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Everyone always wants to know how they can find cheap flights. The truth is that there are always new websites and apps emerging to help you get the best deal, but the strategies don’t change that much from year to year. Below are 17 ways to find cheap flights. RELATED: 7 Hacks For Getting the Best Coach Seat on a Plane

1. Be flexible
The key to finding cheap flights is to be flexible with your travel days. If you aren’t flexible, then you aren’t going to get a deal. It’s not that difficult to figure out that the most expensive time to fly is when everyone else is, too. For example, if you want to travel for Thanksgiving, I bet you want to leave the Wednesday before and return on the Sunday or early morning on the Monday after. Am I right? You aren’t going to get a deal on those days since the airlines have no incentive to offer them, so you should just stop trying.

Deals for Thanksgiving, for example, are always either the week before or the Sunday or Monday before (depending on the destination). To prove my point, I ran a flexible search on Google Flights (below) for a roundtrip non-stop flight from New York to Miami for a four-night stay. You can see which days are the cheapest to travel.

2. Consider the time of day
Everyone wants to leave after work and school so when doing your flight search, don’t enter in a specific time. Generally, the most expensive times to fly are peak business travel hours (8am to 10am and 5pm to 7pm). Cheaper seats tend to depart early in the morning (5am to 7am) or late in the evening (after 8pm).

Note: By leaving early in the morning, you have the best chance of not getting delayed.

3. Alternate airports
Not only do you want to be flexible with dates and times, but also with airports, too. For example, rather than flying into (or out of) Miami when going to South Florida, check out Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL), which is 26 miles north and usually much cheaper. You can also check out West Palm Beach (PBI), which is another 49 miles away but PBI is usually pricier. To help you with all the major US alternative airports (by actual driving miles), I created a website called AlternateAirports.com. To see what I’m talking about, see the flexible search for flights from L.A. to San Francisco/Oakland below.

Alternate Airports4. Consider making a stop
Sometimes booking a flight that has a connection as opposed to flying nonstop can save you money. See screenshot below for a flight from Los Angeles to Toronto. By making a stop, you can save hundreds of dollars.

However, not all connections have that much savings so you have to ask yourself if it’s really worth it. If it’s hundreds of dollars then yes, but if it’s just a $20 savings, do you really want to increase your chances of getting delayed or stuck? And be sure to avoid making connections in airports that have a terrible on-time track record like San Francisco, Chicago O’Hare or all of New York’s airports. Here’s a link to airport on-time performance reports to help you make a good decision.

5. Stay away from low-cost carriers unless … 
When you do a flight search, don’t just grab the cheapest fare you see, especially from a low-cost carrier (LCC) because it could end up costing you much more than you think. Allegiant, Spirit and Frontier are just a few that are notorious for offering ridiculously low fares and then hitting you up for everything from assigned seats, carry-on luggage, refreshments (including water) and even printing your boarding pass. The worst part is that legacy airlines like Delta, United and American don’t want to lose out so they’re now offering Basic Economy Fares. My point is to make sure you read the fine print on your fare before buying—even from the mainline carriers.

6. Choose Southwest Airlines if you’re checking bags
Southwest was the original low-cost carrier so it’s ironic that they’re the only one that doesn’t charge for checked bags. They offer the first and second checked bag for free, which most airlines would charge an extra $160 for on a roundtrip ticket. If you’re planning on checking bags and don’t have elite status or an airline-branded credit card where one of the perks is free baggage, then check to see if Southwest Airlines is flying your desired route. Remember: Their fares don’t show up in any search engine except their own so you need to log on to Southwest.com. RELATED: Taylor Swift’s Clever Tip For Keeping the Seat Next to You Empty on Southwest Airlines

7. Search tools
Everyone knows there’s not one website out there that has the absolute cheapest price for airfares, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and package deals so the trick is to do your research and check them all to see who has the best deal at that moment in time. That’s one of the reasons why I created JohnnyJet.com to begin with.

We now have a new search engine where all you have to do is input your city pairs and dates and click “Check Rates.” Six windows will open up as they simultaneously search a variety of travel websites like Expedia, Priceline and TripAdvisor. It not only saves you time but money, as well. Check it out for yourself! I’m also a huge fan of Google Flights.

8. Sign up for fare alerts
If you don’t want to constantly have to check airfares manually (as I like to do for some insane reason), then sign up for fare alerts. Here are the sites that offer fare alerts for free.

9. Buy two separate tickets to Europe
If you are traveling to a secondary destination like Sardinia in Italy it might be wise to break up the trip into two separate tickets. Several years ago, I needed to get from New York to Sardinia. When I priced out the tickets directly to Olbia (Costa Smeralda Airport), the airlines all wanted around $2,000 and I couldn’t afford that. I then figured out that by buying two separate tickets—the first to London on a major airline and the second to Olbia on a low-fare carrier—I saved over $1,000! Just make sure to leave plenty of time between flights (preferably a day), because most low-fare carriers usually depart out of secondary airports. And don’t forget to pack light because they have crazy baggage fees.

10. Hold your airfares for free for 24 hours
Many consumers in the US don’t realize that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has stated that all US and foreign carriers have to allow consumers the ability “to hold a reservation at the quoted fare for 24 hours without payment or allow a reservation to be cancelled within 24 hours without penalty.” See link to the DOT’s full rule (PDF). However, if you’re booking a ticket with fewer than seven days before you fly, this rule doesn’t apply.

Note: American Airlines is the only airline that I’m aware of that allows consumers to hold a reservation without a credit card for 24 hours, making it much easier to cancel.

11. Use frequent flier miles or credit card points
It’s almost impossible to use your airline frequent flier miles during the holidays unless you are flexible with dates or are willing to use double or triple the usual amount. I don’t recommend the latter but last Thanksgiving, I used 12,500 American miles for my wife to fly from Los Angeles to Toronto the Friday after Thanksgiving. If we’d left on the Sunday or Monday, it was double.

12. Speak to a human
You never know if an airline representative can find a better deal but in my experience, it’s usually only worth it (most charge a $25 fee) when booking a mileage award ticket since they can check partner airlines and alternate cities much quicker. To get in touch with your airline, I created AirlineNumbers.com, which lists all of the airline’s phone numbers and websites.

13. Consult a travel agent
As you can see, bargain hunting can be a time-consuming process but it can pay off big time, especially if you are traveling with multiple people. If you don’t want to spend the time and energy doing all the legwork, then call a travel agent and pay their fee, which can be $25 or more. I check with my travel agent but usually only on international flights since sometimes he has different inventory than the travel sites. To give you an example, once I was flying from London to Bangkok and everything I was finding online was over $1,000. I called my travel agent and he found a flight on Etihad through Abu Dhabi for $550. It was well worth the $25 fee. I also have a travel agent that can save me over 50% on international business class tickets.

14. Hidden cities
This hidden city trick is against airline policy so you didn’t learn it from me. But—once I needed to get to Cleveland from LA and a non-stop one-way ticket was $600. I took my own advice and searched alternate airports and when I found a ticket to Buffalo for only $230 I noticed the flight first stopped in Cleveland ON THAT EXACT SAME $600 flight. I know it makes no sense since Buffalo is farther from Cleveland and you have to take two flights instead of one but that’s the airlines for you. If I’d wanted to break airline policy, I could’ve just gotten off in Cleveland and let my connecting ticket to BUF go to waste. If I had done that, I would have bought a one-way ticket, made sure not to check bags or put in my mileage account number. Remember, I’m not recommending this and if you do it a lot you WILL get caught. Consult Skiplagged, which shows you the hidden cities.

15. Sign up to newsletters
To find the best deals, you need to be in the know and that means you need to sign up to as many newsletters as possible. I subscribe to the newsletters of almost all the airlines, hotels, car rentals, cruise lines… If you don’t want your inbox inundated, then just sign up for a few. Besides subscribing to my deals newsletter. My favorite is Going.com.

16. Use Twitter
A big misconception of Twitter is that you need to share your information, but you don’t! If you want to be the first to know about sales, then follow the airlines and more importantly, follow industry experts and aviation enthusiasts to be informed of advertised and unadvertised fares.

17. Monitor Flyer Talk Message Boards
Want to find the absolute cheapest fares? I’m talking Boston to San Diego for $20! Then monitor FlyerTalk’s message boards, especially the forum “Mileage Run“, where you will find frequent flier junkies sharing airline “mistake” fares (where the airline’s pricing analyst accidentally types in the wrong price). You will need to visit often as the fares typically only last a couple of hours at best. But you could score yourself one heck of a deal!

So there you have it … I feel like you have just turned me upside down and shook all the tricks out of me. I hope this guide helps you find cheap flights and more importantly, motivates you to see the world and visit the ones you love.

KEEP READING:

8 Ways To Make Sure An Airline Doesn’t Lose Your Bag … And That You Don’t Get Robbed or Stalked
The Trick For Getting Airport Luggage Carts for Free
Airline Lost Your Luggage? Do This If You Want to Get Compensated
Why Frequent Fliers Use Apple AirTags or Samsung SmartTags When They Travel
An Airline Executive’s Number One Tip for Avoiding Lost Luggage When You Fly

Want more travel news, tips and deals? Sign up here for Johnny Jet’s Daily Travel Tip newsletter! Just fill in your email address and check the Daily Travel Tip box—and you’ll have Johnny’s best tips, straight to your inbox each day!

 

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27 Comments On "17 Ways to Find Cheap Flights"
  1. Luca|

    Really useful tips! And I agree, often for long flights a travel agent can offer much better deal than any website.
    Thanks for sharing!

  2. Jo Anne|

    I was surprised to see the two of you sitting in “economy”. I like the fact that you are still one of us – deciding to spend money on other things. My rule is, get a cheap flight and go economy so you can take that second or even third trip somewhere else.
    Keep up the good work – love your website.

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Love getting upgraded but it only happens 50% of the time for me

  3. Lee-Ann|

    How do I get to the JohnnyJet search engine for booking flights, where all you have to do is input your city pairs and dates and click “Check Rates” to get a flight comparison? I clicked the “Booking Tool” option and don’t see it there. I did a search at the top of your newsletter for “book flights” and there isn’t anything there either. Am trying to get the 20 something young men to Vegas Memorial Day weekend on the cheaps. Any other suggestions for booking flights, or deals on rooms and restaurants would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Love your newsletter!

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Hi! Which browser are you using? Try switching to Safari or IE

  4. Jon Jon|

    Or you could always do MILEAGE RUNS…

  5. Amanda Marko|

    It’s a very helpful tips! thank you Johnny Jet!

  6. Sharon Smith|

    Thanks Johnny Jet!

  7. Michael Reynolds|

    Booking air through your cruise line can result in substantially lower fares than the airline web sites. After booking you typically have time to come up with full payment, the ticket may be cancellable after booking, you may be able to get coach plus at no extra charge and if your flight is delayed, and you have cruise line issued insurance, the cruise line may foot the bill for flying you on to your next port. When shopping for cruise line air you may be able to vary your airport of origin to get even bigger savings. Note: Some credit cards have lost or delayed bag insurance for free when used for travel tickets. Other cards do not.

  8. london donvan|

    Thanks Johnny, i Think Google Flights its Good to Find Cheap Flights

  9. Jesse Jamison|

    I think it is a good idea to plan on layovers when looking for deals on flights. Besides, if the layover is long enough then you will have a chance to stretch your legs and tour the city. Just make sure you plan all of your travel to and from the airport in advance, though. The last thing you want is to be late for your connecting flight.

  10. Karen|

    I’ve flown on WOW and Norwegian several times. I like them a lot. You know what you’re not paying for. It’s very simple. I fly to Europe from California and I want eve, non-stop flights. I only do carry-on. So, the lowest fare going is perfect. I have snacks from home and several bottles of water from the gate side. Coming home, during the day, I get the “plus” option. I don’t have to worry if I bought stuff, and I want to be fed. Norwegian’s food isn’t bad. Pretty healthy and sufficient snacks. Seats were also comfortable enough. So, the past 2 years, I’ve spent $600 or just under, flying to Copenhagen or Stockholm and back.

  11. Daniel Thomas|

    Johnny, you have an amazing website & I just want to let you know how much I appreciate all this great information that you pass on to us air flyers who are not in ideal positions financially for flights that I must take. I’m perminitly disabled & my wife & new family are from Manila. The flights to the Philippines are tearing into my pocket book. I’m curious to know if you may have some finanacially saving suggestions. We try & book our flights 4-5 months in advance. Thank you for your time.
    Sincerely, Daniel Thomas

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Hi Daniel,

      Thanks for the note. You might be booking too early. Set fare alerts and sign up to different deals newsletters as I sometimes see Manila flights for $500 RT

  12. Jade D'sa|

    Lovely read! I find that being flexible with your destination not only helps you save on fares, but hotels and activities as well!

  13. Gezilecek yerler|

    Good. I wrote that suggestion. I had used kayak, but its not cheap.

  14. Trevor|

    Thanks, Some great info too have. :)

  15. Clemens|

    Some great advice in here! I always had the feeling that the best advice is to book flights to destinations where it is slightly off season, instead of Thailand in December for example. You won’t find any cheap flights. Also, why not try rather untravelled destinations instead. It might be cheaper, also when it comes to flights.

  16. Bon Jos|

    Amazing tips definitely! Finding cheap flights is always a tough ask! I generally try to book a flight at least a couple of week prior my travel. This allows me to avail discounts. If I book a flight last minute I can’t avail discounts

  17. Angelica|

    These are awesome, thanks! Especially the airfare hold- I had no idea about that…

  18. Juan Ovalle|

    Great tips! Google flights and alternative airports are always my go to tricks for cheaper flights!

  19. Antonio|

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your next post thanks once again.

  20. Paul Thompson|

    Thank you for these tips to book cheap flight tickets online. I was using some of these before but didn’t know about FlyerTalk’s message boards. Let’s see if I can get a good deal through this platform.

  21. David|

    Great tips for budget travelers. Too many tricks to fool the airline, I loved this article. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

  22. Richard|

    We have flown Norwegian Air twice from Europe to USA and were very satisfied with it. For the price it is an excellent airline and the non-stop flights to LAX are definitely welcome.

    You have an excellent site and it is and has been very helpful. Thank you!

  23. Shirley|

    I wasn’t aware of these tricks and tips when traveling. Last year my husband age 75 traveled from Austin TX to Flagstaff, AX but his lay over that was 2 hours became 2 days. And all delays and double talk was the airline fault. I was so mad. I contacted the airport in Austin and was able to get him a room for the night. They told him he had to sleep in the airport lounge. I wasn’t going to let that happen. American Airline.

  24. Ron|

    I would like to flight to rio Brazil July 12th return July 31st can you help me ?

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