If finding affordable flights seems like a daunting task, think again. Contrary to popular belief, scoring cheap airfare is not a matter of luck, but rather a result of strategic planning and research. With a few simple steps, we’ll show you how we find cheap flights and how you can do the same. Whether you’re a budget traveler or simply looking to save some money on your next trip, anyone can find cheap flights.
But First.
The first step in finding cheap flights is to understand how cheap flights work, and the first thing to know is that no one really knows the secrets. Cheap flights remain elusive, as they consistently emerge, vanish, and evolve. Because of this, it’s rare to have a destination in mind and then find a cheap flight there. Instead, it’s often easier to come across a cheap flight and with it, a new unexpected destination. With all the trips we’ve taken, the majority of them have worked this way. We come across a crazy deal to a new place and away we go.
I mention this as it’s common to feel disheartened when witnessing others find cheap flights while struggling to do the same for your desired destinations. Regrettably, it doesn’t always happen in that straightforward manner. Obtaining cheap flights frequently demands considerable patience and flexibility, as they may not align precisely with your preferred plans.
With this in mind, this article is going to specifically focus on how we find cheap flights and how anyone else can follow the same method.
Keep it Simple
Our main approach is actually quite simple. We aren’t flight experts and we don’t have secret insights into killer deals and discounted prices. In fact, we mostly let other people do the work for us. There are dozens of groups out there that spend all day scouring the internet for deals. When they find them they send them out to their subscribers, like us. This has been our most valuable “secret” in finding affordable flights. These groups have saved us a significant amount of money, and they can undoubtedly assist you in achieving the same outcome.
Flightsfromhome.com – It’s a part of Pomelo but sends deals specific to your home airport.
Flytraverse.com – (Agency in Morgan, UT that occasionally sends out package deals.)
The Flight Deal – sends a daily email with a random assortment of deals based in the U.S.
Travel and Airline News
As nice as it is to passively find deals, there are additional strategies that are often overlooked and underrated. Staying updated with travel and airline news is a valuable approach that increases the likelihood of finding affordable fares. We make an effort to stay informed by reading travel news, participating in relevant Facebook groups, and even subscribing to airline newsletters, despite their annoyance. These sources frequently contain valuable information about flight deals and promotions. For instance, we learned about a new budget airline called Avelo through a news article and managed to secure a $19 flight from Ogden to Los Angeles. We’ve also jumped on a Southwest promo and snagged round-trip tickets to Hawaii for $250. By subscribing to airline email lists, you can stay informed about these promotions and sales as they arise.
Airlines also regularly introduce new routes as part of their expansion plans, and these route launches often coincide with promotional offers and special deals. Again, by keeping an eye on travel news, you can be among the first to discover these new routes and prices. Delta recently announced new non-stop flights to New Zealand. Having seen this, we scored flights for roughly $380 round trip. Being knowledgeable about such developments significantly enhances your chances of finding cost-effective travel options.
By taking these extra steps and staying up-to-date with travel information, you’ll be better equipped to navigate the world of cheap flights. Remember, knowledge is power, and the more you know, the more advantageous your position becomes.
Finding Cheap Flights Yourself
While finding cheap flights to specific destinations can be challenging, there is still hope. While email lists and news articles provide convenient updates on flight deals and promotions, sometimes it’s necessary to do some personal exploration. Numerous websites and apps are designed to assist you in discovering fantastic deals. Among these, we have a personal affinity for Google Flights due to its user-friendly interface and useful features. However, everyone has their preferences. To kickstart your search, here are a few of our favorite tools:
Google flights– This user-friendly platform allows you to easily search for flights and compare prices across different airlines. While it may not always include all budget airlines, Google Flights is great for showing you prices and averages. It even offers a handy calendar view feature that makes it easier to plan your next trip. We often use it as our first stop when searching for flights, and then move on to other search engines or specific airlines for direct booking. One of our favorite features of Google Flights is the “explore” feature, which allows you to search without a specific destination in mind. Simply leave the destination field blank, enter your travel dates, and explore the possibilities for your next adventure.
Skyscanner – Often our second source for finding flights. Sometimes the prices can be better than google flights so it’s always worth looking at. It’s not quite as slick as Google but it’s pretty dang close. It does have a one-up to Google, as it does a better job of catching budget airlines.
Kayak – Another great search engine for flights. This one, in my opinion, isn’t as slick but has a better explore feature than Skyscanner and Google. It shows you a map with prices on it as opposed to certain destinations as Google does. It offers ideas for your wanderlust and its calendar is color-coded with price ranges rather than prices and days.
Hopper – Similar to kayak but with additional booking Information and options. Hopper gives you the option to book now and pay later, as well as price increase protection. If you’re not quite sure you can pay a small price and freeze the price. One of its biggest perks is its price predictions. The app offers suggestions on when to buy, if you should wait, and when the prices may potentially drop. It gives a little history on prices and also gives you an idea of when prices rise as the departure date gets closer.
Kiwi – It honestly has it all. It’s perfect for travel hacking, nomad flying, and even the high-class flyer. It finds the cheapest regardless and exactly what you need. It doesn’t push code shares or quality airlines to the top of the list which keeps things fair and open. It’ll do some wild routes and airlines, but it will find you the cheapest flight. It gives lots of options on departure areas and arrival areas and has terrific region searching. Great for wanderlust and finding the absolute best deal for ultimate-budget flyers. Thankfully they’re aware of their funky bookings so they offer good protection on layovers and self-transfers which is a great plus when using cheap flights.
Mess around with these sources and try out their different features. Test out the explore functions and find some deals on your own. Most of them let you set alerts and if you have destinations in mind you can get email updates as prices fluctuate.
With all apps and sites, we typically just use them to give us prices and airlines. We then book with the listed airline or credit card portals depending on the reward rates and discounts available. You can do whatever you feel most comfortable with, but get a feel for them all so you never miss out on a deal.
Conclusion
Finding cheap flights doesn’t have to be a daunting task. It can be as easy as letting other people do it for you. By subscribing to email lists, staying informed about the latest travel news, and utilizing helpful search engines and apps, you can unlock a world of travel opportunities and save significantly on your next adventure. It’s again important to remember that the travel industry is constantly changing and deals may come and go quickly. Therefore, staying actively involved, conducting your own research, and maintaining persistence are essential. Whether you’re seeking to explore a new city or visit loved ones in another part of the country, there are always avenues to find affordable flights and transform your travel aspirations into reality. Keep searching, remain patient, and before you know it, you’ll be en route to your next destination.
Additional tips and advice for finding cheap flights
Be patient, it often takes time for that desired location or price to pop up. Finding cheap flights is a waiting game. Airlines are constantly changing prices and there’s really no way to predict when they drop. Keep looking and you’ll find what best fits you. Our European Christmas market trip was found this way. We knew we wanted to go so we started looking far out and patiently waited until the deals popped up. The alternative to this is to…
Go where the deals are and keep your mind open. People get too caught up on certain destinations and miss out on other opportunities. Have an open mind and go where the deals take you. We certainly weren’t thinking of Finland in the winter, but when we came across roundtrip flights for $283 we knew we couldn’t pass it up. Don’t hesitate and go where the deals lead you.
Be prepared to do a little digging of your own. If you find cheap flights on American Airlines from SLC to Paris, there’s a pretty good chance they’re also having deals to other locations. Hop onto the search engine of your choice, and look for other deals on American.
This can also work with competing airlines. If one airline has dropped its prices, it’s likely that others will as well to try and beat out the competition. If not immediately, give it a day or two and it’s not uncommon to see other airlines discounting their tickets even more.
If you get really lucky you’ll come across what’s called a mistake fair. A mistake fare is when an airline messes up their pricing and you’ll find a flight for $100 instead of $1000. They rarely last most than a few hours as the airlines will quickly get it fixed. Jump on these quickly! Be aware, however, that an airline may not honor these flights, and soon after booking you may get an alert telling you that the flight was canceled or not available. You’ll get your money back, but hold off on any other bookings as you could be stuck with hotels and tours and no plane to get there.
Watch out for the myths that booking on Tuesdays or at 1 pm will get you a better price. Back in the day airlines used to be set up on predictable systems, but that’s no longer the case and won’t do you any good. The myth that does hold some weight, however, is clearing your browsing history. Like everything these days, the internet knows all. That means the airlines know when you keep going back and forth to their page looking at flights. You’ll see those prices jump up and you’ll panic buy the higher prices. It’s not always the case, but give it a shot and use incognito mode or keep your history clear while searching for flights.
If you know your airlines, you’ll know that certain airlines fly to certain destinations. In our case, this was helpful because Icelandair flies from the U.S. to Europe and it stops in Iceland with free stopovers for up to 7 days. We were able to fly from Denver to Paris and stay in Iceland for 2 days on the way with no additional charge. Know your airlines and know where they fly to and from.