My dad worked for an airline, so my family was always heading off on a plane somewhere. Lucky for us, he would get a good discount on our airfares. It’s not the case for me now though, so when I am looking to purchase an airfare, preferably cheap airfare tickets I go the extra mile to plan my budget vacation. Why overpay for flying to my next destination when I could get it cheaper. Saving on my online airline bookings means I can spend the money elsewhere – like on a night out while on holiday. So how do I do it? Well I use these tips and tricks to negotiate searches for airfares to my advantage, and these are the tips and tricks I’m going to share with you now. These help me get cheap airfare tickets, and they can help you too.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through on the link and make a purchase I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Read full disclosure here.

Understand the Science Behind Flight Pricing

When airlines are pricing their flights they consider demand, availability, affordability and other factors – things we aren’t privy to. If you are following the pricing of a flight for a few days or longer you will see the price can change daily and even hourly. If you plotted the pricing you may work out when is the best time to get the best flight deal. But who has time to do that? Basically, we don’t care about the science behind flight pricing, if you are like me, you just want to get the best price for cheap airfare tickets. But there are a few tricks you can use to find great flight deals.

Book Flights in Advance

To get the lowest possible air faire, it is a good idea to book your tickets in advance. Some say months in advance. Data Analysis by the Airlines Reporting Corporation shows cheapest cost of airfares is at least a couple of months or around seven to eight weeks or about 50 days in advance. This is often when the airlines have booking offers so they can fill the seats on the planes. As well all know, this is not always possible to book this far in advance. If you do, try to get a flexible airfare that can be changed or cancelled down the track, with no fees, if your plans change. And know the kind of airfare you want – one way, return, round the world, open-jaw, etc.

Book When Airlines Put Flights on Sale

While there are great flight deals to be found all year long, look out for great deals during sale times. Sales times like Black Friday (November), Cyber Monday (November), Boxing Day and End of Year sale times. This is if you are able to plan months in advance! But if you do, you can be rewarded with cheap airfare tickets.

Book Your Flight on a Budget Airline

There are plenty of budget airlines throughout the world offering great deals on flights. This is great news however, many of these budget airlines charge for extras. From baggage fees to air taxes to seat selection – yep, seat selection, there are a host of things that may increase a cheap flight on a budget airline. Know what you want before you book. If you don’t want to pay to check in your luggage, then choose an airline where you don’t have to.

Go Incognito When Researching Flights

If you haven’t used ‘incognito’ mode previously on your devices, it is about time you start. Basically, when you go into incognito mode, your search information is hidden. So when searching for an airfare in incognito mode, your searches are hidden from the airlines. And why do you want your search hidden? Well, airlines employ algorithms to track search results. When the airline or search engine sees your search pattern, they hike the prices. So each time you start a search, but are searching the same thing, the price will go up. To avoid cookies tracking your search, simply use incognito mode. Then, you will always get the original fare – and this should be the cheapest airfare. And this is what you want!

The Day You Make Your Booking Can Make a Big Difference

Again, data analysis and studies by research companies show that booking flights on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday are cheaper. For domestic travel it is suggested you book your airfare on the weekend, while for international airfares, book for on the Tuesday and Wednesday. You will be amazed how by leaving on certain days of the week, you can save hundreds of dollars on an airfare. Then your biggest worry will be what to wear on a plane.

Be Flexible with Airports You Leave From and Arrive At

When you are flexible with the airport you leave from and arrive at you could save yourself a few hundred dollars. Not every city has two or more airports, but many have one main airport and smaller airports. For instance, Melbourne in Australia has the main Tullamarine Airport, then a smaller airport, Avalon Airport. Same with London, it has Heathrow and Gatwick Airports. You can get cheaper flights from Avalon Airport as it is further out and smaller airlines use it. And to keep competition going, they offer cheap flights. Do take into account the travel cost to get to and from the airports as this could influence your choice.

Be Flexible with Your Travel Dates

One of the easiest ways to find a great deal is to be flexible with your travel dates. If you are limited to when you can travel, try to plan as far in advance as possible. This is because it is cheaper to fly on some days rather than others. For instance Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are the cheapest days to travel with Friday and Sunday being the most expensive. If you can be flexible with your travel dates you could save yourself some serious dough!

Flying at Odd Hours Can Make an Airfare Cheaper

Yep, we’ve all looked at those flights and thought, ‘I can’t get up that early’! Well, if you don’t mind waiting at the airport for a 3am flight, you might get yourself a cheap airfare. Same goes for booking ‘red eye’ flights. You know those ones that leave at 11pm at night and arrive early in the morning. The flights you rarely get sleep on and get off the plane with red eyes. But if you don’t mind doing this for the sake of saving some money and getting a cheap airfare – go for it.

Check on Popular Websites

My final suggestion on getting a cheap flight ticket is to search the airfare and travel booking websites and compare the cost of the flights online. These websites can scan through the airlines airfares online to find you the best deal. And once they do, instead of booking through these third-party websites, it is wise to go directly to the airline for the deal – you could even get the airfare ticket cheaper! Set up alerts with these websites so when an airline releases a round of cheap airfares or is having a sale, you will know about it. My go to airfare search websites include Google Flights, Momondo, Kiwi and Skyscanner. 

👉👉👉👉 Check for a cheap flight ticket on Skyscanner here

Travel Hack – Use Points

There are a number of frequent flyer programs and good credit cards offering reward points. The more you use these the more points you build up. When you reach a certain threshold of points you can turn them into free flights or upgrades to a higher class. Your points aren’t usually allowed to be used in conjunction with sales. Even though this is a great concept, you do need to spend a lot to get free flights and upgrades. But many use this travel hack and it is something you could consider to get the best flight deal.

Book a Flight and Accommodation Deal

In many cases if you book your flight and accommodation as a package, it is usually a better deal than booking them separately. These deals may include airport transfers, breakfast included, upgraded room and day tours. There are benefits to booking a holiday package, and what you get for the cost is one of them.Are You Ready to Get Cheap Airfare Tickets?

Are You Ready to Find a Great Flight Deal?

With the combination of the above tips, a strategy in place plus a bit of luck you should be able to find a great flight deal. Sometimes though, you just gotta go no matter the cost!  I’d love to hear if you have any other tips or tricks to getting cheap airfare tickets in the comments following.