How to Find Cheap Flights: 12 Expert Tips

Flight prices can vary by hundreds of pounds for the exact same route and dates. The difference between savvy bookers and everyone else comes down to strategy. Here are 12 proven tips to help you find the cheapest flights every time.

1. Book at the Right Time

For domestic flights, the sweet spot is 6–8 weeks before departure. For international flights, book 2–3 months ahead. Booking too early or too late almost always costs more. Set a calendar reminder and check prices regularly as your target window approaches.

2. Be Flexible with Dates

Flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday is typically 15–30% cheaper than flying on a Friday or Sunday. If your travel dates are flexible, use the "flexible dates" feature on comparison sites to see prices across an entire month. Even shifting by one day can save you significantly.

3. Compare Multiple Search Engines

No single site always has the best price. That's exactly why we built our flight comparison tool - it opens results on Google Flights, Kayak, Skyscanner, Expedia, Momondo and Trip.com simultaneously, so you can compare in seconds.

4. Use Incognito Mode

Some booking sites use cookies to track your searches and may show higher prices on repeat visits. Browse in incognito or private mode to see baseline prices. While the evidence for "price hiking" is debated, it's a simple precaution that costs nothing.

5. Consider Nearby Airports

Flying into a secondary airport can save you a fortune. London has six airports, New York has three, and Milan has two. Check alternate airports within a reasonable distance of your destination. The savings often outweigh the cost of a short train or bus transfer.

6. Set Price Alerts

Google Flights has an excellent price tracking feature - enter your route and dates, then toggle "Track prices." You'll get email alerts when prices drop. Kayak, Skyscanner and Hopper offer similar features. Let the algorithms do the watching for you.

7. Book One-Way Tickets

Sometimes two one-way tickets on different airlines are cheaper than a round-trip. This is especially true on budget carriers where one-way pricing is standard. It also gives you flexibility to fly into one city and out of another.

8. Check Budget Airlines Directly

Airlines like Ryanair, EasyJet, Wizz Air and Southwest don't always appear on comparison sites. Check their websites directly, especially for short-haul European or domestic US flights. Their base fares can be extremely low if you travel with hand luggage only.

9. Use Points and Miles Wisely

If you collect airline miles or credit card points, don't waste them on low-value redemptions. Use points for long-haul business class flights where the cash price difference is greatest. A flight that costs £3,000 in cash might be available for 50,000 miles.

10. Avoid Peak Travel Periods

School holidays, Christmas, Easter and major events send prices skyward. If you can travel outside these windows, you'll save substantially. Mid-January to March and late September to November are generally the cheapest periods across most routes.

11. Consider Connecting Flights

Direct flights are convenient but often more expensive. Adding one connection can cut your fare by 30–50%, especially on transatlantic routes. Just make sure your layover is at least 90 minutes for domestic connections and 2–3 hours for international ones.

12. Book Separate Legs for Complex Itineraries

For multi-city trips, booking each leg separately often works out cheaper than a multi-city ticket. Use our flight search to price each leg individually and compare against the combined fare. The extra effort can yield significant savings.

Watch the Total Price, Not the Headline Fare

The cheapest fare on the results page is rarely the cheapest trip. Low-cost carriers make their money on things that a full-service ticket includes: a cabin bag, a checked bag, seat selection, and food. Add those to the base fare before you compare, and a slightly pricier ticket on a full-service airline can come out ahead.

The same goes for ancillaries on legacy carriers. Basic economy fares may not include a full-size cabin bag or a seat assignment, and changing them can be costly. Read what the fare actually includes before you book, because the difference between two quotes is often in the small print rather than the price.

A quick pre-booking checklist

• Total price including one checked bag and a cabin bag, not the headline fare.
• Whether the ticket is refundable, changeable, or neither.
• The airport, not just the city: some "London" or "Milan" fares land far outside it.
• Transfer cost from airport to city centre, which can rival the fare on short hops.
• Connection risk if the ticket is split across two carriers that do not protect the connection.

Protect Yourself When Things Go Wrong

Delays and cancellations are part of air travel, and how you booked decides how well you are covered. A single ticket covering both legs means the airline is responsible for rebooking you if the first flight is late. Two separately booked tickets mean the second airline has no obligation to help, which is the hidden cost of the cheapest split itinerary.

Travel insurance is worth it on long-haul and multi-leg trips, particularly when you are booking budget carriers or tight connections. Check what your bank card already includes before paying twice. Keep your booking confirmation and any delay notices, and take a photo of your boarding pass and baggage tag, because a claim is much easier with the paperwork to hand.

Reading the Fare Rules Before You Commit

Two fares that look identical can behave very differently when plans change. A hand-luggage-only ticket on a low-cost carrier may cost almost as much to change as to replace, while a more expensive flexible fare can be moved for a small fee. If there is any chance your dates will shift, price the change fee into the decision rather than assuming you will not need it.

Baggage is the other place fares diverge. Some tickets include a checked bag, some do not, and buying it at the airport is almost always the most expensive way to add one. Add bags at the time of booking, and weigh your case at home before you leave. If you are travelling light, a packing list built around carry-on limits is the simplest way to avoid paying for a bag at all.

Building a Route That Actually Saves Money

The tips above work best when you use them to test a few routes rather than searching one and hoping. Start with a handful of date pairs around your target week, then try the nearby airports and one connecting option for the best of them. Comparing those results side by side shows quickly whether the savings are real or just an illusion created by a cheaper fare with more add-ons.

Before you settle on a long-haul option, check how long the journey actually takes with a flight time calculator, and if a connection looks tight, plan the buffer with the layover planner. If your dates are still open, use the best time to visit tool to check whether moving the trip by a week or two lands you in a cheaper season. And if the trip needs entry paperwork you have not organised, the visa checker will tell you what applies to your destination.

Start Searching

Ready to put these tips into practice? Head to our flight search page and compare prices across six top booking engines. Use our budget calculator to set your target spend and our currency converter to see what your money is worth at your destination.