When I was still flying, going down the airfare rabbit hole was the part of trip planning I absolutely detested with a passion. Yet I'll be the first to admit there were times it paid off despite my frustration. This is getting more difficult to do with airlines putting profits before passenger safety. (After speaking with a friend of mine who was a security analyst for major U.S. airlines and learning what was going on behind the scenes, I quit flying altogether. I'll crawl to my travel destination rather than board a plane now.)
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Sometimes you have to set aside some time, then think creatively to find the cheap flights to anywhere now as airlines rush to close passenger savings loopholes. Flexibility and looking for alternate options can save a small fortune on your airline ticket prices.
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There’s almost always some way to bring down the cost if the initial search makes you feel like you’re going to have a stroke, no matter where you’re going - but time investment is the key. Going in with a flexible, open mind and making sure all the cheap flight possibilities are exhausted are also crucial. If you go in willing to expand your options and be flexible, you can profit from this time investment while the lazy people overpay.
Explore Flight Booking Options
The longer the flight, the more the alternative research matters — and the more variables can be involved.
Sure, we'd all love to be able to take a direct flight to our destination but the reality is these days you're more than likely to have at least one layover somewhere along the line.
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If you search on one booking site or directly on a specific airline. it may be $1,500 to get there quickly, with a one-hour plane change somewhere. You’ll often only find that out by using a service like Skyscanner or Google Flights.
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However, There may be airlines flying between those destinations that don’t participate in those online travel agency sites. There may be multiple airlines you have never heard of serving the route you want. One tip I’ve found helpful is to check the actual airport site of where you’re leaving from or arriving in. They often list all the airlines that use that airport, sometimes with links to their site. The ones that are unfamiliar may only offer direct bookings.
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Don’t forget about alternative airports! You often have to do some creative thinking and pull out a calculator to figure out how you’ll get from that alternative airport to where you’re going, but the savings can be substantial. It’s not unusual, for example, for an international flight from Orlando to be 25% or even 40% less than one from Tampa. (And cheapo Allegiant has a hub in St. Pete/Clearwater.)
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Also, keep in mind what you’re going to need for luggage when comparing the actual end price. If you can travel with just a carry-on and that’s included in the fare, great, but sometimes it’s not. Even more so now days with airlines charging you a minimum of $45 for carry on's and even by the weight of your carry on.
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This is where your travel credit cards come in handy. For example, my American Express Delta card not only awarded me Skymiles but allowed me one free checked bag and priority boarding. Savvy travelers, even the ones who only take one vacation a year, know how to do travel hacking right by getting an airline credit card or two on a regular basis. (They also avoid baggage charges on domestic flights at least.)
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Always avoid “basic economy” though. That’s another airline sucker game. If you’re going to get charged for everything except the most cramped seat on the plane and the (hopefully filtered) air you breathe, you might as well go on a true budget airline instead.
Use Email Alerts
Many flyers wait for deals to come to them via e-mail alerts and then plan their vacation around the flight deal instead of doing it the opposite way. Two of the best to check into are Skyscanner and Going.com. Any of the booking engines and airlines will also let you set up a flight alert for a given itinerary where you get an e-mail when it drops below a certain price.
Know Your Rights As A Passenger
The airlines are not going to tell you what your rights are because that might cost them money. What are the airlines obligations to you their customer if they cancel your flight or overbook it and bump you?
Fly Rights - U.S. Dept. of Transportation
Be Aware Of Excess Fees & How To Avoid Them
The airlines have gotten so ridiculous about these added surcharges that given their track record lately, I'm waiting for them to charge additional for a safe landing. Or installing automatic window shades on timers and for an added charge, you can look out the airplane window for 30 seconds.
Know your power as a consumer! When Southwest got it in their heads they were going to assign seating, tell you what you were allowed or not allowed to wear on their planes, airline passengers told them "Nope! We're not sitting still for this!" and stopped booking Southwest flights. Just the other day I read an article that due to this substantial drop in ticket sales (and not just with Southwest) that commercial airlines are now restoring free perks they did away with long ago in an attempt to get their ticket sales back up!
The airlines won't get one more red cent out of me until they clean up their act and begin putting the safety of their passengers ahead of their bottom line profits. I know my power as a consumer and I'll use it to my full ability to help force a change to happen.
Know Air Fares & How They Work
Flight prices can change multiple times a day depending on several factors: airlines change the prices of their flights according to market demand, and they drop prices mostly when demand for a route is low, which often happens in winter (outside the holidays). You can also expect flight prices to drop between 4 months and 3 weeks before the departure date, and early on in the week, such as on Tuesday afternoons and Wednesdays.
Airlines regularly change prices during the week depending on competitor’s prices and other factors, which is done to maximize profits and increase the number of filled seats.
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Recent data reveals that average airfare can spike by over 30% during peak holiday weeks. In contrast, off-peak times surrounding these events often present more affordable options.
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​There are several travel sites where you can sign up for free email alerts on discounted fares. My favorite one is Scott’s Cheap Flights (now called Going.com), which sends flash sales and other cheap flight deals directly to your inbox. Another popular site to check out is Dollar Flight Club, which sends out low price fares and allows you to track flight prices.
All you have to do is input a preferred home airport and they will send alerts whenever flight deals appear. Scott’s Cheap Flights also offers a premium version for a $49 annual fee, which I used for three years. The features and deals are much better with the premium version, so I recommend signing up for the free trial.
Use Frequent Flyer Programs
Earn rewards with airlines and hotel loyalty programs. You should also check to see which airline alliance they are a part of, as you’ll gain rewards for flying on partner airlines as well. The major players are One World, Sky Team, and Star Alliance.
Take Advantage Of Stopovers
One of my favorite travel hacks that I’ve used time and again is leveraging airline stopover programs. It’s like a two-for-one deal on your flights. Here’s the deal: many airlines offer free stopovers, especially in their hub cities. This means you can explore an additional city at no extra flight cost. For instance, say you’re flying from the U.S. to Bangkok with a stop in Dubai. With a stopover program, you can extend your layover in Dubai for a few days without any additional cost on your airfare. It’s like getting a mini vacation within your vacation!
In addition to that, some airlines even offer complimentary hotels, meals, and experiences if you have a long layover in a destination.
Give Yourself Wiggle Room Around Your Preferred Flight Date
It’s always a good idea to give yourself at least a week buffer before and after your preferred travel dates to find the best flight deals. Skyscanner and other flight aggregators provide flexible search options that help you locate the best deals during a given timeframe. Typically, I'd begin my research with Google Flights to find the cheapest dates. Then, I'd pivot to Skyscanner, Hopper, and ultimately the airline website to find the best deal.
Fly Midweek When Possible
As a rule of thumb, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are much cheaper for flying than Fridays and Sundays.
I've found flights with discounts as much as 75% flying mid week.
Catch An Early Morning Or Late Night Flight
These flights are not always super desirable, but they are a great way to unlock discounted fares. Based on my experience, the cost savings typically outweigh the inconvenience. This is a good option for parents with little ones that get antsy on a flight as they're more likely to sleep through the flight.
Fly With A Budget Airline
This one kind of goes without saying. Whenever you look for cheap flights, you’ll often find that there are a few budget airlines out there (i.e. Spirit, RyanAir, EasyJet) that offer the lowest prices. It’s no accident – as these are considered “no frills” airlines, and you get what you pay for. These budget airlines aren’t very glamorous, but they will certainly save you money traveling to your destination.
​One important caveat about flying with budget airlines: beware of the baggage requirements! Usually, only a small carry-on and personal item is included. So, if you plan to bring larger travel bags with you, be sure to look closely at the baggage allowance prices. While the base airfare is typically cheap, prices can increase exponentially if you plan on checking a bag. If you plan on bringing more than one, I would consider a more premium airline, as the overall prices will likely be about the same.
Best Websites & Apps To Save On Airfare
Keeping up with airfare prices has gotten easier thanks to sites like Google Flights and Kayak. To use them, just type in your home and destination airport, pick the flights that work best for you and then set an alert to track the price. After that, you'll receive emails showing if your tracked flight went up or down in price. Both sites also let you see which days are cheaper to fly in that month.
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Airfarewatchdog is another site that lets you search flight deals, so take a look and compare your options between sites to find the best price available.
Best Websites & Apps For Flight Information
Once your flight is booked, you’ll want to keep tabs on gate changes, layover information and more to ensure your travel goes as smoothly as possible. Flight delays and cancellations can really put a wrench in your plans, but staying up to date on current flight and airport information can make managing these situations easier.
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FlightStats.com can help you plan a smooth trip by advising you on the best time of day to fly from a specific airport and which terminals to avoid when connecting flights. You can also view live updates of flight delays and sign up for free e-mail and phone alerts. For $2.99 per month, a premium membership provides flight alerts and access to historical flight data. Flightaware.com also tracks and predicts flight delays.
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If you’re delayed by weather or some unforeseen event, it pays to act quickly. The TripIt Pro smartphone app ($49/year) will send you alerts about cancellations, delays or gate changes, sometimes even ahead of an airline announcement. Use it to locate alternate flights, find out when better seats are available, get fare refund notifications, track your rewards program points and more.