How to Get Cheap Flights
Compare prices online using accurate and fair search engines., Search flights from nearby airports., Visit individual airlines’ websites., Get travel alerts., Follow airlines on social media sites., Search at the right time., Search in the right...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Compare prices online using accurate and fair search engines.
Finding the cheapest flights requires a rigorous search involving multiple search engines and airlines.
However, many airfare search engines are actually owned or operated by major airlines, meaning unbiased searches are off the menu.
Rather than sticking to search engines you see advertised on television, look for search engines that hunt down the cheapest fares among large airlines and small ones alike.
Try out matrix.itasoftware.com.
This website was developed by MIT in the 90’s and works by searching other airfare search engines.
Flight inception? Maybe.
But definitely one of the best means of finding cheap flights.Use skyscanner.net.
This neat website searches all airlines, big and small, and allows you to look for the cheapest rates out of your local, rather than getting bogged down with specifics.
Meaning, if you know you want to go on vacation but aren’t too picky about where, this website will provide the cheapest flights to everywhere in the world from the nearest airports to you.
Momondo.com is a great option for searching airlines for cheap international flights.
Rather than getting stuck paying high prices for large international carriers, this site will provide even the smallest international carriers in its search options. -
Step 2: Search flights from nearby airports.
This is a very simple and effective trick to find cheap flights.
Sometimes flights from local airport to your destination can be quite expensive while, on the contrary, flights from nearby airports can be really cheap.
For example, international flights from Seattle are quite cheap when compared to international flights from Vancouver and the distance between the two cities is only 234 km (about a two and half hour drive).
So driving or taking a bus to the nearby airport is sometimes a good way to get to your destination cheaply. , Although airfare search engines are great, what they don’t tell you is that some airlines reserve their best deals for people who visit their sites specifically.
Search for a list of large and local carriers in your area, and then search each of their sites specifically for the best deals.
When coupons, discounts, or sales are offered, they will typically only be advertised on each specific carrier’s site and will run for only 1-3 days. , Spamming your email or message inbox on your phone doesn’t seem like the most organized way to get a deal, but travel alerts often offer amazing prices you wouldn’t otherwise be aware of.
If your favorite airlines or airfare search engine offers travel alerts sent to your phone or email, sign yourself up! You won’t regret the few seconds it takes to delete those extra unwanted messages when you get the ones worth several hundred dollars worth of savings.
Airfarewatchdog.com is a website run by people (not a computer) who search for the best deals and send them to your email.
You can add specific search criteria via their site as well, allowing only deals pertaining to certain locations or times to be sent to your inbox.
Flightfox.com is run by travel agents who individually search and hand-pick the best deals to be sent to you.
This service requires a 29$ startup fee, but the site claims it will be fully refunded if you aren’t pleased with your results., You may feel silly adding an airline to your “liked” pages on Facebook or following them on Twitter, but the benefit of doing so is the special offers you’ll receive.
Airlines want to reward regular customers and encourage them to continue flying with them, so they will often advertise special low rates and discounts via social media sites only.
Follow as many airlines as you can for the best chances of getting a sweet deal., Turns out, there is a best time to search for flights.
After several studies of domestic (to the US) air carriers, it has been determined that the best time to search for flights is around 3:00pm Eastern time on a Tuesday.
Why? Around this time is when airlines release their discounted flight options, and look to fill up last-minute flights for the upcoming weekend.
Therefore, save your flight searching for a mid-afternoon break on the nearest upcoming Tuesday., Ok, 3:00pm on a Tuesday afternoon, got it.
That’s not all though; searching a specific number of days from your flight is also necessary for getting the lowest price.
Search at the earliest 3 months before your flight, and at the latest 18 days before your flight.
It has been determined that the best deals are posted for flights about 6 weeks prior to their takeoff, so aim for about a month and a half before your trip to search for plane tickets. , Looking for flights on single airlines may be the easiest, but you may have better results if you look into flying on multiple airlines.
Try taking one airline to your destination, and a separate one from.
Or, include a layover with another airline mid-flight.
Breaking up your trip and splitting it between carriers is likely to save you money, which is worth the extra time and hassle it will cost you., You need your flight, a hotel, and a shuttle to and from each? Rather than spending time organizing each item separately, save money and time by booking them together.
Although it may seem like a good way to spend more money, studies show that you actually save money by booking multiple travel items at once in a package deal. , If you’re a frequent flier, chances are you’ve gathered quite a load of frequent flier miles.
These miles are redeemable for, as they suggest, free miles on an airplane to a destination of your choice.
Sign up for a frequent flier card via your favorite carrier, or keep track of your miles with an air miles program.
With enough saved up, you may even get a free flight! , That’s right, student discounts go beyond the movie theater and football games these days.
Sites like statravel.com focus on finding flights at a discounted rate for students only.
Don’t let the high prices of textbooks and tuition prevent you from travelling any longer; keep up with student discounted flights and head off on your adventures whenever you’d like. -
Step 3: Visit individual airlines’ websites.
-
Step 4: Get travel alerts.
-
Step 5: Follow airlines on social media sites.
-
Step 6: Search at the right time.
-
Step 7: Search in the right time frame.
-
Step 8: Fly on multiple airlines.
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Step 9: Book multiple items at once.
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Step 10: Use your miles.
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Step 11: Check for student discounts.
Detailed Guide
Finding the cheapest flights requires a rigorous search involving multiple search engines and airlines.
However, many airfare search engines are actually owned or operated by major airlines, meaning unbiased searches are off the menu.
Rather than sticking to search engines you see advertised on television, look for search engines that hunt down the cheapest fares among large airlines and small ones alike.
Try out matrix.itasoftware.com.
This website was developed by MIT in the 90’s and works by searching other airfare search engines.
Flight inception? Maybe.
But definitely one of the best means of finding cheap flights.Use skyscanner.net.
This neat website searches all airlines, big and small, and allows you to look for the cheapest rates out of your local, rather than getting bogged down with specifics.
Meaning, if you know you want to go on vacation but aren’t too picky about where, this website will provide the cheapest flights to everywhere in the world from the nearest airports to you.
Momondo.com is a great option for searching airlines for cheap international flights.
Rather than getting stuck paying high prices for large international carriers, this site will provide even the smallest international carriers in its search options.
This is a very simple and effective trick to find cheap flights.
Sometimes flights from local airport to your destination can be quite expensive while, on the contrary, flights from nearby airports can be really cheap.
For example, international flights from Seattle are quite cheap when compared to international flights from Vancouver and the distance between the two cities is only 234 km (about a two and half hour drive).
So driving or taking a bus to the nearby airport is sometimes a good way to get to your destination cheaply. , Although airfare search engines are great, what they don’t tell you is that some airlines reserve their best deals for people who visit their sites specifically.
Search for a list of large and local carriers in your area, and then search each of their sites specifically for the best deals.
When coupons, discounts, or sales are offered, they will typically only be advertised on each specific carrier’s site and will run for only 1-3 days. , Spamming your email or message inbox on your phone doesn’t seem like the most organized way to get a deal, but travel alerts often offer amazing prices you wouldn’t otherwise be aware of.
If your favorite airlines or airfare search engine offers travel alerts sent to your phone or email, sign yourself up! You won’t regret the few seconds it takes to delete those extra unwanted messages when you get the ones worth several hundred dollars worth of savings.
Airfarewatchdog.com is a website run by people (not a computer) who search for the best deals and send them to your email.
You can add specific search criteria via their site as well, allowing only deals pertaining to certain locations or times to be sent to your inbox.
Flightfox.com is run by travel agents who individually search and hand-pick the best deals to be sent to you.
This service requires a 29$ startup fee, but the site claims it will be fully refunded if you aren’t pleased with your results., You may feel silly adding an airline to your “liked” pages on Facebook or following them on Twitter, but the benefit of doing so is the special offers you’ll receive.
Airlines want to reward regular customers and encourage them to continue flying with them, so they will often advertise special low rates and discounts via social media sites only.
Follow as many airlines as you can for the best chances of getting a sweet deal., Turns out, there is a best time to search for flights.
After several studies of domestic (to the US) air carriers, it has been determined that the best time to search for flights is around 3:00pm Eastern time on a Tuesday.
Why? Around this time is when airlines release their discounted flight options, and look to fill up last-minute flights for the upcoming weekend.
Therefore, save your flight searching for a mid-afternoon break on the nearest upcoming Tuesday., Ok, 3:00pm on a Tuesday afternoon, got it.
That’s not all though; searching a specific number of days from your flight is also necessary for getting the lowest price.
Search at the earliest 3 months before your flight, and at the latest 18 days before your flight.
It has been determined that the best deals are posted for flights about 6 weeks prior to their takeoff, so aim for about a month and a half before your trip to search for plane tickets. , Looking for flights on single airlines may be the easiest, but you may have better results if you look into flying on multiple airlines.
Try taking one airline to your destination, and a separate one from.
Or, include a layover with another airline mid-flight.
Breaking up your trip and splitting it between carriers is likely to save you money, which is worth the extra time and hassle it will cost you., You need your flight, a hotel, and a shuttle to and from each? Rather than spending time organizing each item separately, save money and time by booking them together.
Although it may seem like a good way to spend more money, studies show that you actually save money by booking multiple travel items at once in a package deal. , If you’re a frequent flier, chances are you’ve gathered quite a load of frequent flier miles.
These miles are redeemable for, as they suggest, free miles on an airplane to a destination of your choice.
Sign up for a frequent flier card via your favorite carrier, or keep track of your miles with an air miles program.
With enough saved up, you may even get a free flight! , That’s right, student discounts go beyond the movie theater and football games these days.
Sites like statravel.com focus on finding flights at a discounted rate for students only.
Don’t let the high prices of textbooks and tuition prevent you from travelling any longer; keep up with student discounted flights and head off on your adventures whenever you’d like.
About the Author
Lori Murphy
With a background in lifestyle and practical guides, Lori Murphy brings 10 years of hands-on experience to every article. Lori believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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