Learn How to Find Cheap Flights for Every Trip

Search for Individual Traveler Ticket Prices

If you’re traveling with friends or family, don’t look for or buy many tickets at once. Airlines always display the highest ticket price in a package of tickets, implying that you will end up spending more money.

 

Airlines provide a wide range of ticket prices (these are based on various factors). They seek to sell tickets in the largest fare bucket feasible and always publish pricing in the highest fare bucket when grouping tickets together.

For example, if you are a family of four looking for four seats, the airline will search for four seats together and display your rate based on the highest ticket price. So, if seat A is $200, seats B and C are $300, and seat D is $400, the tickets will be priced at $400 each rather than adding up the individual ticket prices. If the price difference is significant, it will incur a large additional charge.

As a result, always look for tickets as a single person. Following that, during the checkout process, you can select your seats so that you and your family can sit together. Even if you don’t end up next to each other, it’s a good deal for a few hundred bucks saved.

Look for Tickets in Alternative Currencies

If your country’s currency is now strong compared to others around the world, look for flights in a country with a weaker currency.

 

For example, when the US dollar was strong, and the New Zealand currency was weak, I could find a one-way airfare from Australia to New York City for USD 1,000. However, when I searched on the airline’s New Zealand website, I saw the identical ticket for USD 600.

It was the same airline, flight, same ticket class – it was simply in a different currency. This strategy does not always work, but it does work frequently enough that it is worth a shot if your currency is currently performing well.

Plan ahead of time (But Not Too Early)

Airline rates continue to rise as you move closer to departure, but there is a sweet spot when airlines begin to cut or increase fares dependent on demand. So please don’t leave it until the last minute, but don’t book too far in advance either. The optimal time to book your flight is about 2-3 months before your trip, or about five months ahead if you’re going during high season.

This is not a hard and fast rule, so use it as a guideline. For example, I could go on and on about airline pricing strategies. Still, airlines hike prices closer to departure since last-minute bookings tend to be price-insensitive business travelers willing to pay whatever. So don’t wait until the last minute to book!

Finding a cheap flight requires being adaptable and inventive. It may take some time and effort, but the offers are out there if you’re prepared to look for them. Follow the advice above to get started, but don’t waste your time looking for a cheap flight. If you spend more than an hour reserving a flight, you’re wasting time.