When to Find the Cheapest Flights: 7 GREAT Tips You Need to Know

Updated On: November 09, 2023 by   Rahma Ali

How and when to find the cheapest flights for the best deal? Oh, that’s a good question.

Airfare pricing might be the most expensive thing on your trip, and understanding how booking website algorithms work can puzzle you. It’s incredibly complex, and prices are changing minute by minute.

To guarantee the best fares, you need to break down how these websites collect flight prices instead of giving up your dream of visiting a faraway destination. You don’t need to be a travelling guru for this.

So, want to travel the world, but flight prices keep getting higher? This guide will help you find the cheapest flights possible!

Why Are Flight Prices Always Changing?

To answer your question, “When to find the cheapest flights”, we ran the data available to find out when flights can be the cheapest throughout the year to seize the best deal according to your budget. 

To unlock the lowest price, you need to understand why airline tickets have different rates worldwide and what causes these continuous changes. The first factor is timing. You will never find cheaper flights if you’re looking for them a few weeks before your departure date.

Conversely, if you plan a family visit or a great vacation, try to book your journey three weeks (ideally four months) before. It will be less expensive than you might think, according to CheapAir.com. After this period, you will find that rates are getting higher and higher. However, it’s more complex. There are more compound factors causing fluctuating ticket prices. For example, if you’re looking for the cheapest month, it will never be included in the holidays and summer seasons. 

Volatility is another factor that affects the cost of flying. No matter where you’re going, a recent study evaluating 917 million flights across countries discovered that prices vary depending on the time of year and when you book.

Pro tip: Many tools, such as Google Flights, will inform you of the cheapest flights available if you still need to set a specific time to fly. It will send a notification to pinpoint the best time to book your plane for your next trip. 

When to Find the Cheapest Flights

According to travel statistics, around 50% of millennials and Gen Z want to fly internationally. Because of the economic changes the world is facing right now, people, specifically the younger age groups of millennials and Gen Z, want to save as much as possible on plane tickets when flying internationally. You can save on airfare by waiting until the cheapest possible day to schedule your trip.

Whether you’re going for a business trip, some quality time with your family, or embarking on a journey as a solo traveller, let’s explore the world with less!

Choose Your Destination and Date After Checking the Prices

Airline tickets put the average individual in a harsh situation to determine if travel is a good idea. Far too often, this results in making bad decisions. Yes, everyone wants to find travelling hacks and use handy tips to minimise travel costs, and that’s possible.

Usually, our approach when planning to book a flight goes something like this:

• Choose your dream destination.
• Pick the dates when we can take our annual leave.
• Look at the flights available. 

Following these steps, you will end up with extremely high prices. If you do choose these expensive flights, you will most likely make sacrifices when it comes to planning what to explore on your vacation, leaving you completely dissatisfied with the experience if you are on a tight budget.

If you want to cut down the flight costs, flip that approach with the following tips:

• Use the right apps for travelling to find cheap flights available (if you don’t have to travel to a certain destination, be willing to travel anywhere as long as you find a great deal).
• Narrow down your options and choose the affordable destinations right for you.
• Select the date according to the best prices available.
• Be flexible with your destination and departure date.

Don’t Trust Any Information Available Online 

Choosing a trustworthy source for flight information is essential if you plan to save money on your plane ticket, but myths and pieces of misinformation are everywhere in the digital world. Let’s break down the most common myths:

• There is no exact time in the year during which you can spot the cheapest flight ever.
• There is no evidence that the cheapest flights can be found on Tuesdays.
• No one can expect airline prices, only websites that use analytical tools, which can be a wrong guess. 

Here is the truth: airlines determine prices based on an advanced system. No one knows how this system works except the airline company itself. This system makes research using piercing algorithms and sets the price based on the time of the year, fuel prices, competitor pricing plans, weather conditions, time of travelling during the day, any special vacations, events, or occasions, the number of passengers, and many other things we might have no idea about it.

Choose a Flight with Stops or Pay More

Again, flexibility should be your best friend when booking your flight. If you are willing to know when to find the cheapest flights, it goes beyond just choosing your dates and destinations based on price. Your flexibility here includes the route the plane will take. 

Of course, no one is looking to take a flight with an extra stop on the way. But for the sake of savings, you should do so. 

In general, use your common sense. Sometimes it’s worth it. Sometimes, it seems like extra hours are added to your journey without meaningful savings, but it’s a really big deal if you’re crossing the ocean.

Use a Reliable Flight Search Website 

For up-to-date ticket prices, use a good search website to enlighten you with top deals offered everywhere, such as Google Flights, Kayak, Wego, and Skyscanner. All of them are all-in-one platforms to compare airlines and see the best price for the best value. 

Pro tip: Besides the plane features, consider how long your flight will be, how many times you’ll have to change planes, and which airport you’ll end up at.

Be Flexible When It Comes to Arrival Airports 

To find the cheapest place to travel, use Google Flights Explore Map.

Why? Because you can enter up to seven airports at your departure and arrival destinations. Then you’d be able to find the cheapest route you can take.

You can even take advantage of its unique features, such as leaving the field of destination blank and just selecting the region. In addition, the website will collect all possible options for the cheapest flights. 

Think of Budget Carriers 

Years before, travelling was really costly, and if you wanted to move between continents, you had to choose between expensive and much more expensive flights. Now, it has become easier and more affordable.

Now, nothing can hold you back. You can travel within your budget. Thankfully, no longer can your budget define your limitations (of course, it will! But you have affordable options that were never available before!)

It will most likely not be super comfortable or even comfortable at all, and you might need to upgrade your luggage or have a meal. However, they can offer a lot for those who want to invest in cheap flights for the favour of doing something more worthy, such as spending more nights in their final destinations, doing more activities, or visiting more sightseeing. 

These budget flights still operate daily trips with lower prices, even in the age of inflation. What more can you ask for?

Get Notified for Discounted Flights

Finding potentially inexpensive flights doesn’t require you to be tethered to your mobile device. If you can do this, go ahead. You might find an unadvertised flash sale. Then again, you don’t have to. Alternatively, you can sign up for this service to get alarmed once there are cheap flights on the air. 

Most airline search websites offer this feature, such as Kayak and Skyscanner. Just be sure to refresh your inbox or download the app. 

After getting some of the best travelling hacks to know when to find the cheapest flights, be ready to visit all your bucket-list destinations for less!