What is the best website to compare flight prices, and which airline offers the cheapest tickets?
Google Flights' hidden "Explore" feature allows you to see a map of the world with prices for flights from your location, helping you discover unexpected cheap destinations.
Skyscanner's "Everywhere" search option can uncover super cheap "mistake fares" - heavily discounted flights due to airline pricing errors.
Hopper's price prediction technology can forecast whether flight prices will rise or fall, allowing you to time your booking for the best deal.
Kayak's "Hacker Fares" combine one-way tickets on different airlines to create a roundtrip that's cheaper than standard roundtrip fares.
Momondo's "Trip Finder" scans millions of flight combinations to surface unique routing options that can significantly reduce prices.
Spirit Airlines is consistently one of the cheapest domestic U.S.
carriers, but its bare-bones service requires paying extra for things like carry-on bags.
Southwest Airlines offers free checked bags and flight changes/cancellations, which can offset its ticket prices compared to other low-cost carriers.
Frontier Airlines charges ultra-low base fares but makes up the difference through fees for seat assignments, carry-ons, and other extras.
Norwegian Air's long-haul international flights between the U.S.
and Europe often feature rock-bottom prices, though in-flight amenities are limited.
Allegiant Air specializes in connecting small/medium U.S.
cities, leading to surprisingly affordable fares for those routes.
Skiplagged.com exploits airline pricing models to find "hidden city" tickets, where you book a flight with a connection and just get off at the layover city.
Fare prediction tools like Hopper and Aardvark can identify the best time to book a flight, often months in advance, to get the lowest price.
Flying during off-peak hours, such as early morning or late evening, tends to be significantly cheaper than peak travel times.
Searching for one-way tickets separately instead of roundtrips can occasionally yield lower total fares, especially for complex international itineraries.
Clearing your browser cookies or using a private/incognito window can prevent airlines from raising prices based on your search history.