If you've ever looked for a nonstop flight for a weekend trip anywhere on a difficult Wednesday afternoon at work, you've probably noticed that flights get very expensive on short notice... Why? The simple answer is that airlines know they can charge more.
Statistically speaking, most people who buy last-minute tickets are business travelers who don't pay much attention to the cost since their company pays. Airlines are aware of this, and they charge accordingly.
The way they do this is through a system called yield management. Basically, airlines charge different prices for a single-seat, which their algorithms adjust based on demand.
But in recent times, the type of last-minute travelers has been changing thanks to the pandemic. According to CheapAir's study, we're seeing more last-minute travel due to constantly changing travel restrictions, unexpected trips, and family emergencies.
Don't panic just yet! There's a silver lining - when airlines struggle to fill up seats, they do the reverse and churn out last-minute deals. While we wouldn't recommend relying on these for a specific trip you have planned, there are times when grabbing a flight at short notice may pay off.
In that case, there are many sites like lastminute.com, CheapOair, or TUI if you're in the UK that help airlines fill up seats.
Since these tickets are basically on clearance, be prepared to make some compromises by giving up extra perks like early seat selection or flying from a departure airport further away.
There are a few tips and tricks for landing a cheap last-minute flight, but it can sometimes just boil down to luck (not myths).
We guarantee you've heard some of these myths when looking for cheap flights before. Some of them stem from old truths, others... not so much. So let's get into debunking the most common myths:
This myth seems to be everywhere! As it goes, flight search engines track your interest in a flight and hike up the price if you come back to book it later!
The "unfortunately the price has gone up" message on Google flights brings no joy at all for anyone.
While there is no denying the airline industry's nickel and diming ways, this particular myth doesn't hold much weight. Our team goes through hundreds of flights every day to find cheap flights, including multiple searches to the exact location. The fare price doesn't change because you've visited a web page before.
This may have been a trick some dodgy travel agents tried in the past, but those days are long gone.
It's always possible that a flight you were eyeing goes up just because of how frequently the prices change. Or maybe someone else has booked the same flight, triggering a change to a new price bucket.
It's possible to see affordable flights as early as a year before, especially when using the Google Flights calendar tool. Yet, booking as soon as the flights are released isn't always the best strategy.
How airlines price their tickets is complicated, but it is a long game. They don't usually actively manage their fares for domestic flights until 3-4 months before departure and as many as five months for international flights.
So waiting in the metaphorical line for airlines to open shop and release tickets could mean paying the standard price, and that's certainly not how to find cheap flights to anywhere.
This may have been true back in the days when airlines loaded their flight tickets once a week, probably on a Tuesday afternoon, and if you booked early, you were more likely to get one of the cheaper flights.
Nowadays, fare changes no longer happen once a week and can fluctuate after just a few minutes even. Instead, fares are based on complex algorithms that consider the best price based on the season, time, popularity, human psychology, etc.
Cheap FlightsSo marking down Tuesdays as the flight booking day isn't a thing anymore, but knowing the right time to book when hunting for the cheapest flight can make a difference (we'll get into it in a bit).
You might be tempted to search for the cheapest ticket with low cost airlines. This is fine if you're in a hurry, have no flexibility, and are okay with budget airlines' no-frills policies.
But if you don't look beyond the walls of budget airlines, you're potentially missing out on deals with better airlines. It doesn't take too long to compare prices between different airlines, especially with the number of tools available.
While these are the most common myths we hear, we know there are many more floating around, but, it's time to get back to the facts.
They say a worker is only as good as their tools - that's true for cheap flight hunting too! The sites we're going to run through each have unique valuable ways to help you spot super affordable flights. Here's a rundown on how to use them for the best results.
Google Flights is our go-to tool to find the cheapest flights to anywhere. We've used it so much that we've made an in-depth guide on how to master the Google Flights features to find insanely cheap flights.
The main highlights are the Explore Page which shows you a world map with (nearly) real-time prices for your itinerary (so you also find the cheapest place). You can use the filters here to filter out airlines, durations, stops, connecting flights and even filter by interests.
The main highlights are the Explore Page which shows you a world map with (nearly) real-time prices for your itinerary (so you also find the cheapest place). You can use the filters here to filter out airlines, durations, stops, connecting flights and even filter by interests.
It's also the gateway to finding the cheapest price on hotels, vacation rentals, and things to do while you're there.
The second feature is the handy calendar tool that shows up once you've selected your destination. It shows the cheapest dates in green and sometimes suggests even cheaper options.
Protip: Set the filters you'd like to have from this page and head back to the mapping tool. Google Flights automatically applies the filters - making your search for great deals a lot easier!
Google Flights' main con is the airline listings - they don't have ALL of them. While you'll see most full-service airlines and budget airlines. A few airlines don't show up or may not list their prices on searches, like Southwest.
When this happens, you may need to go directly to the website or look at what OTAs offer.
OTAs or Online Travel Agencies are the middlemen of the flight world. While a few popular ones are aggregated by Google Flights, you'll find many more on other aggregator sites like Skyscanner and Momondo.
Unfortunately, we've heard many travelers are skeptical of OTAs since they question if it's still safe to book with an online travel agent. But they're definitely worth checking, especially for expensive long-haul flights as their prices can be a lot lower than what airlines offer. To make things easier for you, we've ranked the top OTAs for you, but here's where you can find their deals.
Using Skyscanner is pretty straightforward. Just add in your departure city, destination, travel dates, and you're all set. They also have flight filters, e.g. choosing nonstop flights only, flexible tickets only, and adding nearby airports.
What makes them stand out from other OTA aggregators is their flexibility. For example, you can choose to see the "cheapest month" or "whole month" when selecting dates.
