While travel is always an exciting endeavor, the process of finding a flight is often a pain. It doesn’t have to be stressful, nor does it have to break the bank—follow these tips for searching for flights online to get the best flights possible.
1. Use incognito or private browsing mode
If you notice flight prices increase the more you look, it’s not just a coincidence. Based on your browser settings, flight prices will get higher the more you search a specific destination. Search in a private browser, such as incognito mode, to keep your digital history clean. That way, flights can’t make you panic with artificially inflated prices.
2. Check out a variety of flight search engines
Don’t just blindly Google flights and hope whatever comes up is the best choice. Utilize a variety of flight search engines and compare the lowest prices possible. Some of the best sites to use are Sky scanner, CheapOair, and JetRadar. These compare a variety of airlines at once and allow you to parse through the options with ease.
3. Always compare prices
Rather than taking flight results at face value, always compare prices across airlines. Even if you have a favorite airline, sometimes switching up who you fly with can have vast monetary benefits. To get the best departure and arrival times, discounts, and accommodations, check out all the possible airlines available.
4. Search single tickets, not groups
Even if your entire family is going on vacation, search tickets as though you’re a solo traveler. When you search as a group, results will bring up the most expensive seats out of the bunch. By comparison, if you look up just one ticket, you can find cheaper seats spread throughout the plane. This is one tip for searching for flights online that not many people think of, but it can make a huge difference.
5. Research the different airports at your destination
When it comes to big cities, don’t just use the most popular airport to fly into. Large cities, such as New York City and London, have a variety of airports to choose from. Be sure that it makes sense to fly into your chosen airport based on factors like where you’re staying, if there’s public transit nearby, or if you’re getting the best possible deal. A simple Google Maps search will help you plan out transit both to and from that airport.
Flying can be a pain, but with the right searching techniques, it doesn’t have to be. The next time you need to book a flight, just keep these tips in your back pocket, and it’s sure to be smooth sailing.