By being flexible as to where and when you travel you will be able to save the most off your flight. For example, I’ve been able to purchase tickets for Paris for $700 less than the other flights that were listed that year by buying when an airline was having a sale.
Instead of signing up for airline newsletters, my favourite way to stay informed about upcoming huge flight deals is to visit travel sites where people list the deals for you, saving you all the work to search yourself. Secret Flying and Travel Zoo have flight deals listed by the departing country and lists the biggest discounted flight deals for the next few months. Canadians can also use Chris Myden’s site that lists flight discounts per Canadian City, where you can sign up for the newsletter or follow on social media to get notified about big-ticket discounts.
Flight Comparison Search
The first thing I do when looking for a flight for my trip is to use a flight comparison engine where you can put your destination and departing city and it will show you the various prices for different flights leaving that day. My favourites are Skyscanner, Google Flights, and Momondo which unlike Expedia or Kayak include low-cost airlines such as EasyJet, IcelandAir and Wow Air in their results which can save you up to hundreds of dollars off your flight tickets.
If you don’t need to purchase your flight right away, you can also sign up for a flight price alert from Watchdog which will email you if the flight to your destination is reduced.
Search In Incognito Mode
The price of the same airline ticket sometimes varies by the country you are booking the ticket in. One way to get around this is to clear your browsing history and try your search in incognito mode in your browser.
Check Surrounding Airports
Before booking your flight check nearby airports to see if there are any better deals. It is important though to look into the travel costs from the nearby airport to your destination to make sure the price is still lower with the additional cost of taxis or public transit.
Check The Price For 2 One Way Flights
Sometimes it is cheaper to book two flights instead of a round trip, especially if you are willing to depart from a nearby airport for your return flight.
Skip Checked Bags
If you are going for a short vacation it is possible to pack everything you will need in a carry-on bag, which will save you paying to check your bags.
Bring Your Own Food
Most airlines won’t serve you a complimentary meal for economy seats unless it is an international flight. Make sure to check ahead of time if you will get a meal, and if not you can save some money by bringing food with you in your carry-on bag.