What are your hacks/tips for getting cheaper plane tickets?

Posted by Big-Extension4709@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 13 comments

Traveling with my family, trying to save some money for the trip, going from US to Asia. Was wondering if you have any tips for getting better flight tickets.

yes I know about oil crisis and w*r and that's why the tickets are more expensive than usual, but I'm asking in general what worked for you?

Thank you in advance

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Excellent_Context305@reddit

For domestic U.S. travel, use SkyKey after you book. Their website explains how it works, but it has gotten me a lot of money back.

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Capt_Reggie@reddit

Get a job at an airline, free standby flights

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I’ve had the best luck treating dates like a flexible ingredient instead of something fixed. Shifting even a day or two can drop the price a lot. Also, checking nearby airports instead of the obvious one has saved me more than once.

One thing I learned the hard way is to book when you see a good enough price instead of chasing the absolute cheapest. I once waited, thinking it would dip more, and it just kept climbing. Feels a bit like cooking without a recipe, you get a sense for when it’s right and just go for it.

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moldyjellybean@reddit

I have no schedule so I fly when I want and use skyscanner

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3dom4ever@reddit

Spending hours on it and trying all close airports, dates, and so on 😅

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Forsaken_Insurance92@reddit

Layovers (especially extended ones) and being flexible on dates can knock a decent amount off. Last time I flew across the US, it was ~$300 cheaper if I hung out in Orlando for ~2 hours (which actually worked out perfectly since I left the house at 1am and after a ~5 hour flight, I was able to wander around, get some actual food, go to the bathroom, grab some snacks/drinks, and then get back on a plane for ~3 hours).

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taguscove@reddit

Be flexible with destination and dates. Business travelers are cash cows for airlines. The book last minute for specific dates and times to specific destinations. Do not look like a business travelers

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Glimmer_III@reddit

www.secretflying.com

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anothercar@reddit

Can you give more specifics about your plan? We might be able to give more concrete advice if you narrow down what you're looking for. (i.e. "I live in San Diego and looking to travel to Korea or Japan in the fall for a week. Family of 4, not really planning to pack much aside from backpacks")

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Arthur48X@reddit

Yeah, the prices ain't good right now, but what I always do is I go on Kiwi, Google flights and some other platforms for flights and just type in my destination where I wanna go and then compare all the prices they give me. Usually one of them have a cheaper deal.