How to save money on flights?

Hey everyone! As an airfare analyst I gotta say I don’t have patience for most influencers who claim they travel cheaply because of their “tips & tricks”.<br><br>So here’s my attempt at sharing a more realistic guide and cannot be stressed enough but planning ahead and being flexible will always help save you money. Also please don’t expect to have the world at your feet on a shoestring budget. It’s just not gonna happen. <br><br>**Booking in advance:**<br> This is the biggest factor. It's tempting to procrastinate as the brain is wired into thinking it's too early to even look at flights for a trip that's months away but the reality is the longer you wait the more expensive flights become. This is because airlines know most people don't book tickets randomly months in advance, they book them last minute. Honestly, planning ahead is the best way to save money on flights. If you can, book your flights at least 3-4 months in advance. <br><br>**Flexibility:**<br> The next thing is being flexible. There's a sweet spot in terms of booking window and how far in advance the flights are. For example, if you're traveling in the spring you'll notice prices tend to be higher on weekends and cheaper on Tuesdays. If you're flying long haul then you'll notice flights tend to be significantly cheaper on Mondays and Fridays. In other words, if you want the cheapest flights, you'll have to be willing to fly on off-peak days, which may not be as convenient. <br><br>**Death of error fares:**<br> I've seen a lot of travel influencers saying that you should wait for error fares or mistake fares to get your flights at rock bottom prices. In reality, that's not the case anymore. Error fares used to be really common a couple of years ago. These days it's almost unheard of. Airlines have gotten really good at catching those before they're publicly leaked. <br><br>**Deleting browser cookies:**<br> Deleting your browser cookies to get cheaper flights is pretty much a myth at this point. Some of you may have experienced it before where you deleted your cookies and the next time you logged on to the airline's website, the price was showing up cheaper. In reality what was happening was that the airline had actually increased the price because of the demand and then they added enough inventory to decrease the price. But the key point here is that the price would've still changed even if you didn't delete your cookies. <br><br>**Budget airlines:**<br> If you're flying within Europe, Southeast Asia, India or the US, then definitely look at flying with the budget airlines. Be prepared for a lot of restrictions, though, and be prepared to pay extra for a lot of things, like checked luggage, extra legroom seats, etc. But if you're willing to take the risks and don't need to check any bags, you can really save a lot of money by flying with the low-cost carriers.<br><br>**Alternative airports:**<br> If you have multiple airport options, you may want to check prices for each airport. In some cases the secondary airport may actually be a lot cheaper to fly into than the primary airport even if it's farther away from where you need to be. <br><br>**Duty free flights:**<br> You may want to look at flying with duty-free flights. These are flights that are exempt from sin tax. For example, if you're flying out of the US and you have a layover in the Caribbean or Central America, you may want to consider booking two separate tickets. One from the US to the Caribbean/CA and then another from there to your final destination. Sometimes this can be cheaper than booking a whole flight from the US. <br><br>**Round-the-world tickets:**<br> If you're planning an extended trip that involves flying to multiple countries, you may want to consider booking a round-the-world ticket. These tickets can be tailored to your needs. You can choose the areas you want to fly to and how many stops you want to make, and they can really save you money. Sometimes they can be cheaper than booking multiple one-way tickets. <br><br>**Off-peak travel:**<br> This is another big factor. If you can, try to avoid flying during peak seasons like the holidays or summer. If you must fly then booking way in advance is your best bet. Flights during peak seasons are significantly more expensive than the off-season. Sometimes you can even save up to 50% or more if you travel during the off-season. Also try to avoid flying during rush hours. Airlines know most business travelers fly during rush hour so prices for flights are significantly higher during those times.<br><br>**Layovers:**<br> Sometimes flights with layovers can be cheaper than booking non-stop flights. This is because airlines prioritize non-stop flights so those are usually more expensive. If you're willing to take a longer route with layovers, you can sometimes save a lot of money. <br><br>**Don't overpay:**<br> Lastly, please don't overpay for flights. I've seen a lot of people saying you need to spend a minimum of $X to get Y, but unless you're flying first class, that's just not true. In reality you can get great flights at a fraction of the cost if you're willing to be flexible. <br><br>TLDR; plan ahead, be flexible, don't wait for mistake fares, alternative airports, consider low-cost carriers, booking round-the-world tickets, flying off-peak, and layovers. Sometimes you can save a lot more money on flights by being flexible.