It’s the age old question: how to find cheap flights? Of course there is a healthy amount of luck involved (like being free at the right time or searching at the right time), but there is a certain science to it.
A lot of people have asked me about the best ways to find good deals and cheap flights to European destinations. While there are no set rules, below are a few tips I have found useful in the past and some advice on how to get cheap flights for your budget break.
Post last updated: December 2018
Tip #1 for finding cheap flights: know your budget airlines
There are a lot of airlines in Europe and it’s useful to know what differentiates them. Though I fly with Ryanair most often, I always check other competitors depending on my destination.
For example, while WizzAir don’t offer many routes from Germany or the UK to other Western European destinations, their network has excellent coverage over Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, particularly in the Balkans. Similarly, Jet2.com offer good value flights to beach destinations in southern Europe.
Other carriers are much more specific. For example, if you’re looking for cheap flights to Iceland, then check out WOW air, for budget deals to Latvia then try AirBaltic. S7 and Pobeda are budget airlines which serve Russia.
Wroclaw in Poland is well-connected with budget airlines.
Tip #2 for finding cheap flights: know your connections
It’s important to know your options: who can you fly with and from where? An indispensable weapon in your arsenal is none other than Wikipedia. On the Wiki page for each airport, you’ll find a long and exhaustive list of destinations that you can fly to, listed by airline. This is ideal helping you discover which links are possible.
This can be done in one of two ways.
- Set on your destination? Check out the Wikipedia page for your intended destination’s airport, and you will find a list of all flight routes and airline providers.
- Still flexible on your destination? Find the Wikipedia page for your local airport to check out the list of destinations available to you.
BONUS TIP: I’ve had my local airport bookmarked on my laptop for the last few years and I occasionally check up to see which new flight routes are starting soon.
Tip #3 for finding great flight deals: be flexible
The most important thing when trying to find cheap flights is to be flexible. Be flexible about where you fly from, as some airports have cheaper flights than others, but more importantly, be flexible about where you are going to.
Flights to Dubrovnik too pricey? Consider Zadar instead. Can’t find a bargain to Krakow? Think about Warsaw.
If you know exactly where you want to go – that’s great. But if you fancy a city break and want the best deal you can find, don’t be too tied down with exact destinations – Europe has a lot to offer! Here’s my top pick of destinations for 2019.
Take off at sunrise
Tip #4 for finding the cheapest flights: fly on weekdays
Similarly, it’s important to be flexible about when you fly. If possible, always try to fly on a weekday, as they tend to be far cheaper. Flying back to the UK on a Sunday is almost always guaranteed to be expensive, so why not stay ‘til Monday?
Tip #5 on how to find cheap flights: use the right websites
Apart from Wikipedia, you need to know which other resources you should have in your arsenal.
An important question here is: should I use travel comparison sites? At first, I was against travel comparison sites, then I fell in love with Skyscanner. Now I’ve found something much better: kiwi.com. Kiwi is basically very similar to Skyscanner, but it has all budget airlines (including easyJet and Ryanair) which Skyscanner does not always have. It also allows you to search from by radius, allowing you to include any airport within a two-hour drive of your house. It isn’t always as intuitive as Skyscanner, but it will definitely give you better and more accurate results, particularly for outside of Europe.
When trying to find cheap flights, it’s also definitely worth getting to know the Fare Finder pages on the websites of Ryanair and WizzAir.
However it’s also a good idea to check travel deal sites like Holiday Pirates, where I once got return flights to Peru for less than €300. For more great travel deal sites, check out the three travel deal sites I am currently addicted to.
Here is a photo of me in Slovenia
Tip #6 for finding great flight deals: be in the know
An important part of finding cheap flights is timing: getting the best deals at the best time – before everyone else finds out about them. Luckily, staying on top of sales is easy: follow budget airlines on social media, or sign up for email newsletters for travel deal sites. Many sites now even offer Whatsapp newsletters.
Being bombarded by all these messages might be a bit overwhelming, but if you sign up in the period you are planning your trip, you’re guaranteed not to miss anything. Signing up has its own advantages too: if you are signed up to Eurowings‘ email newsletter, you get access to their sales a day before anyone else.
Follow your local airport on social too, to find out about new routes in your area. Often prices are very low for new routes to encourage passengers to try out new destinations.
Tip #7 on how to find cheap flights: know when you’ve been beaten
My last piece of advice is: know when you’ve been beaten. Finding budget flights isn’t easy – prices fluctuate regularly, so try to stay realistic. Whilst finding return flights to Latvia in February for £20 might be realistic, finding the same to Corfu in mid-August definitely isn’t – so it’s important to know what a good price for the destination and time of year is. Do your homework, so you can recognise a good deal when you see one.
What advice would you give to someone trying to find flights on a budget?