How I find cheap flights

Karen’s tip

Skyscanner is my go-to

“Skyscanner is my go-to. It’s up to date, and it shows you the options for where to buy the ticket.”

Karen’s tip

Never in the school holidays

“I never go in school holidays. That’s an absolute given. Prices are really inflated because that’s the only time children are off.”

Got kids? Book as early as you can, and look at the first or last days of the holidays.

“It’s worth checking when the children are off locally too. Somewhere like Florida or America, it’s not a great time to go, because you’re dealing with local tourists as well as the usual ones. This applies to lots of places.”

Karen’s tip

Fly on a Tuesday or Wednesday

“Tuesdays and Wednesdays are notoriously low-priced days to fly.”

What the data says: Skyscanner’s own advice is that fares often follow a weekly cycle, with the lowest prices more common earlier in the week and higher prices towards the weekend, but not always (Skyscanner: When is the best time to book a flight? (what days are cheaper)). An older Skyscanner report on UK departures found Friday cheapest and Tuesday dearest (Evening Standard, 7 Jan 2020: Skyscanner report on UK departures), so it really does depend on the route. Check yours with the Whole Month view (Skyscanner: Whole Month / flexible dates search).

Karen’s tip

Flight first, if your dates are flexible

“If my dates are flexible, I find a cheap outbound flight first, say £50 to £100. Then I look at the return dates and let the cheapest return decide how long the trip is.”

Karen’s example fares; yours will differ.

Karen’s tip

Play about with the dates

“Play about with the dates on Skyscanner and try different options to see where the price drops to suit you. Sometimes a flight a day later is so much cheaper that, even after adding the extra hotel night, the whole trip still costs less, and you get an extra day too.”

“I’m self-employed, so I can be quite flexible with dates. I know it’s harder if you work to a rota, but it’s still worth checking a day either side, because even a small shift can make a big difference.”

Karen’s tip

Go when the flights aren’t in demand

“The flight and the day you go change the holiday price the most. The hotel varies less. So I travel when flights aren’t in demand: quieter days and times, and the shoulder season.”

More on timing your trip: Winter sun for less: go just outside peak season →

Karen’s tip

Checking prices again and again?

“Search in a private or incognito window if you’re checking prices again and again. It can’t hurt.”

The honest bit: Skyscanner says repeat searches don’t make prices go up, that cookies aren’t used to raise prices and that its prices are the same in incognito mode. Prices change because seats sell: as the cheapest fares sell out, dearer ones open up, and fares tend to rise closer to departure (Skyscanner: Do flight prices go up the more you search?).

Karen’s tip

Happy with the price? Book it

“I used to wait for promo codes, until the same deal with a code cost more than I’d already paid. Now if I’m happy with the price, I book it.”

The full story on my winter sun page →