5 Easy Tips On How To Book Cheap Flights [Airline Secrets Revealed]
Luke Iles – Uploaded 13.06.2023
Learn how to save money and book cheap flights online
A common question that we often get asked being frequent travellers who traverse all across the world is how to book cheap flights before you go away on holiday. Aeroplane flights can be one of the most expensive parts of planning a holiday and whether you are looking to travel around the world and visit a certain destination, you want to find the cheapest flights possible so you can have a wider travel budget for your vacation.
As experienced travellers who have found nifty tips and tricks to get the best value for money when booking flights, we can help you save money and get your holiday off to an affordable start.
Throughout this article, we will document five easy and money-saving tips that will help you find and book cheap flights that you often hear about!
How to find cheap flights to anywhere
There are many different tips and tricks that many traveller bloggers recommend however the trick is these are often outdated and budget airlines don’t offer these types of deals anymore.
However, with our guide, we can help you to find cheap flights to anywhere on the globe, for cheap. These are tips and tricks that we use on a daily basis that help enable us to visit anywhere in the world that we want for less than what is typically advertised.
The five tips we recommend you follow to find cheap international flights and help you save money when travelling include:
- Choose to book early over last minute flight deals
- Use flight comparison websites and look for budget airlines
- Analyse the cheapest days to fly
- Book through travel agents for students
- Use incognito mode when booking flights
1. Choose to book early over last-minute flight deals
There is a common myth that plane tickets are cheapest when booking last minute however this isn’t the case. Now we aren’t saying you won’t find a good deal on flights that you book last minute and they may save you some money however there is a far cheaper and more convenient way of booking flights that can help you save a considerable amount of money, that not many people capitalise on.
By booking flights when they are first released by the airline you can not only be prepared for your next trip unlike when you book last-minute but you also get a good selection of destinations that you can get for extremely cheap prices.
Budget airlines release flights at specific times during the year, this way you can be prepared on their website and book flights first so you can get the best deals. These flights when first released are often at a discount price compared to what they would be a few months before the flight departure when most people plan to book flights.
Scheduled airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and KLM usually go on sale 11 months before the flight departure date, meaning if you are planning to go on holiday on a specific date, set a time in your calendar 11 months in advance and get on the airline company websites and find the cheapest flights.
Although it requires dedication and planning, you can find some incredibly cheap flights that can help you save hundreds on your next holiday. By following this method, I have managed to get Easy Jet flights to Spain for only £40 per person. Cheap right?
2. Use flight comparison websites and look for budget airlines
If you aren’t using flight comparison websites to help you find the cheapest flight prices, what are you waiting for? Flight comparison apps are not only free to use but one of the best travel tools you can use when planning your next holiday.
We recommend using Skyscanner, a website that allows you to search any flights around the globe, helping you pick the best dates, times and prices so you can get the best deals.
Skyscanner is unmatched when it comes to looking to book the cheapest flights for your holiday and has helped me to find plenty of cheap flights last minute. One example that springs to mind is booking a flight to Milan, 5 hours before flight departure. Skyscanner found the best deal and best flight time for a one-day trip to Milan and within 5 hours, I was off on a plane to Italy!
By following the steps below, we can help you find the cheapest flights by using Skyscanner for your next holiday:
- Visit the Skyscanner website.
- Enter the airport you want to depart from. If you are willing to travel we recommend setting this part to your home country and looking for flights from all airports. This way you will find the best deals.
- Next, click on the destination box and select the “everywhere” option. This way it will help you find cheap flights to destinations across the globe. However, if you have a specific destination in mind, input that into the destination box.
- Choose the dates you are planning on travelling and search for flights.
- Skyscanner will then produce a list of flights with details of the price and timings which you can then browse and search throughout.
- Once you have found the perfect flight for your holiday you can select the best price from a reputable flight website and book the best flight deal.
3. Analyse the cheapest days to fly
By analysing and researching the cheapest days to fly you can find cheap flights by simply changing the day you plan on departing. There are some general trends when it comes to international flights and if you have the luxury of the freedom to choose when you can fly and have no work commitments, you can utilise this tip to the full advantage.
We recommend that you don’t plan to fly during any national holidays such as Christmas or Easter. We also recommend that you don’t book flights during school holidays such as the summer holidays or bank holidays. These days are typically busier and thus more expensive. Although many families with children in school will not get this luxury.
Another tip to get cheap flights based on the type of time you fly is that international flights have been proven to be the cheapest on Wednesdays and Thursdays so if you are looking for a cheap flight, look to book for those days. On the other hand, there isn’t too much of a difference in booking these days however you will save up to 12% compared to the most expensive travel days which are Saturday and Sunday.
4. Book through travel agents for students
A cheeky tip that we like to utilise when booking cheap flights is to use travel agents that are designed for students and young adults looking to save money. If you are under the age of 30 years old or a student you can use student travel agents to help you get deals on flights that you wouldn’t be able to otherwise.
By searching online you can use a range of different student travel agents to find the best quotes to find the best deals for your holidays.
By searching online you can use a range of different student travel agents to find the best quotes to find the best deals for your holidays.
5. Use incognito mode when booking flights
You may not know but airlines are very sneaky with their prices. You may notice that the first time you look at a price online for a flight it may increase by double by the time you have looked at it by the third time.
This is due to the fact that flight prices fluctuate depending on the demand online. Airlines have implemented a clever system on their website that adjusts the prices of flight tickets depending on how many people are searching for the flights, purchasing them and people who have visited the page before and are returning again to view the price online. This is a clever trick that promotes urgency to the buyer who will end up paying a larger amount than they would like to due to the constant increase in price.
To avoid this we recommend that you use the incognito mode on your web browser. This helps to hide your location, search history and identity from the airline’s website so that the price won’t increase on your next visit.
On the other hand, you can also clear cache and cookies which wipes your browser and search history so that the travel company websites cannot show an increase in price because you have essentially wiped the data.
Conclusion
Overall, you should now have a complete idea of some of the nifty tips and tricks we use to help find cheap flights for your next holiday abroad. By using even one of these tips mentioned on this list, you can find cheap flights that will help you save money on your next holiday so you can spend it on other things such as your travel money or upgraded accommodation.
It is important to remember that travel companies may charge premiums to add luggage, seats and other premium options when purchasing the ticket, so try to avoid as many plus charges as possible so you can end up spending as little as possible on the flight itself.
Hopefully, you have managed to book a cheap flight to the destinations you want to visit for your next holiday and you are now on the way to jetting off to paradise, wherever you deem that to be!
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Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to HandL Blogs at no cost to you if you decide to purchase through these links. These are products we have personally used and stand behind. This site is not intended to provide financial advice and is for entertainment only. You can read our affiliate disclosure in our privacy policy.
Luke Iles
Luke is a leading travel writer within the travel niche and is also a co-founder of HandL Blogs one of the UK’s leading travel blogging websites. Luke has a love of all things travel.
Initially becoming friends with his other co-founder, Harry, at the age of four years old, they let their love for travel evolve, making it their mission to visit every country in the world!
Today they want to share their passion and experiences of travelling across the globe with written blogs on topics that are most important to them. From travel, cooking, fitness and tech blogs!
Whether that be trying new food in a new country and sharing it in a cooking blog; visiting a new gym in a certain city and reviewing it in a fitness blog or learning about the newest tech within the travel industry.
Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to HandL Blogs at no cost to you if you decide to purchase through these links. These are products we have personally used and stand behind. This site is not intended to provide financial advice and is for entertainment only. You can read our affiliate disclosure in our privacy policy.
