How I look for cheap flights

The cheapest flight on the screen is not always the cheapest trip.

A €30 Ryanair ticket from an airport two hours away can require a €20 bus, a hotel, a bag fee and a very early departure. Once those costs are included, it may be more expensive than the higher fare.

Here is how I compare the complete cost rather than only the first fare shown.

Note: Those advices may seem obvious. Because they are for most. I don’t have any super secret booking trick, just a lot of common sense (And a few tips)

Build the trip in the right direction

Before searching flights, decide whether the route is a loop or a line.

For Morocco, a return flight to Marrakesh means crossing the country twice. Flying into Marrakesh and home from Tangier may cost more on the airline page and less once you remove the return train, hotel and extra travel day.

This is an open-jaw ticket: flying into one city and home from another.

Check three versions:

• a normal return;
• two one-way tickets;
• a multi-city or open-jaw ticket.

Then add the internal transport and travel time each version creates. A cheaper fare is not always cheaper once it changes the route.

Google Flights first, airline website second

I use Google Flights or Skyscanner to find dates, airports and combinations. I use the airline website to check whether the fare actually exists.

Search engines sometimes show stale inventory. A €240 flight may become €410 after clicking through or disappear when baggage is selected. This is usually old availability rather than personalised pricing based on repeated searches.

You can repeat the search in a private window to compare the result, but deleting cookies repeatedly is unlikely to reveal a substantially different fare.

Booking directly with the airline removes one organisation from the chain if a schedule changes. A third-party agent can still be worthwhile when:

• the airline rejects foreign cards;
• the local website is unusable;
• the agent has domestic inventory you cannot access;
• the saving is large enough to pay for the risk.

Avoid eDreams and similar intermediaries for ordinary airline tickets when the saving is small. Schedule changes, refunds and name corrections then have to pass through the agent, and mixed itineraries may apply different supplier rules to each segment.

For domestic flights in China, Trip.com is often easier than using airline websites with a foreign card. For an ordinary European ticket, a small saving through an intermediary may not justify the additional layer of customer service.

Compare the complete price

Bring every option to the same conditions:

• the bag you will actually carry;
• the seat, only if you care about it;
• transport to both airports;
• a hotel required by a very early or late departure;
• card and currency fees;
• food during a long connection;
• the cost of losing a day;
• protection—or lack of it—between flights.

Low-cost airlines can still be the best option. The important comparison is between equivalent fares: €19 without a cabin bag and €49 with one are different products.

Nearby airports: draw the journey to the airport

At 05:00, reaching Beauvais from Paris may be difficult. The same applies to Charleroi from Brussels. Girona can work well for Barcelona when the bus timetable matches the flight, but a late arrival may remove the cheap public-transport option.

A secondary airport works when the ground connection is direct, cheap and running at your arrival time. It fails when it adds:

• a night in a hotel;
• the last bus leaving before the flight lands;
• a taxi through an entire metropolitan area;
• a fragile train connection;
• another border crossing;
• an airport change during a self-transfer.

Check the first and last public transport of the day. Average daytime travel time is irrelevant when the plane lands after the final train.

Separate tickets

Two separate tickets can unlock excellent routes. They also mean the second booking is usually your problem if the first flight is delayed.

I would use separate tickets when the saving is substantial and there is an overnight buffer. I would not use them for a same-afternoon transfer with checked luggage, an airport change, or the final flight into a non-refundable safari, cruise or tour.

If the first flight is late, the second airline normally owes you nothing. European passenger rights may cover the delayed flight itself, but they generally do not protect a separate onward booking. See the EU passenger-rights guide.

Before booking a self-transfer, check the price of a replacement ticket the following day. If that replacement would break the trip budget, the connection needs more buffer.

Change the date before changing the continent

Moving departure by one day often saves more than comparing twelve booking sites. Friday and Sunday evenings are expensive on many city routes. School holidays, festivals and major events can push normal fares up quickly.

Use the date grid and check the days before and after your initial choice. On a long trip, compare a full week if the dates are flexible.

The day flown usually matters more than the day you searched.

Early or last minute?

There is no universal booking window.

For Christmas, school holidays, a fixed wedding or a flight connecting with an expensive tour, buy when the fare becomes acceptable. Waiting for a large drop is risky when the route and date are fixed.

Last minute works when both the destination and dates are flexible. Charter routes and leisure destinations sometimes release cheap seats late. A domestic route controlled by one airline often stays expensive.

Set an alert, learn the normal range and buy when the fare fits the trip. After booking, I stop checking unless I still have free cancellation.

Currency and country versions

Some airlines charge different fares by sales market or currency. This matters most for domestic and regional airlines abroad.

Compare the airline’s home-country site with the version shown to you, but include card exchange fees. A cheaper fare that rejects foreign cards or requires support in a language you cannot read may not be the better booking.

Avoid fares whose rules require local residence if you cannot meet that condition. The problem usually appears at payment, document check or check-in.

Student and youth fares

Student fares often hide outside Google Flights. Check the airline’s own youth or student page, especially for long-haul trips.

The headline discount may be small. The real value can be an extra checked bag or cheaper date changes. For somebody moving abroad, one included suitcase can beat a lower public fare immediately.

Read the eligibility rules before comparing the fare with the public price.

Fuel, capacity and fare conditions

Fuel prices do not predict tomorrow’s fare, but they affect the background conditions. High fuel costs combined with strong demand and limited capacity make large promotions less likely, especially on long routes. Stable fuel costs, weaker demand and more available seats create better conditions for discounts.

Price alerts

Track a small number of realistic options: the preferred route, one nearby-airport alternative and an open-jaw version for a linear trip. Once the price fits the budget and the itinerary works, compare any possible saving with accommodation, visa or onward-transport changes.

Points and cash costs

Before transferring points, check the taxes and carrier surcharge. Some redemptions need enough cash that buying the ticket can be better.

Also check what happens if award availability disappears between finding the seat and moving the points. Transfers are often irreversible, and the points may stay in an airline programme you do not use often.

The final five-minute check

Before payment, verify:

• your name matches the passport;
• the departure and arrival airports;
• the flight date, especially after midnight;
• baggage is included in both directions;
• separate tickets have enough buffer;
• transit rules permit the connection;
• the card is charging the expected currency;
• change and cancellation conditions.

After payment, open the booking on the airline’s website. If the airline cannot find the reservation, contact the seller before assuming the booking is confirmed.