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How to book cheap flights?  The million dollar question right…

Whether you are a frequent flier like myself or you just jet off once or twice a year, it’s fair to say that we all want to find the cheapest flights that we possibly can. The internet has made finding cheap holiday flights far easier than it used to be and increased competition amongst airlines, with that being said, it can still get a little bewildering when you are raking though the web to snag the best deals.

Step 1- Momondo

My first step is literally always Momondo, either the app on my phone or the website on my Mac. It is my go-to website when I want to find cheap flights, my mum actually turned me onto it a few years ago (believe it or not!) and I’ve never looked back. Unlike many other flight search engines, Momondo checks out all of the major airlines as well as the low-budget companies too, perfect if you are flying short distances or to obscure locations. Not only will this website check more efficiently for cheap flights but the website itself is super user friendly, start here first. And download the app, super userfriendly. 

Step 2– Double Check

Whilst I have always found Momondo to be the best place for cheap flights, it is still worth checking out the likes of Skyscanner and Expedia just in case, in all likelihood though, you probably won’t find any cheaper seats, definitely worth a check though.And in case you are ready to fly within 24 hours, you could find some great last-minute flight deals, although currently only from UK, on Runtofly. Whiz through those boys and then move on to step 3. 

Step 3– Google Flights

Kinda new on the scene, and still pretty buggy byt Google flights is always worth a check whilst you are searching for cheap flights, simply type into the search engine what you are looking for and it will scan the web for the lowest cost seats available. The technology used by Google to find flights is the same that powers Kayak and Orbitz so it does have a solid foundation with which to find good prices. There are a couple of other benefits which the search engine will give you such as flight price alerts too.  I’ve literally never booked a flight through this though, but it’s good to get a kind of ball park figure. 

Step 4 –  Check Directly With The Airline

There are some airlines that will be able to offer you the same prices as search engines directly from their website and once you have found a cheap flight, it’s worth checking the airline to see if you find the same price. The benefit you will get when booking direct with an airline is that should any problems occur regarding delays or cancelled flights, you will have much more support than if you use middle men. That being said, the middle men who momondo etc use often save you $100+ so if you’re looking for the cheapest flight, then go with a flight booking platform and avoid the airline directly (unless it’s the same price of course, then go with the airline!)

Step 5- Try Going Incognito and Alter the Suffix

It has been shown in many cases that depending on your location, your flight tickets may be more expensive, booking in Thailand for a domestic flight for example is cheaper in Thailand than booking outside. To avoid this risk, search for the tickets using an incognito browser, a VPN (not sure what a VPN is, click here), the domain suffix for that particular country – in this case .th – or even simply alter the ‘location country’ setting directly on the website. The tickets won’t always be cheaper but it is definitely worth a try for the sake of a couple of minutes. This worked for me massively in Chile and Argentina.

Step 6- If Everything is The Same…

If everything remains the same or more expensive then head back to Momondo and get your flights booked up as soon as possible. Flight prices can change in a heartbeat so once you have found the best price for your trip, get it booked. If you find an airline to be a little more expensive ($10-$15) then it may be worth booking with them should any problems arise. I have however, rarely had any problems with booking through travel companies that can be found on the likes of Momondo and if the price difference is large then go with the middle man.  So all those middle-men like BravoFly, CheapO air etc – do I love them? No. If things go wrong they are tough to work with BUT if they save me $200+ each time I book a flight, I go with them. In fact I book 99% of my flights through these middle men guys, via momondo.co.uk, and I’ve only ever had a problem once. Well worth it for all the savings. 

And there you have it, your 6 step guide for how to use the internet to find the cheapest flights possible for your upcoming journey. Whatever you do, don’t accept the first price, put a little work in and make sure that you save yourself as much cash as possible.