With price anticipated to rise in 2025, obtaining inexpensive flights seemed unattainable – but travel expert Scott Keyes of Going (previously Scott’s inexpensive Flights) thinks differently. His flight bargains app claims savings of up to 90% on flights. So, what is his trick?
Finding cheap flights
Many travelers look for flights like this:
Select a destination.
Choose a date to visit the place.
Look for affordable flights to that destination.
Take note of where the inexpensive flights occur in this series. “Setting price as the last priority, we end up with expensive flights,” Keyes tells me. Instead, he proposes exploring airfares as follows:
- Look for flights from your home airport(s).
- Determine which places are most appealing to you among the low-cost tickets you see.
- Find dates that work with your schedule.
Are there last-minute flight deals?
While a great price on flight might appear at any moment, “last-minute fares tend to be expensive,” Keyes notes. In contrast, you should avoid booking too early. “You can typically book flights up to 12 months in advance, but those aren’t the best fares.”
When is the best time to book a flight?
Keyes suggests scheduling tickets during what he terms “Goldilocks windows.” These are the best times to get inexpensive flights during high travel months (think summer) and off-peak periods (for example, early fall and spring):
According to Keyes, a useful method to remember this is to keep track of when sales on other things, such as apparel, occur. For example, winter clothes go on sale in late spring and early summer, as do winter airfares.
Cheapest day to buy plane tickets
Any day of the week.
Booking on one day vs another will not make a difference. “That used to be true; it’s not true anymore,” Keyes tells me.
When airfare was originally marketed online, there were certain days that were perfect for finding inexpensive tickets. “Airlines would load their airfares at a predetermined time and if you were one of the first to see them, you could get the best deal,” Keyes tells me. “Nowadays, fares change by the day, sometimes by the hour and are determined by complex algorithms.”
Cheapest day to fly
In general, the cheapest days to fly are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturday. According to Keyes, business travelers prefer to fly on Sundays, Mondays, and Fridays, which increases demand – and consequently pricing – on certain days.
Find the cheapest flight prices
Where to obtain inexpensive airfares is a question of personal taste, Keyes claims. “There’s no place where fares are consistently cheapest.” If you’re looking for a decent place to start, he advises Google Flights, which lets you search up to seven departure and destination airports at once. Skyscanner, Momondo, and Explorecheapflights are some of the other flight search engines.
Finally, he suggests booking directly with the airline. Not only does this technique make it simple to handle your reservation information and luggage issues, but it also grants you a 24-hour window in which to cancel your ticket for a full refund under federal law. Booking directly with the airline makes it easier to manage flight cancellations and delays.
Are airline credit cards worth it?
Yes, airline credit cards may help you save money on flights by earning points and miles for regular transactions. The best travel credit cards provide additional benefits like as free checked bags, airport lounge access, (limited) travel insurance, complementary in-flight Wi-Fi, and more. You may also earn miles through some airline reward schemes.