Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts
Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - The Art of Tracking Flights
The art of tracking flights is all about knowing where and when to look for the best deals. As any savvy traveler knows, flight prices are constantly fluctuating, and being strategic with your search can lead to huge savings. While sites like Google Flights make it easy to set price alerts, simply setting it and forgetting it is not necessarily the best approach. Here are some pro tips for mastering the art of tracking flights:
Be flexible with airports. One of the easiest ways to save is by comparing rates across different airports in a metro area. For example, flying into Oakland instead of SFO can shave hundreds off your ticket price. Make sure to check fares at all airports within 90 miles or so of your destination.
Follow airfare trends. Prices are often cheapest 1-3 months in advance for domestic flights and 2-8 months in advance for international. But it also depends on the route, time of year, and other factors. Study historical fare data using tools like Google Flights' price graph to understand the best time to buy.
Track mistake fares. Airlines and OTAs sometimes accidentally publish unrealistically cheap fares. These get snapped up quickly but you can pounce on them by setting alerts for rock-bottom prices on your routes. Aim for anything under $200 roundtrip to Europe or Asia.
Be open to nearby destinations. If your dream destination is pricing out too high, look at expanding your search by up to 250 miles. You may find a similarly appealing locale for half the cost.
Leverage weather disruptions. Storms or other events that disrupt travel often translate into fare sales as airlines try to entice wary travelers. Track airports prone to weather issues and watch for airfare drops after cancellations.
Sign up for alerts from deal sites. Bloggers and travel hacking sites like The Flight Deal do a lot of the tracking work for you, sending alerts for the deals they unearth. Leverage their expertise.
What else is in this post?
- Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - The Art of Tracking Flights
- Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Setting Up Alerts on Multiple Sites
- Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Being Flexible with Dates and Destinations
- Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Targeting Mistake Fares
- Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Tracking Prices Incognito
- Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Using Fare Drop to Get Notified on Price Changes
- Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Customizing Alerts Based on Price Drops
- Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Automating the Search Process
Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Setting Up Alerts on Multiple Sites
While Google Flights makes it easy to set price alerts for specific routes, relying solely on their tracking leaves you vulnerable to missing out on deals that pop up elsewhere. Savvy travelers know it pays to cast a wide net by setting up alerts across multiple sites and airfare search engines.
Each site has its own idiosyncrasies in terms of the fares displayed, meaning one may show a cheap ticket that others miss. I like to set alerts on Google Flights, Momondo, Skyscanner, and the airlines themselves if possible. For example, Southwest may offer a good deal that doesn't appear on meta search sites.
When setting your alerts, make sure to use the advanced features available to customize them exactly as needed. On Google Flights, you can select options to only notify you if prices drop, set specific price drop thresholds, and limit alerts to particular cabin types or airlines.
Momondo lets you filter by number of stops and mix and match airports for alerting. And most sites allow you to pick flexible date ranges so you don't miss out on a deal that falls just outside your ideal travel window.
Beyond airfare search engines, setting alerts directly with hotels and through package sites like Expedia can also unlock savings. Hotel rates are dynamic, so a room that starts out pricey can drop in the months leading up to your stay.
Signing up for fare drop emails from sites like Yapta can also provide an extra layer of monitoring across airlines and OTAs. I find their alerts helpful for watching existing bookings to potentially rebook at a lower rate.
The key is layering alerts across multiple sources so cheaper fares trigger a notification regardless of where they originate. I aim for at least 4-5 different alerts per route minimum. It takes a bit of time upfront but saves hours of manual searching in the long run.
Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Being Flexible with Dates and Destinations
When it comes to scoring amazing flight deals, flexibility is key. While it's tempting to lock in specific travel dates months in advance, staying open to different departure and return possibilities can unlock substantial savings. The same goes for destinations - being willing to consider alternate locales within your region of interest can surface options hundreds less than your original city.
I learned this lesson after stubbornly trying to make a trip to Spain work over the Christmas holidays one year. Flights from the US east coast were pricing out over $1000 for the exact week I wanted. But when I expanded the date range to 3 weeks earlier and later, fares dropped to $650. It just required shifting some work projects before my trip.
On a separate occasion, I had my heart set on Panama City as a beach getaway. But when I found flights to nearby San Jose, Costa Rica for nearly half the price, it was an easy decision to switch destinations. A bit of Googling revealed Costa Rica to be just as appealing.
Other travelers have shared similar epiphanies. One noticed Norway was prohibitively expensive for his timeframe but Sweden was hundreds less. Rather than insisting on Norway, he chose an open mind and ended up loving Stockholm and Gothenburg.
A writer planning her first trip to Asia started by pricing out Tokyo, Seoul and Singapore. But when she added Bangkok into her search, she found roundtrip flights for under $500 whereas the others were all $800+. Despite knowing less about Thailand, the temptation of those fares convinced her to take a chance on Bangkok.
Being open to flying midweek instead of weekends can also yield significant savings. A retired couple discovered they could shave $300 off their transatlantic flights by traveling Monday to Friday rather than Friday to Sunday. Since weekday/weekend wasn't a concern, it was an obvious change to make.
For short haul domestic flights, even choosing earlier or later in the same day can have a big impact. Flying at 6am instead of 5pm or vice versa can transform a $350 ticket to $150. If you can adjust your schedule, huge savings await.
Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Targeting Mistake Fares
One of the most exciting ways to score incredible flight deals is to capitalize on mistake fares published accidentally by airlines and online travel agencies. These unicorn-like fares appear when an error occurs in the complex systems that control ticket pricing, allowing savvy travelers to snap up tickets for a fraction of their normal cost before the mistake is caught and fixed.
While rare, capturing mistake fares has enabled many globetrotters to take trips that would have otherwise remained out of financial reach. I've heard stories of explorers who paid under $200 roundtrip to fly to the other side of the world in lie-flat business class seats that normally cost thousands. Other adventuresome spirits have taken impromptu weekend trips to Europe for the price of a nice dinner thanks to mistake fare windfalls.
A writer named Amanda was scanning airfares late one night when she stumbled upon Delta roundtrip tickets from LA to Sydney for just $280 in economy. Knowing flights halfway around the world never cost that little, she immediately snatched up the fares thinking it had to be an error. Sure enough, the next morning the price had shot back up to $1200. Thanks to her quick action, Amanda found herself experiencing the beauty of the Sydney Opera House and Australian beaches almost free of charge.
Part of successfully capitalizing on mistake fares is understanding the situations where they are most likely to crop up. Savvy travelers pay close attention when airlines debut new routes or make major schedule changes. The complicated adjustments to pricing algorithms often cause glitches resulting in mistake ticket opportunities. Big sales events and holidays are another time when error-driven mispricings tend to occur. Signing up for alerts from blogs that specialize in finding mistake fares can help you pounce at the right moments.
To maximize your odds, cast as wide a net as possible when searching airfares. Look across multiple sites and airlines to catch errors no matter where they manifest. And leverage flexible dates in your queries - a mistake on one day likely means mistakes on surrounding days too. Those willing to drop everything and travel at the drop of a hat hold the greatest advantage in this department.
Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Tracking Prices Incognito
Savvy travelers know that airlines and OTAs are masters at dynamic pricing, constantly adjusting fares based on demand, date of search, and other factors. One way they maximize revenue is by showing higher prices to return visitors or those not using incognito browsing. By searching in incognito or private mode, you see the true base fare without cookies impacting what you pay.
I first realized the power of incognito searching while planning a trip to Asia. On my initial search, I saw flights for $750 and figured that was the going rate. But when I opened an incognito window and searched again, fares dropped to $650! An immediate $100 savings just by masking my identity.
Other travelers have reported similar discrepancies. A blogger named James was shocked to see a transatlantic fare jump $60 on a second search. By clearing his cookies, he got back to the original cheaper price. Frequent flyer Rashida noticed the same flight costing $20 more when not in private browsing. A simple cookie reset brought the fare back down.
Part of incognito's magic lies in preventing dynamic pricing based on past search history. If an airline sees you repeatedly searching a route, they may infer urgency and push the price higher. Searching anonymously avoids this scenario. Incognito browsing also resets any flags the site may use to categorize you as a loyal customer deserving of special (read: higher) pricing. By masking your identity, the fare shown reflects true demand only.
Beyond circumventing customized pricing, private browsing also ensures you see the latest fare data. Travel sites cache search results and may display outdated prices if not forced to refresh. Restarting your browser erases the cache so fares stay current.
One word of caution when tracking and booking incognito - make sure to save search details and confirmation numbers. Your ephemeral browsing history won't stick around to refer back to once you close the window. I copy info into a document for future reference.
Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Using Fare Drop to Get Notified on Price Changes
FareDrop is one of my secret weapons for scoring amazing flight deals and getting notified the instant prices drop. This free service lets you track fares across hundreds of routes and will email you anytime the price decreases. For savvy travelers who don't have time to constantly monitor airfares manually, FareDrop is a godsend.
Simply sign up for a free account, then enter your departure and arrival airports along with ideal travel dates. You can enter multiple routes to track. FareDrop will immediately start monitoring fares across 30+ sites and airlines. Whenever it detects a price drop, you'll receive an email alert with details on the new lower fare and a direct booking link.
The notification emails are great because they spell out exactly how much you'll save with the updated pricing. Let's say FareDrop has been tracking LAX-DEL for you at $980, then the fare drops to $875. The email will prominently state "New price: $875 - You save $105". This makes it easy to spot the biggest discounts worthy of jumping on. You can also set a minimum price drop threshold if you only want to be notified for significant savings.
Travelers have raved about the money FareDrop has saved them. One user reported it alerted her to a $315 price drop on flights to Hawaii, allowing her to rebook at the lower rate. Another said FareDrop found a $400 decrease in fares to Costa Rica, resulting in huge savings on a family vacation. And it requires no work - you just sit back and let the price drop emails come to you!
Beyond airfare tracking, FareDrop also monitors hotel rates. You can enter desired hotel stays and get alerts if the price changes. One traveler said FareDrop notified her when the hotel she booked dropped from $749 to $509 per night, saving $240. It's a simple way to guarantee you always pay the lowest rates.
Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Customizing Alerts Based on Price Drops
The key to maximizing flight deal alerts is customizing them to your specific needs. While the default settings on sites like Google Flights work fine, savvy travelers know you can tailor alerts for the exact price drops that matter most. This avoids excessive notifications and helps surface just the deals truly worth acting on.
For example, when setting a Google Flight price tracking alert, you can specify thresholds for minor, medium and significant fare drops. I like to choose thresholds of $20, $50, and $100+ decreases for domestic economy class fares. That way I only get emailed for substantial savings of $50 or more rather than every minor $5-10 fluctuation.
Frequent flyer Elisa takes this even further, setting her alert threshold at $200+ off international business class fares. She’s only interested in major long-haul fare sales. With the threshold adjusted accordingly, Elisa avoids distractions from insignificant changes.
You can also limit alerts to specific departure dates within your ideal date range. Maybe you can only travel Thursdays through Sundays each week. Simply check those days on the calendar when setting your alert to filter out irrelevant fluctuations on other dates.
Families booking multiple tickets love the option to only get notified if the total fare for all travelers drops, not just fluctuations in the per-person price. And restricting alerts to nonstop flights or your preferred airline prevents unwanted notifications about connections or less desirable carriers.
Beyond airfare sites, hotel deal platforms like HotelsCombined let you customize alerts based on percentage drops. Business traveler James sets his alerts for 15%+ hotel rate decreases since anything less isn’t worth changing an existing booking. For him, the 15% threshold delivers only relevant savings opportunities.
Savvy Traveler Secrets: How to Unlock the Best Flight Deals with Custom Price Alerts - Automating the Search Process
With airfares constantly fluctuating, the manual process of checking multiple sites and re-running searches can become tedious fast. Savvy travelers know the power of automating fare searches to work smarter, not harder. By leveraging technology to do the heavy lifting, you remove the need to repeatedly hunt for deals.
Automation comes in two forms - scripts that run searches for you automatically, and apps that push flight deals to your inbox without any work required. On the scripting side, options like ITA Matrix let you pre-program routing codes and search parameters. Simply set it up once, then the Matrix runs your custom queries daily and emails results.
ITA Matrix regular Heather sings the praises of her customized scripts: "I have the Matrix tracking a dozen routes I'm interested in, adjusting dates automatically each week. It emails me a comprehensive report of the lowest fares while I sleep. I just skim the deals over coffee without wasting time searching manually."
For those less tech-savvy, apps remove the need to code anything. Hitlist is hugely popular for automatically finding cheap flights based on your home airport and destination wishlist. Tell it where you want to go, set fare drop notifications, and deals come to you with no effort.
Rodney, a busy startup founder, loves Hitlist for its simplicity: "I connected all my dream destinations, and Hitlist sends me push notifications anytime there's an amazing deal. It's found me $350 flights to Hawaii, $129 fares to Central America, and a $560 roundtrip to Madrid. The app puts amazing trips within reach without me lifting a finger."
Beyond airfare search automation, apps like TripIt can monitor your bookings and automatically notify you if prices drop post-purchase. After forwarding TripIt your confirmation emails, it tracks those reservations across multiple sites. If your fare decreases, TripIt alerts you and provides links to rebook at the new lower rate.
Savvy travelers like Mark enable TripIt on all bookings: "TripIt has saved me hundreds by catching price drops after I book. For my LA to NYC roundtrip, TripIt alerted me fares dropped by $94 and allowed me to instantly rebook. I wasn't checking manually, so would've missed out without the automation."