Is there a science behind booking flights? Perhaps there’s a formula for finding the best deals, cheapest prices and discounts for upgrades?
Some people will tell you there’s a science behind it and they may even lead you to believe there are special secrets. But I’m here today to tell you the real secrets behind booking cheap flight tickets.
Spoiler alert: there isn’t an exact science and it’s something anyone can do and I’m going to tell you exactly how I do it.
I went to Lanzarote last week for £39 return! That’s a 4.5 hour return flight. I’m going to Dublin next week for £28 return and Alicante for £35. I rarely pay more than £100 for a short haul flight and I always manage to find the cheapest long-haul flights too. I love bargain flights and I take pride in my ability to find them!
Here are my tips for finding cheap flights…
Search for cheap flights regularly
I search for cheap flight tickets all the time. I probably have a quick look 3-4 times a week, just to see what’s available.
I search through various flight booking sites like other people might search through ASOS or Instagram! I’m not always even searching to find something to book, I’m often just searching out of curiosity.
I think part of my good luck when it comes to booking cheap flight tickets is simply that I’m looking all the time. And as they say, ‘You’ve got to be in it to win it!’ and you’re more likely to find great bargains if you’re looking often.
Know how much flights usually cost
Part of the benefit of looking for cheap flights regularly is that you’ll begin to realise what’s the average price for flights to a particular destination as well as what’s expensive and what’s cheap.
I often see people saying things like, ‘There’s a sale on and flights to Dubai are only £500!’ And I’m thinking, ‘They’re always about £500, that’s not a sale, don’t rush!’
Don’t be fooled by ‘sales’ and make sure you realise when you’ve actually spotted a bargain!
Book it as soon as you see a bargain
When you’re regularly looking and you spot a bargain flight then do not hesitate when it comes to booking it! Not for a second. Get it booked!
Once you’ve spotted that bargain then the price will only go up. Trust me, I know. I’ve done it so many times when I’ve hesitated or spent half an hour checking if I really can make the dates. And then when you come back to the reservation page, the price has gone up! Just book it. You can work out the details afterwards!
Be flexible with your dates
If you can, be flexible with your dates and have a look at prices for a few days on either side of your preferred dates. Sometimes it’ll be a lot cheaper to fly a day or two earlier or come back a day later.
If you can’t be flexible with your dates, be flexible with your destination
I know for many of us it just isn’t possible to be flexible with your dates. If you have work commitments or annual leave to think about as well as childcare, petcare and other social commitments…well it’s hard to find a few spare days for a holiday!
If this is the case then I recommend being flexible with your destination. You might not get cheap flights to Spain on the dates you’re free but you might get cheap flights to Morocco so why not try somewhere new!
Don’t fly on the popular dates
If you’re new to this then you might not know when the ‘popular dates’ are but with some regular searching you’ll start to see patterns.
- Short haul flights are more expensive for a Thursday/Friday-Sunday trip. It’s better to go Saturday – Monday if you’re going for a long weekend.
- Flights to popular business destinations tend to be more expensive earlier in the week.
- Flights to family destinations are more expensive during the school holidays.
- But flights to non-family destinations can be cheaper during the school holidays.
But still search for popular dates if they work for you
But having said the above, don’t let that stop you searching. There are ‘patterns’ but it doesn’t mean flight prices won’t be completely random either.
I found return flights to Ibiza over the August bank holiday weekend for £50 last year. That’s a bank holiday, a weekend and a family destination during the summer holidays. In theory, that should have been an expensive flight but I just found a weird bargain there.
Ask your friends and family not to look at flights
If you’re booking flights for a group, whether it’s your friends or family, politely ask them not to search for the flights too – even if they’re just looking out of curiosity. As soon as more people start looking at the flights the price will go up and even 1-2 extra people looking will have an impact.
Book early for long haul
If you’re booking long-haul flights then book as early as you can. Many airlines release the flights 12 months in advance so get them as soon as you possibly can. The price for long-haul flights rarely comes down and only goes up.
Book 8-10 weeks in advance for short haul
The prices for short-haul flights can be all over the place and vary massively depending on demand. So there really isn’t a ‘best’ time to book short haul flights. It’s unlikely you’ll get really cheap last-minute flights so aim to book them at least 4-6 weeks in advance. I tend to book about 8-10 weeks in advance as that’s when I find they’re cheapest.
Which ‘extras’ are important to you?
We all know we can save money by cutting back on extras when we fly.
If it’s a long-haul flight then it might be cheaper to have a stopover or maybe a longer stopover then you’d ideally like.
If you’re flying short-haul then you can really strip it back and travel without any luggage (other than a small bag) and without reserving a seat.
Additional extras like fast-track at security, extra luggage, airport lounges, seat upgrades and in-flight meals can add up but they also make the travel experience much nicer so you’ve got to pick which are important to you.