How to Find Cheap Flights: Tools, Timing & Strategies
The best flight search engines, when to book, error fares, positioning flights, and strategies for finding the cheapest airfare.
Airfare is usually the single biggest expense of any international trip - and the one where a little knowledge saves the most money. The difference between a lazy search and a strategic one can be hundreds of dollars per flight.
The Best Search Tools#
Not all flight search engines show the same results. Use multiple.
Google Flights - the best starting point
Clean interface, flexible date search, price tracking, and the Explore feature lets you search everywhere from your departure city sorted by price. Doesn’t book directly - sends you to the airline or a booking site.
Skyscanner - searches more airlines
Catches some budget carriers Google misses. The “Everywhere” search is great for inspiration. The “cheapest month” view shows you when to fly.
Kiwi.com - the secret weapon
Searches combinations of airlines that other engines don’t connect, including separate bookings on different carriers. Great for complex multi-city routes. The trade-off: if one flight is delayed and you miss the connection, you’re on your own (since they’re separate tickets).
Momondo - the second opinion
Sometimes finds fares the others miss. Worth checking as a final comparison before you book.
Direct airline websites
Budget airlines (Ryanair, AirAsia, Scoot, VietJet, IndiGo) often don’t appear on search engines at all. Always check the airline’s site directly for budget carriers.
A note on booking sites vs. airlines
Consolidators and OTAs like Expedia, Kayak, Orbitz, and CheapOair are useful for comparing prices across airlines in one place. But once you’ve found the flight you want, book directly with the airline whenever possible. If something goes wrong - a cancellation, a schedule change, a missed connection - the airline will help you if you booked with them. If you booked through a third-party site, the airline will tell you to call the booking site, and the booking site will put you on hold for two hours. For the sake of a few dollars’ savings, it’s rarely worth the risk.
When to Book#
The timing myth
There’s no magic number of days before departure that guarantees the cheapest fare. The “6 weeks before” rule is an average, not a law. Prices are set by demand algorithms, not calendars. That said, some patterns hold:
- Domestic flights: 1 - 3 months ahead is usually the sweet spot.
- International long-haul: 2 - 8 months ahead, depending on route and season.
- Peak season (Christmas, summer, major holidays): Book as early as you can. These routes sell out and prices only go up.
- Off-peak/shoulder season: More flexibility. You can sometimes find deals last-minute.
- Set a price alert on Google Flights or Skyscanner and let the algorithm tell you when prices drop. More effective than obsessive searching.
Flexible Date and Destination Tricks#
The biggest savings come from being flexible about when and where you fly.
Flexible dates
Flying Tuesday - Thursday is consistently cheaper than Friday - Sunday. A departure date one day earlier or later can save $50 - 200. Use Google Flights’ date grid or Skyscanner’s “cheapest month” to see the spread.
Flexible destinations
Google Flights’ Explore map and Skyscanner’s “Everywhere” search show the cheapest destinations from your airport. If you’re flexible on where to start your trip, let price decide.
Open-jaw flights
Fly into one city, out of another (e.g., into Bangkok, out of Hanoi). Avoids backtracking and often costs the same as a round-trip. Google Flights handles this easily with the multi-city search.
Nearby airports
Check airports within a few hours’ drive or train ride. Flying from a secondary airport can save significantly - flying from Eindhoven instead of Amsterdam, or Oakland instead of San Francisco.
Budget Airlines: The Real Deal#
Budget airlines have transformed travel pricing, especially in Southeast Asia and Europe. A flight from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur can cost $30. London to Barcelona for $25. The catch: everything is extra. Checked bags, seat selection, food, and sometimes even carry-on bags cost additional fees.
How to use them well
- Book direct on the airline’s website (never through third parties - they can’t help if things go wrong).
- Bring only carry-on if possible.
- Print your boarding pass before arriving (some charge $15+ to print at the airport).
- Don’t buy the insurance they push during booking.
- Arrive early - budget airlines leave on time and close the gate early.
The ones to know
Europe: Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air. Asia: AirAsia, Scoot, VietJet, Cebu Pacific, IndiGo, Lion Air. Mexico: Volaris, VivaAerobus. Australia/NZ: JetStar. South America: SKY Airline.
Error Fares and Deal Alerts#
Airlines occasionally publish fares at a fraction of the intended price. These “error fares” or “mistake fares” can save you 50 - 90% on flights. They’re rare but real.
Where to find them
Going.com (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights), Secret Flying, The Points Guy, Jack’s Flight Club, and Fly4Free all monitor and publish deals. Free tiers exist for all of them.
The catch
Error fares can be cancelled by the airline. Book, but don’t plan your whole trip around it until the ticket is confirmed. Don’t call the airline to ask about the price - that’s how fares get noticed and pulled.
Booking Strategies for Multi-Stop Trips#
For round-the-world or multi-country trips, booking each leg separately is usually cheaper and more flexible than an RTW ticket.
Price each leg on Google Flights. Book the expensive long-haul legs first (these vary most in price) and leave the cheap regional flights for later. Budget airlines within a region (AirAsia in Southeast Asia, Ryanair in Europe) are almost always cheaper booked individually than as part of a package.
See our RTW tickets guide for when a structured ticket actually makes more sense.