Frugal Flyers: How to Find the Cheapest Flights When You’re Flexible on Destination
Frugal Flyers: How to Find the Cheapest Flights When You're Flexible on Destination - Consider Lesser-Known Carriers and Airports
When looking for the cheapest flights, don't limit yourself to only searching major airlines and hub airports. Lesser-known carriers and regional airports often have great deals, especially if you're flexible on destination.
Smaller airlines like Allegiant, Frontier, and Spirit may not have all the bells and whistles of the majors, but they excel at offering rock-bottom fares. The key is being open to flying out of alternate airports in a metro area. For example, flying Allegiant out of Mesa, Arizona (near Phoenix) or Frontier out of Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport can unlock savings over departing from the main airport.
Certain leisure destinations lend themselves particularly well to this approach. Want to visit Florida on a budget? Skip Miami and consider flying into Sanford Orlando on Allegiant or Southwest into Ft. Lauderdale. Heading to Colorado for a ski trip? Try Monarch Airlines into Denver International or Colorado Springs Airport over United or American into DIA.
Don't forget about regional subsidiaries either. Delta Connection, United Express and American Eagle partners fly smaller planes to smaller markets and often have competitive rates. While you may have to connect through a hub, the savings can be substantial.
What else is in this post?
- Frugal Flyers: How to Find the Cheapest Flights When You're Flexible on Destination - Consider Lesser-Known Carriers and Airports
- Frugal Flyers: How to Find the Cheapest Flights When You're Flexible on Destination - Use Flexible Date Search Tools
- Frugal Flyers: How to Find the Cheapest Flights When You're Flexible on Destination - Let Trending Destinations Inspire You
- Frugal Flyers: How to Find the Cheapest Flights When You're Flexible on Destination - Follow Airfare Pricing Calendars
- Frugal Flyers: How to Find the Cheapest Flights When You're Flexible on Destination - Look for Error Fares and Mistakes
Frugal Flyers: How to Find the Cheapest Flights When You're Flexible on Destination - Use Flexible Date Search Tools
When booking flights, being flexible with your travel dates can unlock significant savings. Leveraging flexible date search tools is a powerful way to identify the cheapest days to fly. Many airline and travel booking sites offer this functionality, but Google Flights stands out as one of the most user-friendly and powerful options.
The Google Flights calendar view allows you to quickly visualize price fluctuations across a range of dates. By inputting your origin and destination, you can see at a glance which days have the lowest fares. This is invaluable for identifying sweet spots - those magical windows of time when prices dip below the norm. Maybe flying a day earlier or later could save you $100 or more per ticket. That kind of savings can really add up, especially for families or groups.
Beyond the calendar, Google Flights also provides a "price graph" feature that plots prices over time. This is great for spotting trends and determining the best time to book. If you see prices steadily rising, it may be wise to pull the trigger sooner rather than later. Conversely, if costs are dropping, you can afford to be a bit more patient in your search.
The true power of flexible date searching, however, lies in its ability to uncover hidden gems. By expanding your date range and being open to slightly different trip lengths, you may stumble upon incredible deals that would have otherwise been missed. Perhaps a 10-day trip costs $500 less than the 7-day itinerary you initially had in mind. Or flying out on a Wednesday rather than a Friday could yield massive savings. The only way to know is to cast a wide net and explore the possibilities.
Frugal Flyers: How to Find the Cheapest Flights When You're Flexible on Destination - Let Trending Destinations Inspire You
Sometimes the best way to find amazing flight deals is to simply let emerging travel trends guide your search. By keeping an eye on where people are flocking to, you can uncover hidden pockets of affordability. After all, airlines are constantly adjusting routes and pricing based on demand.
For instance, destinations that have recently experienced a surge in popularity are often ripe for uncovering flight bargains, especially if you're willing to visit during shoulder season. Places like Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, and certain regions of Africa have all seen a major uptick in tourism in recent years. As a result, airlines have rapidly expanded service to cater to this growing interest, sparking healthy competition and driving down airfares.
Take North Macedonia as a prime example. This small Balkan country has quietly become one of Europe's hottest up-and-coming destinations, enticing travelers with its stunning natural beauty, ancient ruins, and vibrant culture. Flights there from major US hubs can often be found for under $800 roundtrip, occasionally even dipping below $600. That's an incredible deal considering the distance and the fact that this destination is still relatively undiscovered by the mainstream.
Similarly, Thailand's popularity shows no signs of waning, and airlines continue to add new routes to capitalize on the demand. That means finding cheap flights to Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and other Thai gems is relatively easy, especially if you have some flexibility on dates. The same goes for countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines - as these Southeast Asian hot spots grow in popularity, the airfare deals just keep getting better.
Frugal Flyers: How to Find the Cheapest Flights When You're Flexible on Destination - Follow Airfare Pricing Calendars
One of the best ways to score a bargain on airfare is to closely track fare prices over time. Many airlines and online travel agencies provide pricing calendars that allow you to view historical fare data and identify the cheapest booking windows.
For example, Google Flights offers an incredibly useful calendar view where you can select a route and then see a color-coded matrix of prices over any date range. This makes it easy to visualize when fares tend to be highest and lowest. You may notice certain patterns - like Tuesdays and Wednesdays costing less than weekends, or prices dipping in the off-season.
Beyond Google, airline sites like Delta and American also have calendar tools, albeit sometimes hidden in their advanced search options. And travel booking sites like Expedia allow you to view a graph of prices over the next several months.
Studying these calendars will clue you into the ideal time to book a trip. If you see fares trending up, it's usually wise to lock something in sooner than later. But if costs are declining, you may want to hold off in hopes of even better deals.
For best results, check pricing calendars frequently over a period of weeks or months. Airfares are constantly fluctuating, so the cheapest day to fly out can change on a dime. Being diligent ensures you don't miss short-lived fare sales or other promotions.
One tip is to set calendar price alerts for your desired route. You'll then get notified if rates drop below a threshold you define. This takes the guesswork out of tracking fares manually.
Frugal Flyers: How to Find the Cheapest Flights When You're Flexible on Destination - Look for Error Fares and Mistakes
One powerful strategy for finding cheap flights is to keep an eye out for error fares and airline mistakes. These unicorn-like deals occur when an airline accidentally prices a fare far below normal market rates. We're talking massive discounts - like 90% off or more.
Error fares pop up for various reasons. Maybe a decimal point was put in the wrong place, or two fares were incorrectly combined. Whatever the reason, these magic windows rarely last long. Once caught, the airline quickly corrects the price. But for those lucky enough to pounce in time, the savings are incredible.
There are a few ways to up your odds of catching an error fare. Signing up for alerts from services like Secret Flying and Thrifty Traveler can provide an early heads up. You can also regularly check booking sites sorted by price, lowest to highest. Sudden outliers way below the norm may be mistakes worth jumping on.
It helps to be flexible and act decisively when an error fare appears. Often they disappear within hours. You'll want to quickly research the itinerary and make sure it works for you before pulling the trigger.