The mix & match fares, also known as “hacker fares”, are a combination of separate airline tickets. This sometimes leads to lower prices but could mean different refund policies.
Not sure if you're getting the cheapest flights? The "Our advice" section at the top corner lets you know if a price is likely to drop in a few days. It works similarly to Google Flights' price graph by calculating recent price data. But sometimes the stickman appears, which is code for "IDK yet."
On the other hand, Kayak takes the best of both worlds from Google Flights and Momondo. The interface is very similar to Google Flights. Plus, they have the flight quality and OTA filters like Momondo.
One unique feature is their fee assistant, which calculates the flight price to include baggage fees. So, let's say you plan to carry a checked bag - simply choose your destination and dates, click on the checked bag icon - bada bing bada boom, no surprises!
Checking for alternative prices on flight search engines is a must to find the cheapest flights available. Even if you have miles/points or are part of a frequent flyer program, it's still worth checking. These airlines ain't loyal, and your wallet shouldn't be either.
Sidenote: To up your chances of getting a great deal, try combining these tools into a single workflow by using a comparison tool. We've released a free browser plugin that converts Google Flights pages to equivalent searches in Skyscanner, Momondo, and Kayak for easy comparison. You can grab it on the Google Chrome Store and Firefox/Mozilla Edge.
Booking via Online Travel Agents (OTAs), instead of buying your ticket directly from the airline, will often make your flight cheaper, but not always!
Online Travel Agents sometimes get 'exclusive' fares from specific airlines, allowing them to sell add-ons like checked bags for far less than the airline sells them, even if the base ticket price is the same. This is especially true for most long-haul flights with traditional full-service airlines like British Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, etc.
European budget airlines, like Ryanair, Easyjet & Wizzair, almost always offer the cheapest fares on their website. On the US side, it's uncommon to find cheaper OTA's for full-service airlines like JetBlue and United Airlines.
While still in the minority, a few full-service carriers like Delta, American, KLM & Air France have decided to buck the trend and offer the cheapest fares only on their website. There are some drawbacks to buying flights with Online Travel Agents, but overall it's generally safe and can make your flight cheaper.
Like we talked about in the myth-busting section, gone are the days when airlines release tickets once a week. They've made it very difficult to predict when any particular destination will go up or down in price.
The good news is that we've noticed some patterns in the times when great flight deals show up. We go more in-depth in the best time to book a flight article, but here's the gist of it:
From our experience, the cheapest months to search flights are usually after the general holiday/high season in January, February, August, and September.
On the flip side - the closer you get to the holiday season in May, June, April, and October, the more it'll cost to book a flight. December is usually the most expensive.
This is all a rule of thumb of course; prices reacting to demand is still a thing. Big world events like the Olympics or even regional events like the Brazilian carnival can greatly impact the fares you'll see.
After choosing the best time to book, the next step is figuring out when is the right season to fly. ”Well, that's an easy one” you may be thinking “just go during the low/off-peak seasons."
That might work for year-round destinations like Iceland, but booking a beach vacation in the Caribbean during the hurricane season isn't such a good idea.
An easy way to find the sweet spot between peak season and cheap international flights for any city is to hop on the Google Flights explore page, click on a destination and scroll down the infobox on the left. You'll find helpful tidbits on the weather and, in some cases, popular holidays and festivals.
Traveling during the shoulder season (the period between the high and low seasons) is often the best of both worlds - good weather, fewer crowds, and deals on more than just the flights. Knowing what to expect during each season will help you decide if it's worth visiting during the off-season.
Cheap FlightsLow Season: November - March. During the winter, the temperature drops, and in some countries, rainy days increase. December is an exception here - prices go up for ski season, Christmas markets, and Christmas break.
Shoulder Season: Early October for Southern Europe, April - May for Western Europe. During this time, the weather is still comfortable, but the holiday crowds are yet to come.
Low Season: July - October for Southeast Asia. You'd want to avoid going during the Monsoon season when typhoons and tropical storms occur frequently.
Low Season: October - April. The 'top end' or Northern territory is also affected by the Monsoon season. While the rest of Australia varies, the general rule of thumb is June - August, during the winter.
Low Season: June - October. The rainy season starts in June, and hurricane season picks up in August.
Shoulder Season: November - Mid-December. The rainy season is coming to an end, and it's right before the holiday rush.
Low Season: Generally May - September in Brazil but in the Southern parts (think Patagonia), it's during their winter in June to November.
Low Season: Generally May - September in Brazil but in the Southern parts (think Patagonia), it's during their winter in June to November.
Shoulder Season: Varies a lot from country to country, but it's usually after a big festival. For example, in Brazil, it's after the Carnival in March.
Low Season: Another region that varies a lot because of its massive geography. It's mostly November - March during the fall/autumn to the spring season, but school holidays like Christmas, Fall, Winter, Spring break, and Easter can spike up prices.
Shoulder Season: Sometimes during March to May when school's open as well as September. There's much fewer crowds during the start of the winter in November - December for ski destinations.
Low Season: It also varies a lot by country. For example, South Africa's low season is in their winter season, from June to August. This also happens to be the low season for Egypt for the opposite reason when it's super hot.
Finding the cheapest flights for each season is a patience game. A convenient way to keep track of prices is using Google Flights alerts; this lets you know when prices have changed for your specific dates.
So, you've figured out the best season to travel, but what about the cheapest day to fly? The answer varies really heavily on the route.
But usually, we've noticed that Tuesdays & Wednesdays are the cheapest days to travel, followed by Mondays and Sundays as the next cheapest. Unsurprisingly, Friday and Saturday are the two most expensive days to fly.
For short-haul flights - Mondays, especially during the evening, can be very expensive. This is usually due to travelers returning home after a long weekend trip. This doesn't mean you won't sometimes find cheap flights departing on Fridays & Saturdays - just that most of the time it's easiest to fly cheaper early in the week.
So there you have it, folks! Finding cheap flights to anywhere doesn't have to be a total nightmare. Sure, it takes a bit of effort and some patience, but with the tips outlined in this article, you'll be well on your way to snagging some sweet deals on flights. Whether you're using flight search engines, setting up price alerts, or being flexible with your travel dates, there are plenty of ways to save money and make your dream trip a reality.
