites like Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz is they don't list the exclusive deals that airlines have," Becker said.

So with some family help and financing from Google Ads, he launched a Web site called "Airfare Dig."

Each week, he "digs" for hidden sales from airline Web sites. When Matarese explored his site a couple of weeks ago, he saw that "Airfare Dig" found a $98 roundtrip to Las Vegas on Jet Blue, along with a $138 fare to New York City from several major airports (These are only listed as examples. Those particular sales have expired by now).

He shares three of his secrets:

1. If you fly on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday you'll almost always get a lower fare.
2. The best sales are buried within airline Web sites. You won't find them anywhere else.
3. Packages that include a hotel room are often your best deal. He said "sometimes a package can cost less than the flight itself," Becker said.

For instance, he showed me a weekend deal to Downtown Atlanta, with airfare, car, and hotel for $514. He found an overnight deal to Chicago with hotel room included for $219. He said a standard roundtrip fare to Chicago would be much more.

His Web site may not have the budget, bells or whistles of established sites like Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz. But Becker provides some good insights into finding lower airfares, so you dont waste your money.

Disclaimer: John Matarese does not endorse AirfareDig, and is providing a link for informational purposes only.