The most expensive part of most trips is the plane ticket. Although transatlantic flight prices have fallen in recent years, they can still deal a huge blow to any travel budget. Whether you are a budget-conscious solo traveler or a family looking to vacation abroad, finding a cheap flight deal can make or break your trip.
If your flight is too expensive, you will likely keep putting off your trip. I have seen this happen time and time again.
It is possible to come across thousands of great deals every day: such as accidentally published fares, special promotions, or prices dropped to compete with another airline. It is always possible to find cheap flights. If you know where to look (I start all my flight searches with Skyscanner), you can turn your dream trip into a reality.
Today, I will help you master the business of finding cheap flights. These are the steps I have followed to get the cheapest plane ticket on every flight for ten years. If you follow these steps too, you won’t be the person who bought the most expensive ticket on the plane.
No matter where in the world you want to go, here is how to find a cheap flight:
1. Don't Believe What Everyone Says
The first thing you need to know about finding cheap flights is that there is no magic way or trick to doing it. There are many myths on the internet about finding cheap flights. You have probably encountered these myths while looking for a cheap ticket!
These are all lies. They will steer you in the wrong direction.
Many websites hire editors to write common and outdated nonsense. Here are the most common myths that are 100% untrue:
- It is NOT true that buying a plane ticket on a Tuesday (or any other specific day) is cheaper.
- There is NO evidence that searching in incognito mode brings cheaper offers.
- There is NO evidence that there is a specific date or timeframe to book your plane ticket.
- You cannot predict airline flight prices, and websites that claim to do so are actually taking a guess (which is wrong most of the time).
Airlines use advanced computer and pricing algorithms to set prices and organize sales based on annual periods, passenger demand, weather, major events/festivals, time of day, competitor prices, fuel prices, and many more factors. These so-called "tricks" no longer work. The system is too smart. Don't believe that nonsense anymore.
Don't listen to anyone who says things like this. Anyone who tells you these things doesn't know how to find cheap airfare!
2. Be Flexible With Your Travel Dates and Times
Plane ticket prices vary wildly depending on factors such as the day of the week, the time of year, and upcoming holidays (like Christmas, New Year's, Thanksgiving, or religious holidays). August is a huge month for travel in Europe, and in winter, everyone wants to go somewhere warm or travel when the kids are out of school.
In short, if you are going to fly when everyone else is flying, your ticket will be more expensive.
The solution is to fly off-season. Search for alternative dates so you can catch the most affordable day. If your plans coincide with a peak period, your chances of finding a deal decrease.
Try to be flexible with your dates. If you are determined to visit Paris, go in the spring or autumn when fewer people visit and plane tickets are cheaper.
But do you want to go in mid-August? You're out of luck. Hawaii at Christmas? Good luck! Prices will be at their peak.
Also, because most people travel on weekends, flying mid-week is almost always cheaper than the weekend. It is cheaper to fly after a major holiday period or on a holiday itself. Early morning or late-night flights are also cheaper because fewer people want to travel at these times (who wants to wake up early?!). Fridays and Mondays are expensive because most business travel is done on these days.
When searching on Skyscanner, expand the calendar view by clicking on the date field, and you will immediately see the cheapest months to fly. In this search from Istanbul to Paris, you can see that traveling in September, November, or December costs half as much as traveling in June or July:
3. Be Flexible With Your Destinations
If you cannot be flexible with your travel dates, at least be flexible about where you are flying. It is best to be flexible with both, but if you want to save the most money and find cheap airfare for your trip, you need to be flexible with at least one.
Search engines used to search for airline flights have made this easy for everyone. You no longer need to search city by city, day by day. Websites like Skyscanner and Google Flights allow you to see a map of all flights in the world on a single page. This allows you to easily compare multiple destinations without having to think about every possible option. You might even find some interesting destinations you hadn't even thought of!
If you are flexible about where you want to go (meaning anywhere other than home), just type "Everywhere" into the search box on Skyscanner or "Anywhere" if you are using Google Flights.
The truth about plane tickets is that there is always a deal for somewhere — it may not be your first choice. But if you are flexible about where you want to go, you will always find a deal and save a ton of money in the process.
When you are locked into a single place and time, you have to settle for the price that comes your way. There is nothing that can change that. But when you are flexible, suddenly the whole world opens up to you and you find incredibly cheap plane tickets!
4. Check Out Special Offers
Before you start searching for flights, make sure you sign up for some newsletters. Joining the email lists of airlines and websites that offer last-minute deals gives you access to the best deals available. Of course, 99% of these may not fit your travel plan, but keeping deals in mind ensures you don't miss out on an incredible opportunity.
Often, cheap flights are available for a limited time (usually 24 hours). If you aren't constantly scanning the internet for deals, it's likely you will miss out on the best ones.
If I hadn't signed up for flight deal websites, I would have missed out on a $200 flight to India (normally $500) and a $500 flight deal to the United States.
Also, airline newsletters offer frequent flyer bonuses. These points and miles can turn into free flights and great upgrades.
Other sites worth checking are:
- Turkish Airlines – Great for global flight deals.
- Pegasus – Best for European flight deals.
5. Fly Budget Carriers
Years ago, when you wanted to fly between continents, you usually had to fly with expensive airlines. Now this situation has changed. Today, there are many low-cost airlines around the world that you can fly with without breaking your budget. Of course, these airlines may not be as comfortable and you may have to pay for premium upgrades like luggage and meals, but the world comes to your door without you running out of money in your bank account.
Low-cost airlines usually serve short- and medium-haul routes. Although many low-cost airlines (especially Norwegian Air) canceled their long-haul routes during COVID, new airlines (like PLAY, Norse Atlantic Airways, and French Bee) have emerged to take their place.
For now, since low-cost airlines generally operate regionally, it is quite easy to find cheap flights even in this era of high prices.
Here is a list of the world's most affordable airlines:
Canada
- Flair Airlines
- Swoop
- Air Canada Rouge
- Porter
- Air Transat
- Sunwing
- WestJet
United States
- Southwest
- Allegiant Air
- Frontier
- Spirit Airlines
- Sun Country Airlines
- JetBlue
Asia
- Air Asia
- Jeju Air
- Hong Kong Express
- Scoot
- Peach Air
- Spice Jet
- Spring Airlines
- Nok Air
- T’Way Airlines
- Cebu Pacific
- Lion Air
- VietJet Air
- IndiGo
Europe
- Vueling
- Ryanair
- Easyjet
- Eurowings
- Norwegian Air
- Wizz Air
- Transavia
Australia/New Zealand
- JetStar
Middle East
- Pegasus
- flyDubai
- Air Arabia
(Tip: If you don't know which airline flies where, visit the airline's website and search for flights from there.)
Flying with low-cost airlines whenever possible is a good alternative to flying with "major" airlines. You get fewer benefits, but you can save a lot in terms of price.
Just remember to watch out for fees. That is how these airlines make money! Low-cost airlines usually charge for checked bags, carry-ons, printing your boarding pass, credit card usage, and everything else they can. Make sure to check if the price goes up even further by adding the ticket price and fees together.
Also, you will want to double-check the location of the airport at your destination for a low-cost airline. These airlines often fly into and land at airports quite far from the city, and transportation options from these airports can be limited and expensive.
For example, a shuttle to Beauvais, Paris's budget airport, costs 17 EUR one way. If you are flying round-trip, this means you need to add approximately 34 EUR to the price of your plane ticket to see if flying with a low-cost airline really provides savings.
6. Don't Always Fly Direct
Not only being flexible with dates and destinations but also being flexible with your route is another way to find cheap flights. For example, sometimes flying to London and going from there to Amsterdam with a low-cost airline can be cheaper than flying directly to Amsterdam.
I did exactly this when going to Brazil. The flight from Nepal was 1000 USD, but I could have flown to Qatar for 100 USD and gotten a 500 USD flight to Brazil. This meant more flight time, but saving 400 USD was worth it to me.
To use this method, find out how much it costs to go directly to your destination. Then open Google Flights, type in the continent of that destination, and look at prices to nearby airports. If the difference is more than 150 USD, check how much it is to get from the second airport to your actual destination (if it's not too far, by low-cost flight or train). You can search for the best transport routes between a nearby airport and your actual destination using Rome2Rio.
You can also do this for departure. Flying from a nearby airport might be cheaper. I often search for other airports to see if flying/taking the train is cheaper and then flying to my final destination. For long international flights, it might be worth spending the extra time!
If you book separate segments, make sure there are at least three hours between connections. This will give you time in case of a delay because your second flight won't wait for you (since you booked with a separate airline, they won't care if you are late).
Leaving a three-hour buffer will also cover you for an insurance claim, as most insurance companies require a delay of at least 3 hours before you can file a claim.
This method requires more work because you have to check different routes and airlines. However, it can lower the price of your flight, which is worth the extra effort if you save a few hundred dollars.
Note: If you experience a delay on a flight to or from Europe, you may be entitled to additional compensation (up to 600 EUR).
7. Remember Not All Search Engines Are Equal
To find the best deal, you need to search on multiple websites. Many large search sites do not list budget airlines or foreign airlines because these airlines do not want to pay booking commissions. Others do not list non-English booking sites. And some only show prices obtained directly from airlines.
In short, flight search websites are not created equal, and they all have pros and cons.
It is necessary to search for flights on several of them to compare. Even the best ones have flaws. However, I have a few favorites that always show the best results. In my opinion, the best websites for finding cheap flights are:
- Skyscanner – The best booking site. They have a great user interface (and a great app for mobile).
- Google Flights – A great search engine that allows you to see prices for multiple destinations.
I usually start all my searches with Skyscanner because they search all major and budget airlines, non-English sites, English sites, and everything in between. They meticulously review all the sites they link to because they have strict criteria regarding who they work with. This is one of the most comprehensive booking sites, and they have the lowest price 99% of the time. I have been using them since 2010, and it is the search engine used by every other travel expert I know.
8. Take Advantage of Student Discounts
If you are a student (or under 26 years old), there are many discounts available to you. You can usually find prices that are 10-20% off the standard fare. Travel agencies like Flight Centre and Student Universe can help you find a cheap ticket. Don't overlook these options!
Also, remember that most student discounts are also transferred to airline partners. For example, Lufthansa offers a student discount, which means you can use this discount on partner airlines like Swiss Airlines and Austrian Airlines. This way, you can still save a large amount of money when going to much further places.
If you are unsure which airlines offer discounts (this information is not easy to find), visit their websites or call them by phone. Doing a little research to save 20% (or more) is worth it!
9. Mix and Match Airlines
When you book directly with an airline, you can only fly with that airline and its partner airlines, if any. This means your options for finding a perfect itinerary or maximizing savings will be limited.
However, if you are looking for more savings, try booking your tickets with separate airlines. For example, if you are flying from Istanbul to Paris, you might have a layover in Germany. Booking both legs as a single ticket would be simple, but it likely won't save you money.
Instead, book your flight from Istanbul to Germany as one ticket, and then book your flight from Germany to Paris with a different airline. This allows you to research to find the best deal. It requires more work, but the savings (and flexibility) can be worth it.
Most third-party booking sites like Kiwi.com do this. They combine trips using every type of flight they can find to ensure you get the cheapest price.
If you are looking for the lowest price and aren't satisfied with what you found on the airline's website, try booking in separate segments. You might come across a great deal!
10. Use Points and Miles
As soon as you know you want to travel somewhere, you should sign up for a travel credit card. Using points and miles is the #1 way avid travelers like me earn free flights, travel perks, and free hotel stays. Travel credit cards offer large welcome bonuses, use of apps like Uber or Lyft, access to airport lounges, travel insurance, and much more.
You don't even need to spend extra. I earn over a million miles a year without flying or spending extra money. This means dozens of free flights (often in business class) for me and my family.
If you use your money wisely and collect points and miles, you can travel the world for a very small fee (and often for free). Here are some articles that can help you get started:
THY Miles and Smiles
If you already have points and miles you've collected, consider joining a platform like point.me. It is a search and booking engine that helps you find the best ways to use your points and miles. It searches over 30 loyalty programs and over 100 airline programs to find the best possible value, so you never waste your miles!
11. Search Ticket Prices for Individual Travelers
If you are traveling with friends or family, do not search for or purchase multiple tickets in a single transaction. Airlines always show the highest ticket price in a group of tickets, which means you will pay more.
Airlines have tons of different price points for tickets (based on various factors). They want to sell tickets in the highest fare class, and when they group tickets, they always list the prices at the highest fare class.
For example, if you are a family of four and you search for four seats, the airline will find four seats together and show your fare based on the highest ticket price. So, if seat A is $200, seats B and C are $300, and seat D is $400, instead of adding up individual ticket prices, each of these tickets will be priced at $400. If the price difference is large, this means a massive extra cost.
Therefore, always search for tickets as a single person. You can then choose your seats during the checkout process so you and your family can sit together. And even if you can't be next to each other, it's a fair way to save a few hundred dollars.
12. Look for Tickets in Other Currencies
If your country's currency is currently strong compared to other currencies in the world, search for flight tickets in a country where the currency is weaker.
For example, when the US dollar was strong and the Turkish currency was weak, I found a one-way flight from Turkey to New York for 1,000 USD. However, when I searched the Turkey version of the airline, I saw the same ticket priced at 600 USD.
It was the same airline, the same flight, and the same booking class; it was just booked in a different currency. While this tip doesn't always work, it works often enough, and if your currency is in a good state, it's something worth trying.
13. Book Early (But Not Too Early)
Airline fares continue to rise as you get closer to departure, but there is a sweet spot where airlines begin to lower or raise fares based on demand. Don't wait until the last second, but don't book too far in advance either. The best time to book a flight is about 2-3 months before departure, or about five months before if you are heading to your destination during the peak season.
However, this is not a hard and fast rule, so use it as a guide. I could go on forever about airline pricing models, but airlines raise prices close to departure because people who book at the last minute tend to be business travelers who are insensitive to price and will pay regardless. So, don't book at the last minute!
This is a more advanced (and riskier) way to find cheap flights, but if you are determined to spend as little money as possible, hidden-city fares are worth searching for. This is when you book a flight that has a layover at your desired destination. Instead of continuing to the final destination where you booked the ticket, you get off the plane and leave the airport in the layover city.
For example, suppose you want to fly from Austin to Atlanta. A flight from Austin to New Orleans with a stop in Atlanta might be cheaper than booking directly from Austin to Atlanta.
As you might guess, this practice can be complex and tricky. There are a few important points to keep in mind: if you skip a leg, the airline cancels the rest of your trip. This means you cannot buy a round-trip ticket and do this on your outbound flight because your return flight will be canceled. Also, you cannot check bags because the bags will go to the final destination on your ticket, not where you get off.
Additionally, airlines are strictly against this practice, so you don't want to advertise that this is what you are doing, and you don't want to do it often, or you could be flagged.
All that being said, you can save hundreds of dollars with hidden-city flights, and it is completely legal. It is easy to search for hidden-city flights on the Skiplagged website. Do it at your own risk!
Finding a cheap flight is all about being flexible and being creative. It might require some effort, but the deals are there if you are willing to look. Follow the tips above to get started, but don't waste hours searching for a cheap flight. If you are spending more than an hour booking a flight, you are spending too much time.
When you find a flight deal you are satisfied with, book it immediately because flight prices change by the minute. Remember that you have a 24-hour window to cancel if you need to.
Use the tips above on how to book a cheap flight to make things go your way. Do this and you will always get a great deal!
Get Your Cheap Flight Today
I start all my searches with Skyscanner because they search all major and budget airlines, non-English websites, English websites, and everything in between. It is best to start searching for flights today, even if you are not sure about your plans. Those who wait to book are the ones who spend the most.
Next post —-> How to become a traveler
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. If you have questions about the companies or my partnership status, please don't hesitate to email me.
