Find cheap flights: tips and tricks

Finding cheap flights is not always that easy. In this article we show you the best tips and tricks so that you can get the most out of your travel budget.

Tip 1: Be flexible to find cheap flights

As in professional life, you should be somewhat flexible when it comes to flights and travel.

• Weekend flights, especially return flights on a Sunday, are usually very expensive. But outbound flights on a Sunday are usually cheaper than on a Monday.
• So plan your vacation so that you can fly during the week.
• You should not only be flexible with the date. The choice of the airport can sometimes make a big difference.
• For example, it costs around € 40 less to fly from Düsseldorf to Manchester than to Leeds.
• But of course you should also look at the means of transport you can use to travel from Manchester to Leeds.
• Manchester and Leeds are just examples.

Tip 2: Search cleverly

You probably also know the advertisements in which people search and compare flights until the middle of the night. These spots advertise so-called metasearch engines that automatically do both for you.

• Google Flights even shows you a green number in the calendar when it is cheapest to fly.
• In addition, Google Flights also provides you with information about the existing footwell in the respective machines.
• This is especially helpful for tall people.
• With Momondo you can even search for a hotel or rental car right afterwards.
• This is an advantage if you plan to live centrally during your vacation or to be independent.
• Otherwise there are various other providers, but all of them do not differ significantly from each other.
• For example, Kayak also offers you the opportunity to search for and book a package tour.
• Sometimes an airline's website can still have special offers at a cheaper price. So always check in there too.

Tip 3: Book as early as possible

• Experience has shown that flights are usually cheapest two months before the travel date.
• If you use Google Flights as a search engine for your flights, you can also watch the price. You will then receive an email as soon as something changes.
• You should be quick, especially with low-cost airlines.
• Because these are not only very popular and therefore quickly sold out, they are also becoming more expensive.
• The earlier you book, the greater the choice of seats. This is very important, especially for a large tour group, so that you are sitting reasonably close to each other.
• Sometimes there are very cheap offers that are based on a mistake, but are still valid. This is called error fare.
• You can find error rates, for example, at Urlaubguru or at Tripdoo.

Tip 4: watch out for hidden costs

• Always read the fine print.
• By this we mean, for example, hidden costs due to baggage checks or seat reservations.
• Because this can make the flight a whole lot more expensive.
• Be sure to pay attention to how the airline handles rebooking.
• Especially nowadays, when there is sometimes a strike or the weather simply does not work, changes are completely normal.
• It would only be annoying if you had to pay another € 50 or more for the rebooking.
• Therefore, you should definitely check the small print and inform yourself. Many airlines offer free changes.

Tip 5: Don't trust blindly

It can happen far too quickly that you could come across a scam. So be sure to inform yourself about the companies if they are unknown to you.

• Use Trustpilot to find out more about travel companies.
• Especially with cheap package tours, where you may be accompanied by a tour guide, you should definitely know something about the company.
• On Trustpilot, you can see reviews from others and use them to decide if this company is for you.
• In addition, you should not let yourself be fobbed off. Sometimes you are even legally entitled to compensation.
• On FairPlane you can describe what happened to you and then calculate what compensation you will receive.

To make your vacation a complete success, we have put together the best tools for planning your trip in our next article. Another article tells you what you shouldn't take on a plane. Tip: You can save a lot of money on the next flight using our voucher database. Expedia currently offers many discounts.