Airfare pricing is extremely complex, with algorithms changing fares minute by minute. It puts the average consumer at a significant disadvantage and far too often results in travelers overpaying for flights. Here’s how to find the cheapest flights to anywhere in the world!
Incognito mode and cookies
Based on the cookies in your browser, flight prices do increase when a particular route is repeatedly searched, as the site wants to scare you into booking the flight quickly before prices get even higher. Always search for flights in incognito or private browsing mode to see the lowest prices. Your cookies are reset each time you re-open an incognito window. So if you want to start with a clean slate for each flight search (so your previous searches aren’t “remembered”, potentially inflating costs), close all your incognito windows, open a new one, and then perform your flight search.
Use the right websites
Momondo is a great site that provides a graph indicating clearly the cheapest days to fly surrounding the dates you’ve searched for. You can also alter the search to focus on the quickest route if that’s more of a priority to you. As we already mentioned, Skyscanner is also a really good site to check out, as are the likes of Travel Supermarket and Kayak.
Plan in advance
Flip that script on its head and start by searching for flights, letting the price guide you to the cheapest dates possible. If you can be flexible with your travel dates, you can often score huge savings on flights by just slightly changing your tentative travel dates. For example, Google Flights will alert you when shifting your travel dates by just a day or two can result in huge savings. If you’ve already booked your hotels, you may not be able to take advantage. Don’t wait until the last minute to book! It’s a common misconception, but last-minute fares are mostly a thing of the past. Always book at least 30-45 days in advance whenever possible. For international flights, plan even farther ahead.
Travel during low season
Airline ticket prices vary greatly depending on the day of the week, time of year, and upcoming holidays, such as Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Thanksgiving, or the Fourth of July. August is a big month for traveling around Europe, and everyone wants to go somewhere warm in the winter or travel when the kids are out of school. In a nutshell, if you are going to fly when everyone is flying, then your ticket is going to cost more. Try to be flexible with your dates. The solution is to fly off-season. Search alternative dates so that you can capitalize on the best day. The more rigid your plans, the less likely it will be that you find a deal.
Book your flights and accommodation together
Book a package holiday and you’re likely to get discounts on flights as well as accommodation, airport transfers and activities like bus tours while you’re there. As holiday companies book in such large quantities, they tend to get the biggest discounts – sometimes you can even get an entire holiday for less than the cost of a regular flight!
