5 Tricks to Find Insanely Cheap Flights
When trying to find insanely cheap flights, you have to get into the right mindset.
Yes, finding an extremely cheap flights is all about knowing the tricks of the system, but it’s also a matter of persistence and waiting for the proper moment to buy your insanely cheap flight.
Whenever I am buying flights ( Which is way to often, trust me) I view it as a game.
The cheaper the airfare the bigger the victory!
I make finding flights fun! It helps trust me.
Yes, sometimes it simply is going to take time to find the flight you want at the right price. However, think about it this way. You might spend an extra hour searching for a flight and save $300. That is like saving $150 an hour which makes going the extra mile definitely worth it.
In this post, I will share with you some tricks to finding insanely cheap flights by using a real world example.
So please turn all cell phones on airplane mode and place your seat in the upright position. We are preparing for take off.
Now before we take off on this venture of insanely cheap flights, let’s talk about a few common tricks.
NOTE: At the bottom of this article I will also give a list of airlines that often offer insanely cheap flights. PLUS! A couple resources that will help you get the best airfare possible.
Tricks to Find Insanely Cheap Flights
Trick 1- The Best Days to Buy Airfare
There is some debate among travelers if there is cheaper days to fly or if it is just a myth. While it doesn’t always work I have constantly found that the best days to find insanely cheap flights are Sunday and Tuesday afternoons.
Searching for flights on these days, increase your chances of finding an insanely cheap flight.
Trick 2 – The Best Days to Fly Insanely Cheap Airfare
Of course, it isn’t just about what days to purchase your flight. It is also determine by what days and times you desire to fly.
The cheapest days to fly tend to be Monday and Tuesday. Also, overnight flights are cheaper than flights during the day.
Trick 3- When to Buy Insanely Cheap Flights
I always begin looking for cheap airfare about a month before I want to fly. However, often you can get last minute deals, and I mean LAST minute deals at a great price if you want to take that risk.
Buying several months out can also get you insanely cheap airfare. However, airfares are always change quickly. When I am looking for a flights I usual devote a hour or two a week to browsing for good deals using sites like Skyscanner app and Kayak Explore.
Trick 4- Clear your Browser of Cookies
Even if the flight has dropped in price, you might still get a quote similar to the last one. This is because many airline websites remember the last price they quoted you.
I’ve had mixed results with this. It is just something to keep in mind when looking for an insanely cheap flight.
Trick 5- Flexible Dates
This is key to finding insanely cheap flights. Some flights fill up fast. Others, for whatever reason, seem to have several seats available.
Although airlines can sometimes predict future sales easily, it isn’t all science. If they have flights that seem slow in filling, they bring the prices temporarily down.
Real World Example of How to Find Insanely Cheap Flights Quickly
Those are a few basic tips so now we are ready to dive into a real world example. For this example, I will travel from my hometown in Columbus, Ohio (CMH)to Bangkok, Thailand (BKK), practically on the other side of the planet.
For this example, we will be using Kayak and Skyscanner. However, I also like Orbitz, and Priceline. Many bloggers also use CheapOair Flights, and BookingBuddy Flights
Step 1 in Finding our Insanely Cheap Flights
First let’s do a Kayak search from CMH to BKK.
Ok, for this initial search, I see that a flight is $841 on Delta, an airline I love. All those options are already borderline insanely cheap, but we can get it cheaper.
In fact, I bet I can get a flight for under $500.
Step 2 in Finding our Insanely Cheap Flights
So first I am using Tricks 1, 2, and 3 by searching for my flight on Sunday, for a Monday that is a month out.
Since I briefly looked up this flight a week ago, I remember to use Trick 4 and clear my PC from cookies.
So now we are ready to start typing in our search. Using Trick 5, let’s first refine our search to a three day flexibility.
We find with flexible dates from CMH to BKK, the flight is a little lower at $818. It also is leaving two days later. So far, we have saved $23; not really the insanely cheap flights we are looking for but don’t worry; I have a few more tricks up my sleeves.
Also, note the flight is on United. Although this is not a terrible airline, it is not among my favorites. Actually, United is my least favorite airline.
Honestly.I would rather pay the extra $23 to fly on Delta.
Step 3 in Finding our Insanely Cheap Flights
Flexible departure city – We want the flight cheaper, so let’s head to a major travel hub near some of the best places to visit in USA. Luckily this also gives you time to check off your New York Bucket List, go to a game in Boston, try all the food in Chicago, or Los Angles.
For this example, we are going to use New York because it is the close to Columbus, and I have a better chance of getting there quicker but also cheaper. (Plus, I love New York)
So we can see that the flight on Kayak from JFK to BKK with flexible dates is $497. A whopping savings of $344, but for good measure, let’s minus the $50 bus fare to New York. Still we have saved $294
Now that is an insanely cheap flight!
Step 4 in Finding our Insanely Cheap Flights
However, I think we can go even cheaper. To do this, I am going to open up my flexibility.
For this, I am going to head to Skyscanner to do the same search, but when choosing a date I am going to click the “whole month option” for May.
Wow! The first thing I see is that the cheapest day to fly is the first day of May for $389. That means I am saving $452. I also see the flight is on Norwegian, an insanely cheap airline and one that I trust! Yeah! That is how you find cheap flights!
We did it! We found an insanely cheap flight.
A few things to note. You might not get the price you are looking for right off the bat. If that is the case, just persevere.
Set aside an hour every week to repeat the process again. Flights change all time and sometimes it just takes a little time and research.
Let’s say for this example, I spent a total of 4 hours over the course of a couple weeks trying to find this price.
That means I averaged a savings of over $100 an hour. When you look at it like that, it isn’t so bad.
In fact, it is amazing. Just think of how many night I can stay in a hostel or how many months of travel insurance you can have with an extra $400 in travel money gained by finding an insanely cheap flight.
Chances are the cheapest flights will be overnight. You might be wondering how to sleep on a plane this post has some useful tips!
Extra Tips and Resources to Find Insanely Cheap Flights
Wow Air: Cheap Flights from America to Europe ( Seriously, sometimes as low as $99) Great for finding airfare for people looking to backpack Europe.
Skyscanner: Awesome if you don’t have specific dates to fly.
Kayak: Helpful for find insanely cheap multi city flights
Related Post / Complete List of Budget Airlines in Europe / Nomadic Matt: How to Find Cheap Airline Tickets
14 thoughts on “5 Tricks to Find Insanely Cheap Flights – Plus a Real World Example”
Hello Stephen,
Great article! Does is obviously a one way ticket correct? Even so great prices. Thanks for the 411 man!
Hey man,
Great post. I love backpacking and try doing it as often as I can. I came to your blog because it seemed like you actually knew what you’re talking about, and you do!!! It is good to know that most of the steps that you follow, I have followed too. Thanks for changing my mind on travel insurance. I have travelled without it before because it can get expensive, but that was stupid and cheap me thinking. From now on i will for sure get insurance!!
Thanks for the tips man!!!!
Best regards,
Cristian G
Amazing stuff on the internet for finding cheap flights.
Thanks for the comment.
Sundays are indeed days where cheapest flight tickets can be found. I also found these hours: 3 am – 6 am to be definitely more affordable!
I agree!!!! Red eye flights…… ahhh the best. Thanks for the comment Agness!
What should I do if I dont have a specific day for a return flight??? I dont want to go without one, first because it can be a lot cheaper to do round trip, and secondly because I dont want to have trouble with customs since I dont have proof I’m going to leave the country… There’s no real way to buy an open ended ticket is there???
I would use skyscanner and search the whole month for the flight out but a spefiic day for the return flight.
Congratulations, now you have to spend 12+ hours on a bus from Columbus, OH to New York City for $51 each. then probably another $35-50 on cab fare to get to the airport. Sorry, that’s unacceptable to many people, so your advice doesn’t help.
Thanks for you comment. Many people I know take buses. Or find cheap flights from CMH to NYC. As I mention in the post finding cheap flights is all about being flexible And the advice is vaild because the flight is cheaper. Thanks for the comment and feel free to ask me anything.
Awesome tips. I love the one about clearing your cookies!
Awesome tips!! I really liked your idea of clearing cookies, it really work.
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I totally agree with that airfares are insanely cheap during Monday and Tuesday.