Begging, Borrowing, Even breaking the rules. Is this any way for a grown business traveler to act, just to get a lower air fare?

It is for Joseph Weber, a sales executive from Wisconsin who says he found a way to squirm out of the airline industry's $50 to $75 change- of-ticket penalty. When Mr. Weber has to make changes in his travel plans, he goes to one of the airline's clubs, where he says the staff is eager to please and won't charge him the fee. Another ruse: Board the plane at the last minute, when gate agents are busiest and often don't have the time to charge the penalty. "They don't even notice," says Mr. Weber.

Never mind that their companies may be paying for the ticket. A small but growing cult of business travelers say they're tired of watching airlines raise fares year after year in one market after another. If only out of principle, or just to impress the boss, they're trying almost any trick in the book to shave a few dollars off their next flight. They will travel with an older person to get a discount companion fare, take bus trips to remote airports, and risk the wrath of airline officials by skirting airline policies that have been in place for years.

BUYING IN BULK: Some business travelers are playing air fares the way they play the market, buying up months worth of tickets when prices are lowest. Vincent Kent, a San Antonio executive, says he lopped off 30% of his travel costs to Chicago last year by buying 24 round-trip tickets more than three months in advance, locking in fares when the airlines offered discounts. His savings: $5,000 -- less than some restricted tickets would have cost him two weeks before his trips.

"I have no moral feelings about taking advantage of the airlines because they take advantage of me," says Mr. Kent. He has become so fed up, he says, he's even moving his family to Chicago this summer to reduce his travel.

DISCOUNTS: Airlines offer anywhere from a 10%-20% discount on tickets to "senior citizens" -- generally, people 62 years and older, something that travel agents say their clients often don't know. Often, companions flying with a senior citizen get the same discount.

Students can also get discounts on certain routes, as long as they can show either proof of age or a student-identification card. Some youthful-looking travelers have gone as far as signing up for a night course at a local college to obtain a student-identification card. "It's unusual, but it's been done," says Chris McGinnis, editor of a newsletter that advises travelers on how to find cheaper tickets.

FLY-THROUGHS: When Bill Reinhardt flew from Chicago to Denver last spring, he booked an airline ticket to Colorado Springs and just got off the plane when it stopped in Denver. Mr. Reinhardt saved about $100 by just throwing away the portion of the ticket for the Colorado Springs leg. "I do this wherever I can," says Mr. Reinhardt, who travels every two weeks as a sales executive based outside Chicago. The tactic is far from new, and airlines vary in their opinion about it; some say it violates their rules; other carriers are not as adamant.

BACK-TO-BACKS: This strategy involves purchasing two restricted tickets for the same trip, fares that require a Saturday night stay. The traveler then uses a portion of each ticket to avoid having to stay the weekend away and still gets as much as a 50% discount. Airlines have started to crack down on fliers who use these tickets and fining travel agents who issue them.