Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares
Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares - Leverage Sale Calendars for the Best Deals
Airlines want to fill seats, so they frequently offer sales and deals to boost bookings. But these promotions are not announced broadly - you have to dig a bit to uncover them.
One of the best ways to find cheap fares is to check airline sale calendars. Most major carriers publish calendars showing when they plan to offer discounts throughout the year. For example, Delta publishes an annual sale calendar highlighting their seasonal sales. American Airlines also has an online sale calendar.
These calendars provide advance notice of upcoming fare deals. By planning your travel dates around these sales, you can score significant savings. Airfares around the promoted periods are typically $100-300 cheaper than normal.
Be sure to check sale calendars for the specific routes you want to fly. Discounts are not blanket sales - they target specific markets. For instance, Delta may offer a fare sale on U.S. to Europe flights for fall travel. American could discount U.S. to Latin America routes for winter trips. Know your route and watch for relevant sales.
Sign up for airline deal alerts too. Airlines will email subscribers when discount fares are launched. Act quickly when you get an alert - the lowest fares sell out fast. Set a calendar reminder on your phone for the start of the sale period so you're ready to book.
What else is in this post?
- Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares - Leverage Sale Calendars for the Best Deals
- Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares - Track Fare History to Predict Price Drops
- Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares - Use Flexible Dates to Expand Your Options
- Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares - Aim for Off-Peak Travel Times
- Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares - Take Advantage of Airline Sales Cycles
- Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares - Consider Nearby Airports to Uncover Deals
Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares - Track Fare History to Predict Price Drops
Track Fare History to Predict Price Drops
One powerful tactic to find cheap flights is to closely monitor fare trends over time. By tracking historical pricing data, you can predict when prices are likely to drop and time your booking accordingly.
Many travel booking sites, including Google Flights, offer built-in tools to view fare graphs and price fluctuations. These visualizations show how prices have changed for a given route over the past weeks or months. Analyzing this data can reveal predictable patterns you can leverage.
For example, you may notice that flights to a popular summer destination tend to spike in price during peak season, then drop significantly in the shoulder seasons. Or you may find that prices for a certain route reliably drop a few months before the travel dates. Identifying these cyclical trends allows you to book when prices are lowest.
You can take this a step further by setting fare alerts on specific routes. This automatically notifies you when prices change, so you know the optimal time to book. Some sites will even provide recommendations on whether to wait for a better deal or book now based on predictive algorithms.
Additionally, keeping an eye on last-minute fares can yield substantial savings. Airlines often discount unsold seats a week or two before departure to fill planes. If your schedule is flexible, you may be able to snag rock-bottom prices by booking late.
Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares - Use Flexible Dates to Expand Your Options
One of the most effective strategies for finding cheap flights is to maintain flexibility with your travel dates. Airlines frequently adjust fares based on demand, so being open to alternate departure or return days can unlock significantly lower prices.
Start by searching for your desired route on Google Flights or a similar flight search engine. Rather than inputting fixed dates, use the calendar view to scan for the cheapest available options. You may find that flying a day earlier or later can save you $50, $100, or even more per ticket. This is particularly true for high-demand periods like holidays and summer travel.
Adjust your search parameters to explore a range of dates. Look at options a few days before and after your ideal travel window. Expand your search to include a wider date range, such as a two-week span instead of a single week. The more flexible you can be, the better your chances of finding a rock-bottom fare.
Another helpful tactic is to be open to flying on less popular days of the week. Airfares are typically lower on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, as these tend to be lighter travel days. Conversely, flights on Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays often command a premium. By shifting your travel to mid-week, you can achieve substantial savings.
When searching, pay close attention to the price calendar feature on Google Flights. This allows you to visualize how fares fluctuate over time, making it easier to identify the cheapest dates. You may notice that prices spike around certain holidays or school breaks, for example, so you can plan your trip to avoid those peak periods.
Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares - Aim for Off-Peak Travel Times
Timing is everything when it comes to booking cheap flights. By strategically planning your travel around off-peak periods, you can unlock significant savings on airfare. Airlines typically charge higher prices during the most popular times to fly, such as school breaks, holidays, and the peak summer season.
To take advantage of this, start by identifying the high-demand travel periods for your desired destination. Flights around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, for example, often command a premium. The same goes for the summer months when families are more likely to be taking vacations. If your schedule is flexible, try to avoid booking during these peak seasons.
Instead, look to the shoulder seasons or off-peak times to secure the lowest fares. For domestic U.S. travel, prices tend to be lower in the late spring (April-May) and fall (September-November). International destinations may have different sweet spots, but you'll generally find better deals outside of the main summer vacation window.
Another smart tactic is to target weekday departures and returns rather than weekends. Flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are usually cheaper than Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays when more leisure travelers are flying. The difference can be dramatic - we've seen savings of $100 or more per ticket just by shifting travel a day or two.
You can take this a step further by booking red-eye or early morning flights. These less desirable departure times are often substantially discounted compared to more convenient options. As long as the schedule works for your needs, snagging these unpopular flights can translate to major savings.
When comparing dates, use the calendar view on Google Flights or other booking sites. This allows you to easily visualize how prices fluctuate across a range of travel days. Pay close attention to the price variations and look for the lowest-priced dates that work with your schedule.
Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares - Take Advantage of Airline Sales Cycles
Most airlines offer deep discounts in January and February. This is one of the slowest travel periods of the year, so they slash fares to fill empty seats. Look for roundtrip deals from the U.S. to Europe for spring and summer travel. Domestic U.S. routes also see excellent sales after the holidays.
March and April bring fare sales for summer travel. This is a peak period for transatlantic bookings, so deals to Europe abound. Domestic routes within the U.S. and Canada also offer bargains for June through August trips.
By May, the focus shifts to fall travel. Look for discounts on U.S. to Europe routes in September and October. Prices for Hawaii and other warm weather destinations also trend down.
Come September, deals emerge for winter getaways. Look for big savings to beach locales like the Caribbean and Mexico. Ski destination fares also take a dip for December through March trips.
The period right after Thanksgiving is another sweet spot for deals. Airlines offer Cyber Week sales hoping to spur last-minute holiday travel bookings. And fares for January trips are slashed since most people have finished their winter holiday plans.
Booking at the very last minute can also yield great rates as airlines dump unsold seats. Just be ready to travel within a few days' notice. Have a flexible schedule and be vigilant about watching for price drops.
Cheap Flights: How to Hack Airline Calendars for the Best Fares - Consider Nearby Airports to Uncover Deals
One overlooked strategy for scoring cheap flights is to broaden your airport options. Rather than limiting your search to a single departure or arrival airport, look at nearby alternatives within close driving distance. Expanding your airport possibilities opens up access to lower fares and under-the-radar deals.
Start by researching airports within a 60-90 minute drive from your location. Use Google Maps to measure the driving times and note the major airports servicing that radius. For example, those living in San Francisco could consider SFO, OAK and SJC. Folks in the DC area might look at DCA, IAD and BWI.
When searching for fares, input all of your local airport options rather than just your preferred hub. The price difference between airports can be dramatic - sometimes $200 or more per ticket. Airport competition and route-specific demand impact pricing significantly.
Dig into the data to identify sweet spots. Google Flights allows you to easily compare fares across multiple origin and destination airports. Look for instances where one airport offers much lower pricing than the others on your dates.
Be open-minded about which airport you choose and don't limit yourself by habit. A longer drive or inconvenience may be worth it to save a bundle on airfare. Weigh the time/cost trade-offs and take advantage of major price gaps between competing airports.
Consider regional airports as well in addition to the major hubs. Smaller airports are often served by low-cost carriers with very aggressive pricing. Fares out of alternate airports like Oakland (OAK), Burbank (BUR) or Ontario (ONT) are frequently lower than the nearby mega hubs.