How to get the lowest flight prices

How to get the lowest flight prices: start with what you can bend

If you want to know how to get the lowest flight prices, the most useful first step is to decide which parts of the trip are fixed and which are negotiable. A traveller who must fly on one date between two specific airports has very few levers. A traveller who can shift dates, consider a different destination or accept a stop has many more, and each extra lever widens the set of fares worth comparing.

Write those levers down before you search. A short list such as 'any weekend in the next two months', 'any of three destinations' or 'one stop acceptable if the total journey stays reasonable' turns a vague hope for a bargain into a comparison you can actually run. It also stops you from anchoring on the first price you see, which is often just the fare for the dates you happened to type in.

Track a route over time instead of checking once

A single search shows a single moment. Prices move, so a one-off check tells you little about whether the number in front of you is good. Tracking a route lets you see movement without repeatedly searching by hand. According to Google's help documentation, Google Flights lets you track prices for a route, for specific dates or for 'Any dates' if you are flexible, and sends email updates when a tracked price changes significantly.

The 'Any dates' option fits flexible travellers well: Google describes it as sending an email when the route's minimum price drops significantly over a month, and a regular email with the best available prices otherwise. The same help page says you may be notified when prices on a tracked route are likely to rise, or when a current fare is expiring soon and the replacement is likely to cost more. Treat these alerts as prompts to look again, not as instructions to buy; the decision still depends on your own plans and the checks below.

Is it really cheap? Compare against a reference, not a feeling

A low number only means something relative to what the route normally costs. A reasonable way to judge a fare is to ask what a typical price on that route looks like over a period of time, and how far the current fare sits below it. Using a middle value from a history of prices, rather than the single cheapest or most expensive fare ever seen, keeps a few unusual observations from distorting the picture.

This is the logic behind Flare's public deal pages for a departure city. A fare must sit at least 30% under a route reference price, and that drop is only one of several minimum gates, alongside requirements such as a Flare Deal Score of at least 55. Where a route has enough history, the reference is a median of observed baseline prices with the outer observations trimmed; the methodology page sets out that a minimum history is required and explains how routes without it are handled. It also states plainly that these are timestamped observations, not booking quotes or a promise that a seat remains available, so a highlighted fare is a starting point for your own checks rather than a final answer.

Look at the whole trip, not just the ticket

The lowest ticket price and the lowest trip cost are not always the same thing. A cheaper fare can become the more expensive option once you account for what it leaves out or what it forces on you. Before comparing two options, put them on equal terms by listing what each one actually requires you to pay for or give up.

Useful questions include: what does the fare include for luggage, how much time and money does it take to reach the departure and arrival airports, does a stop or long connection add a meal or a night's accommodation, and could a timing change cost you a day of leave. None of these appear in the headline price, yet any of them can decide which option is truly cheaper for you.

Checks that keep a low fare reliable

A good price only matters if you can actually take the trip. Fares and seat availability can shift between the moment you see them and the moment you pay, so the final number and the fare conditions should always be confirmed directly with the airline or booking provider at checkout. If the price there differs from what you saw earlier, the checkout price is the one that counts.

Equally important, entry, passport, visa and health rules vary with your nationality, your circumstances and where you are going. Check the current official requirements for your specific situation before you book, and again before departure, because a non-refundable fare to a destination you cannot enter is not a saving.

• Confirm the exact total price and fare conditions with the booking provider at checkout.
• Compare the fare with a typical price for the route, not just with the last search you ran.
• Add baggage, airport transfers and any overnight costs to each option.
• Check current official entry, passport, visa and health requirements for your situation.
• Re-check those requirements shortly before departure.

Example: a flexible traveller weighing two options

Hypothetical example, for illustration only: a traveller can leave any weekend over the next two months and is open to two destinations. They set up tracking on both routes with flexible dates, then receive an alert that one route's minimum price has dropped noticeably. They compare that fare with what the route typically costs and confirm it is well below the usual level, not just lower than yesterday.

Next they add the extras. Option A has the lower ticket but needs an early-morning departure from a more distant airport and has no included checked bag. Option B costs a little more but leaves from the nearer airport and includes a bag. Once transfers and luggage are added, Option B turns out to be the cheaper trip overall. Before paying, the traveller confirms the final price on the provider's checkout page and checks the official entry rules that apply to them for that destination. Only then do they book.