How to find cheap flights

Introduction

Looking for cheap flights? We get it. Between sky-high airfare costs, taxes, and fees that make flight prices seem like a joke, flying can put a serious pinch on anyone’s wallet. By following these tips and tricks, you can find the best deals on flights so you can take your next trip without spending all your savings.

Start your flight search early.

You’ll also want to start your search early. It’s a good idea to look at flights at least three months before you travel, and even more if you can. As the weeks go by, prices drop steadily as airlines try to fill seats with passengers who want to fly on specific dates.

And finally: book quickly! When you find an acceptable fare (check out our guide on how to do this), don’t dawdle—you’ll lose money if you wait too long. The longer you take, the less likely it is that anyone else will book the flight at those rates.

Be flexible with your travel dates.

Use your flexibility. Booking flights on a Tuesday or Wednesday is usually cheaper than booking them on the weekend, for example. Traveling during off-peak times can save you money too. Avoid traveling during holidays, especially if you’re flying cross country—it’s going to cost more than usual!

A good time to book a flight is if there’s an upcoming holiday that week or weekend that will make travel more expensive (e.g., Thanksgiving). You’ll be paying less for the same trip because so many people will be traveling then!

Know the cheapest day of the week to fly out.

If you want to save money, the best day of the week to fly out is Tuesday. That’s because flights on Tuesdays are generally cheaper than other days of the week, according to Skyscanner’s data. The only reason that Wednesday isn’t as cheap? It’s typically a less popular travel day since most people are off work and school on Mondays and Fridays.

Sunday is by far the most expensive day for Americans to fly out of their home airport (or anywhere else in America).

The second most expensive day is Saturday, followed by Wednesday at third place.

Be flexible with your destination.

If you’re looking for cheap flights, there are a few things you can do to find the best deals. One of the most effective ways is to be flexible with your destination.

Let’s say you’re trying to get from New York City to London. You can often find cheaper fares by taking a flight that lands at an airport close enough where you’d be able to rent a car, or even take public transportation (such as a train). In some cases, this could save hundreds of dollars on your trip!

Book connecting flights yourself for less.

A lot of people think that booking their own flights is too much work. But it’s actually pretty simple and can save you a ton of cash. Here’s how:

Booking your own tickets can be helpful because airlines will often offer cheaper fares on connecting flights rather than direct ones. In some cases, these connecting flights are just one airport away from each other; they just take more time because they require stopping at another airport along the way (which means more layovers).
If you don’t have time to book your own flight, consider getting travel insurance so that if anything goes wrong with your trip—like getting delayed or canceled—your ticket costs won’t end up being more than what you paid for them originally (and sometimes even less). Some policies also cover lost luggage coverage.

Sign up for airline newsletters and deal alerts.

You can find cheap flights by using these tips:

Sign up for airline newsletters and deal alerts. There’s a reason airlines send so many emails, texts, and push notifications—it works! If you want to get the best deals, sign up for all of them. I like Airfare Watchdog because they send out daily deals from dozens of different airlines, which makes it easy to compare prices without having to check each airline individually.

Use the best flight search engines.

It’s important to use the best flight search engines. While there are tons of flight-searching options out there, it’s best to stick with the tried and true ones that have a good reputation, offer easy-to-use interfaces, and have excellent mobile apps to help you track flight statuses.

Airfarewatchdog is one such site; they have some pretty awesome features on their mobile app that allow you to keep tabs on deals as they’re happening. The app will alert you when there’s a new deal available or if your ticket has changed in price. If you’re planning your trip far in advance (more than two months), this is an invaluable way for keeping an eye on how much money the airlines are willing to part with for your business!

Don’t always pick the cheapest days to fly.

You might think the cheapest days to fly are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, because those are usually the slowest days for air travel. But if you’re trying to save money on your flight, don’t be afraid to book a flight during these times.

For example, if you need to get somewhere on a Monday morning and would rather not spend an entire day at an airport waiting for your connecting flight (or worse—missing it), then that may be what you need to do. Or perhaps there’s someone who can drop you off at the airport so they don’t have to deal with car parking fees or having their car towed? That could help keep costs down too!

Find mistake fares yourself.

Search for cheap flights on a regular basis. It’s important to keep an eye out for mistake fares, but there are other ways to find cheap flights as well. For example, some airlines have special promotions that last for a short period of time. If you miss the promotion, you may be able to still take advantage of it if you book quickly enough.
Be aware of what the airlines are doing but don’t get too caught up in it. There is no guarantee that any given airline will offer a mistake fare at any given time; however, it’s important not to get so focused on finding them that you let your guard down and miss out on other opportunities for cheap flights—like shopping around or being flexible with your travel dates and destinations.

Book with a travel agent.

Travel agents can help you find the best deals. They can help you find a good flight deal, a good hotel deal, a good car rental deal and even a cruise deal if that’s your thing. If you’re looking for something specific like this and don’t want to spend hours doing research online then booking with an agent is definitely worth considering.

Consider alternative airports when searching.

In general, you should always look for the closest airport to your destination when searching for cheap flights. If it’s possible to fly from a different airport and save money on travel expenses, then do it!

In addition to this rule of thumb, there are also other factors that can affect the cost of your flight:

Look for airports with a good flight schedule. This means that there are lots of flights going out and coming back every day (and not just at peak times). It’s also nice if they have limited layovers so that you don’t need to spend hours waiting around in an airport while you’re traveling.
Look for airports with good flight connections. This means being able to easily connect with other airlines or trains/buses once you arrive at the airport—so no complicated transfers required! This makes getting home after a long trip much easier on everyone involved (including yourself).
Look for airports with low landing fees so that airlines won’t have extra costs associated with bringing passengers through those areas when planning their routes’ schedules accordingly.”

You can find cheap flights by using these tips

Use a travel agent. Travel agents have access to better fares than you, and they can help you pick the best place to stay on your trip. You might be able to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by using a travel agent instead of finding cheap flights on your own.
Use a travel search website. Travel search websites are popular because they allow travelers to easily compare prices from all major airlines and book tickets in one place for no extra charge (although some do charge small fees). Sites like Expedia, Orbitz, Kayak and Travelocity offer similar features that let users compare flight costs across different airlines before booking their trips online or over the phone with customer service representatives who can assist with any questions about booking tickets or finding cheap flights that fit into your budget.* Use an app for finding cheap flights

Conclusion

At your next chance, start planning out your next flight and test out some of these tips. We are confident you will be surprised with the price you find.