Below is a guide and my process for searching, and booking cheaper flights.
Browsing for Flights
When searching for flights, it doesn’t matter if you use incognito mode or a VPN.
Airline pricing is actually more about available fare classes vs. if you have searched for a flight before.
When to Book Your Flight
As soon as you know when you want to travel, I would book my flight. They used to say around 53 days before departure was the sweet spot, but I have found the earlier I book my flights, the cheaper the flight is.
You might be wondering why. In the last few years, I have noticed planes seem to always be full. I think maybe 1 out of 10 flights I have been on has maybe had a seat or two open, but not many. Most flights are completely sold out or overbooked (however, I live in Canada so it’s possible my experience is somewhat skewed given the limited airline options).
When the demand is high the price is high.
Is there an ideal day of the week to book?
No. Some people say booking on Tuesdays or Wednesdays are cheaper, but this is outdated advice. You are better off booking as early as possible as the lower class fares for the flight you want may sell out.
You can save money by being flexible on your flights generally. This includes number of connections, date, time of day, time of year, and even destination.
Where Can I Find Cheap Flights?
These are all of the places I consult when making flight bookings. You can save some money if you are flexible on your days, and connections.
My Process
When I know I am interested in a destination, I typically look on hopper first. I like that the digital bunny tells me if it thinks flight prices will go up or down or if it thinks I should wait. I also like that I can see very easily what dates are currently cheaper to fly around my ideal days.
If the bunny tells me to wait, and I don’t like the price, I might set up an alert. If however, I am okay with the price, I will compare the prices (starting with Google Flights), followed by the airline itself.
Places To Book
- Google Flights
- Hopper
- Skyscanner
- Kiwi.com
- Kayak
- Expedia
- Airline Directly (e.g. Air Canada)
What to Keep in Mind When Booking
Airline Status & Savings Through Credit Cards
For me, I have perks through Air Canada since I have the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card which allows me to earn Aeroplan points through my every day purchases, and gives me free checked baggage on all Air Canada flights for me, and anyone else on my itinerary. This saves me hundreds, if not thousands a year.
As I live in Canada, many of my flights end up being with Air Canada, so it made sense for me to get a credit card that would earn me Aeroplan points on my everyday purchases as well. Since I collect Aeroplan points, I prioritize booking flights with Air Canada, and Star Alliance partners.
If you are trying to earn status within a particular alliance, you will want to book as many flights within the alliance you are trying to earn that status with as much as possible. I wouldn’t suggest paying an additional $400 to try and get points, but you may want to spend an additional $50 for example (really just depends on how much you care).
Fare Classes
The lowest fare classes don’t really include anything. If you can travel super light, don’t care if you earn status, or where you sit in a plane, then you should book the lowest fare class.
If you are checking a bag, want to pre-select your seat, and/or trying to earn status through status qualifying segments (SQS), status qualifying miles (SQM), and/or status qualifying dollars (SQD) you should book a higher fare. It looks like it costs more, but if you want to earn status, you basically have to do this to even get the rewards. The higher the fare, the higher percentage of rewards you earn. Plus, the higher the fare class, the more likely free baggage or free seat selection is included in your fare.
All of these things vary by airline, so you will want to double check based on the airline you go with.
If you want more information on earning status with different airlines, I suggest checking out Prince of Travel! I found the Aeroplan Points Guide really helpful when I was trying to wrap my head around earning status, and if it was worth me getting an Aeroplan focused credit card! They have a lot of information on earning status from a lot of different travel rewards programs.
OVERALL SUMMARY
- Book as early as possible. There is no such thing as cheap flight booking days, or savings through incognito mode.
- You can save money by being flexible on your flight dates, and connections.
- In the long run, you can save money, and receive more travel perks by sticking with one airline alliance.
