How to Find Cheap Flights

I’ve mentioned some of the ways Michael and I save to fund our trips before, but today I want to share how we go about finding airfare when we are booking flights for long weekends (or regular weekends!) away.

This post is not sponsored but contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you!) if you make a purchase after clicking one of these links. Thank you for your support!

Before I do, I want to let you know that I don’t believe there are any true travel “hacks” that will score you a stellar deal on the flight you’re actively seeking to purchase (and anyone who tells you otherwise is probably trying to sell you something). Sometimes a carrier has a monopoly on the route and pricing remains static as a result or a specific event or holiday is coming up so the prices will never drop. Not to mention, things are always changing in the airline industry (the only constant is change, right?).

However, as an avid traveler with a fixed travel budget, there are a few resources I’ve found helpful and things I’ve learned along the way that will help you reframe your travel planning experience into one that flips the script: Rather than searching for flights for a specific destination, we’ll choose to book flights based on our availability.

This means instead of saying, “I’d like to go to New York in September,” we say things like, “I’d like to travel somewhere over the weekend of September 15-17 for less than $200,” and let technology handle the task of finding compatible flights.

When searching for airfares, there are three websites I use the most when booking a flight departing from the United States: Google Flights, ITA Matrix, ~~and Southwest~~. For just about every travel guide in my collection, I find my flights using one of these three websites.

Why only one airline site? Because the other two are aggregators for nearly every other airline. Both are Google-run, but both have their separate strengths and weaknesses. ~~And Southwest does not allow their fares to be published on another site, so I always end up searching their flights separately~~. As of 2024, Southwest flights now appear in Google Flights, making it even easier to book a trip with an open destination!

While you won’t any “hacks” like skip-lagging (too risky) or ways to earn points on airline credit cards (too complicated) in today’s post, you will find my tried and true methods for purchasing flights on a budget, no paywall in sight.

THE BEST WEBSITES TO SEARCH FOR CHEAP FLIGHTS

Google Flights

Google Flights is easily the most user-friendly of the three, and the one I always recommend to friends who are just dipping their toes into air travel.

When searching for specific dates, you can input up to seven departure airports (I have five or six airports all within a two-hour drive, which I’m willing to do if I’m taking a direct flight), and set the destination option as broad or narrow as you’d like. You can then adjust preferences such as price, times, and duration and click around the map to get pricing for different cities.

Of course, you can use Google Flights to check flights to a specific destination as well; there is even a feature where you can select your departure, destination, and length of stay. The website will then provide suggestions for the lowest-priced dates for that trip. Google Flights does have its limitations, however, since you can’t select or exclude certain airlines and it doesn’t seem to always show all fare possibilities.

Despite this, it’s still my first stop when looking for a flight, especially to a larger city.

—

ITA Matrix

ITA Matrix is a Google-run platform just like the first option here, but the site is clunkier and not necessarily intuitive (in fact, when searching for flights, there is a pop-up that appears encouraging you to use Google Flights for faster results).

That being said, this site allows for more departure airports and destinations and makes it easier to select nearby airports. ITA Matrix also provides a nice calendar of fares spanning one month, if you request that data when searching.

The downside is that it is really slow, and it often crashes when you give it too much data to sift through. I prefer to use it when I’m trying to link together two one-way flights, or when I want to fly an open-jaw route (into one airport, and out another). It also seems to find more possible routes when I’ve finally narrowed down my destination.

—

Southwest

[Edit: As mentioned, Southwest now allows its fares to be published on Google Flights]

The final site I visit is Southwest. As I mentioned, they don’t allow their fares to be published online, so you won’t find their prices anywhere else.

I’ve found their flexible dates feature helpful, though the part of the site I love the most is the Getaway Finder, which works much like the Google Flights map search since the map used is Google-based. For whatever reason, they’ve removed the link from their site, as well as any mention of this feature, but somehow this link still remains active (annnnnnd it’s gone). You can select your departure airport and dates, and adjust the price to within your range before selecting a city to fly to. From there, you’ll view all fares for that day.

Southwest is one of the few airlines that still allows free checked bags, which is a positive point for many. There are weird quirks to flying them, of course, mainly their open seating policy and sad snack offerings.

TIPS FOR FINDING CHEAP AIRFARE

Set a maximum price for your flights

This will vary by your budget and lifestyle, but I’m happy to let you peek into my wallet and share that my threshold is typically $75 for a one-day flight, $150 for an overnight trip, $200 for a three-day weekend, and $300 for a longer trip (across the country or to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean), and $600 or so for a trip across the Atlantic (or the Pacific, but I haven’t done that yet!).

Give yourself the freedom to modify because you don’t want to miss out on a great opportunity over $20, but try to stick to your budget when possible.

Take any extra fees into account

Spirit, Frontier, and Allegiant are all known for their fees, but even the legacy carriers are joining in on these bare-bones tickets by tacking on extra fees for certain amenities on some of their fare tiers. It’s always best to do the math before you click “purchase,” as you may end up spending more in the long run.

The only low-cost carrier I’ve flown is Allegiant, and only when I am going to be gone for a short time and can travel with just a personal item, or when Michael and I can share a carry-on suitcase. Spirit and Frontier may receive our business one day, but we just haven’t seen a good reason to fly them yet so far [2023 update: at this point, we’ve flown them all! Spirit, Frontier, Sun Country, Allegiant, Avelo… you name it].

Keep looking, but spring for the fare when you see one at your price point

I’ve regretted waiting too late to buy a ticket, and suddenly the price jumps and I miss out. Usually, it’s fine and I just pick another destination, but when your gut says go, just go for it!

There isn’t necessarily a “right time” to buy a ticket

We’ve all heard that “flight tickets are cheapest on Tuesdays” but I haven’t found that to necessarily be the case. Sometimes the deal is there, and sometimes there just isn’t a deal, like during the holidays or peak summer travel.

What I have seen, though, is that Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are often the cheapest days to fly. I also have found that buying tickets three to five weeks out for a domestic flight and three months out for an international flight is the sweet spot for both cost and trip-planning time.

When booking an international flight on an international carrier, check out in the local currency

To share a personal example, I’ve saved $100+ per ticket when booking flights on Norwegian Airlines in Kroner rather than dollars simply by using the Norwegian version of their site. Note: you may need to use a VPN to adjust your IP address to match the airline’s home base.

Keep checking the fare after you book

You’ll want to read the fine print, but most airlines offer free cancellation within twenty-four hours after booking (it’s actually the law here in the U.S.). If you see a cheaper fare, rebook and then cancel your first flight. Many airlines charge exorbitant change fees (except Southwest and Avelo) and it’s often not worth it to do so after that cancellation window passes.

All this being said, be mindful of the cost of your time

Flying to an airport sixty miles away from your destination may save some money, but it will cost you both time and transportation headaches in the end. Layovers and parking in an off-airport lot can save you money, but you are losing out on valuable vacation time. I’ve done all of these things, but have only found that it’s worth it when taking a really long overseas trip and have been able to save several hundreds of dollars by doing so. When searching for flights, don’t let the promise of an ultra-cheap fare get the best of you—step back and verify that it’s really that great of a deal.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON FINDING CHEAP FLIGHTS

While we will always have dream destinations or events in specific locales on certain dates, I’ve found that the world only opens further when we are ready and willing to travel to destinations we have not previously considered. By traveling this way and saving on flights, I am able to visit way more destinations than if I were to cherry-pick them, enriching my life and expanding my worldview. The guides on this site are a testament to the fact that every destination has something to offer if we are willing to give it a chance.

—

Questions for you

Have you ever considered booking a trip without a specific destination in mind?

What is the best deal you’ve ever gotten on a flight?

Do you have any other tips to add?

Enjoyed this post? You may also like:

Share this post: