With constantly changing prices and hundreds of travel platforms promising the best deals, finding cheap flights has become an art form. To cut through the noise, this guide lays out the tips and tricks for how to find a cheap flight.
How can I find cheap flights? Expert tips to help.
Keep reading for more detailed expert tips on how to get the best value flights.
Fly midweek for lower airfare.
KAYAK data shows that whether you’re flying domestic or International, Wednesdays tend to be the cheapest day to fly. If you can, search for midweek flights and you’ll likely see lower airfare.
Book about a month before for the best flight deals.
Booking too early or last minute tends to cost more. To hit the sweet spot, aim to book about a month before for domestic flights.
If you’re willing to take the risk, KAYAK date also shows that about 2 weeks is the best time to book when flying internationally. Read more about the best time to book & fly.
Start checking prices at least a month before you fly. Use tools like Price Alerts and Price Forecast to track fare prices. (More on these tools below.) This helps find the balance between a great deal and the peace of mind that comes from knowing your flight is booked.
Be flexible with travel dates and times.
Flight prices can vary dramatically from one day to the next – sometimes by $50 to $100 or more on the same route. Shifting your departure or return by just a day or two often reveals significantly cheaper options.
Next time you’re booking a flight on KAYAK, try changing the dates field from exact to +/- 3 days, and see how much you can save with a little wiggle room.
Use Price Alerts to monitor prices for you.
If you know when and where you want to travel, set a Price Alert and we’ll let you know if flight prices drop.
All you need to do is turn on the Track prices toggle on the left of each flight search results page. Once set, you’ll get an email or push notification whenever there’s a price drop on that route.
Long-haul tip: If you can be very flexible with your travel dates, try a Flexible Flight Price Alert. Just enter your departure and arrival airports and a rough travel period (May, for example). This can be particularly handy if you’re flying long haul, where prices can fluctuate by hundreds of dollars.
Compare fares across airlines and booking sites.
The key to finding cheap flights is checking multiple sources at once. Airlines, online travel agencies (OTAs) and metasearch engines can show different prices for the same route.
Rather than visiting each airline’s website individually, use a search tool like KAYAK that shows fares from hundreds of providers in one view. This lets you compare not just airline prices, but also different fare combinations (like mixing carriers for outbound and return legs) that you’d never find searching one site at a time.
OTAs sometimes offer bundled deals or promotional pricing, while metasearch tools surface options you might miss otherwise.
Check flight prices to and from nearby airports.
If you’re flying from New York to London, as with many destinations around the world, you have several airports to choose from. And flights to them won’t all be the same price. For example, instead of London Heathrow, consider flying to London Gatwick instead. Or you could check if Newark was worth flying from, instead of JFK.
This is particularly the case in Europe, where many low-cost (budget) airlines like Ryanair and easyJet are based in airports a bit further out of town. Not only do they offer cheaper airfares, but these airports often have cheaper car rental options too.
Fly cheaply with rewards points and miles.
Most airlines and many credit card companies offer loyalty programs that let you earn points, miles and rewards when spending with them. You can then use these to reduce the cost of your flights, get upgrades and other travel perks.
- Airlines. Join an airline’s reward scheme and when you fly with it (or any of its partners) you’ll earn miles based on the distance you fly and the amount you spend.
- Credit cards. Many credit cards are now airline branded or dedicated to travel rewards. They’ll give you points or miles for every dollar you spend on them, no matter what you’re buying. Many offer specific bonuses for things like dining out or traveling.
- Promotions. Look out for promotions that boost the number of miles or points you can earn. Common among airlines, less so with credit cards.
- Partner programs. Many other travel sectors offer partner points programs to tempt you in with extra miles. These programs are common for hotels, car rental companies, restaurant chains, and even online shopping portals.
Play the game well and you can earn enough points and miles to pay for entire flights, both domestic and international (excluding taxes and fees). It does, however, take some dedication and work to get it right.
Book a flight with a layover.
If you’re willing to sacrifice some time, adding a layover is one of the best ways to find flights for less. Play it right with a long enough layover and you can even (briefly) experience another destination.
Let’s say you’re flying from New York to Berlin. A direct flight in August could cost you around $1000 and take around 8 hours. A quick search on KAYAK reveals you could fly on the same date with a 1h 25 layover in Dublin for just over $500, saving you almost 50% on your flights. Use the stops filter to sort these options, or Ask AI.
My last tip here is to take only carry-on luggage for such trips.
Mix and match airlines.
Booking individual flights for each leg of your journey with different carriers will often save you money. You can do this simply on KAYAK. Run a flight search as normal and pick the best price. If you do book with separate airlines, make sure you download both carriers’ flight apps so you can keep up to date with the booking.
Consider booking with a budget airline.
Low-cost carriers (LCCs), often just called budget airlines, have reshaped how many people travel – especially short-haul. By stripping down the flight experience to the bare minimum and charging for every conceivable extra, they offer great flexibility in how you fly.
- In Europe, budget carriers like Ryanair and easyJet offer cheap flights and dominate flight schedules.
- In the US, carriers like Allegient are doing the same thing. Very cheap basic flights to a wide range of popular destinations, where you can add the extras you want – checked or carry-on bags, extra leg room and the like.
Keep an eye out for loyalty programs even with these budget airlines.
When you search for flights on KAYAK LCCs are included where available.
Be wary of extra costs (hello, baggage fees).
You know the drill: You’ve found a great flight deal, you’re ready to book, and then you remember you need to add luggage. Avoid surprises by using KAYAK’s Fee Assistant. This tool shows you flight costs, including baggage fees. No hidden extra costs or surprises. All you need to do is add as many bags as you’ll need when you’re searching.
Avoid traveling during popular holidays.
Seasonal changes dramatically affect flight prices. Peak summer vacation periods see price increases, and special events or holidays can trigger price spikes in specific destinations, such as Carnival in Rio or Thanksgiving in New York.
If you do have to fly, the same tips apply – be flexible, try nearby airports and consider a layover.
Combine two one-way flights.
Booking one-way flights instead of round-trip can sometimes save you money – especially when you’re willing to mix airlines or adjust your return date independently.
Here’s when one-way searching makes sense: If the cheapest outbound flight is on one carrier and the cheapest return is on another, booking them separately as one-way fares often beats the round-trip price on either airline.
KAYAK’s Hacker Fares does all this hard work for you. When a good one-way flight combo is available, we’ll flag them in results with a Hacker Fare label.
How to find cheap flights when your destination is flexible?
When you’re open to going anywhere, you can search for the cheapest flights from your home airport to any destination – and let the prices guide your decision.
Instead of picking a destination and hoping for a good fare, start with your budget and see where it can take you.
Try Explore to put this into practice. Input the type of trip (beach, for example), your budget and dates, and then run a search. Explore will show you available flights to destinations that fit your criteria – perfect for when you’re hunting for a deal.
Lastly, don’t waste your time on travel myths.
Despite what many travel websites and blogs claim, there isn’t any one magic hack that will guarantee you a cheap flight.
- Heard you should book your flight on a Tuesday? Wrong! This is a legacy of when airlines would make their fares available at predetermined times. Today it can make a difference what day you book, but there’s no perfect booking day for all flights to all destinations.
- Searching across lots of devices using incognito mode to find cheap flights? Waste of time! Prices are set by complex algorithms, not by the device or browser you’re using.
The simple moral of this story is that you can’t control the prices you see. All you can do is take the smart approach: follow the tips and use the KAYAK tools in this article. That way you’ll travel safe in the knowledge you got a cheap price with minimum hassle. Bon voyage.
FAQs.
Supply and demand! This means prices can change often and by significant amounts, making it frustratingly hard to find the flight deals. Other external factors such as inflation and the price of jet fuel can make a big difference too.
With lots of tools and filters to customize your search and take the legwork out, KAYAK is your place to find cheap flights. Of course, I would say that – but the simple fact is, it’s true. KAYAK trawls hundreds of airlines across hundreds of travel engines to find the best airfares for your needs.
The big thing to consider when flying internationally is what season your destination is in. If you’re flying long haul, it could be high season to your low season and that will bump prices. It’s always better where possible to travel in the off or shoulder season.
Try KAYAK’s Best Time to Travel tool that uses your origin, destination and length of trip to determine when you should travel and when to book for a great price.
The best way to get a cheap domestic flight is to plan your trip a month or two in advance, choose your route and then set up a price alert that will send you an email every time your ticket price drops. You can set it to specific travel dates or, if you’re flexible on when you fly, to let you know price drops over a longer period – which will likely save you even more!
Setting up a price alert on KAYAK so you always know when the cost of a flight price goes down is quick and easy. It can also save you hundreds of dollars in ticket prices if you set it up early and use it properly.
If you know where you’re flying from and to, and have set dates or a travel window in mind, setting up a KAYAK price alert is as simple as flicking a switch. For a step-by-step guide on how to set up a price alert in the KAYAK app or online, read our article on how KAYAK Price Alerts get you the best travel deals.
This article was originally published in June 2023 and updated in June 2026.
