When we travel on a trip to explore new destinations, or to go on holiday/vacation, then flying is one of the most common ways to get there. Through flying you can visit almost any country in the world and nowadays there are often really cheap flights out there too. This makes travelling that much more affordable. You can even go on quick short trips such as city breaks, or head on longer backpacking or multi-destination trips.
To help you compare and find the best flights we’ve put together this little guide. Here are the best ways to find and compare flights for when you travel. Including some of the best tools and websites to use for searching, as well as some of our top tips.
Why compare flights
It’s really important to compare flights and look around as this will ensure that you’re getting the best deal and the lowest airfare. It also helps to keep airlines competitive as they know their passengers won’t necessarily always come back to them, as they will often be keeping an eye out for the best deals.
You should also compare flights so as to see the full range of options available to you. Such as flights with different departure and arrival times, flights with connections and also flights that may offer perks such as included snacks or meals, or luggage included.
Comparing flights may also impact the destination(s) that you end up visiting, as after comparing you might discover some options/routes just don’t work, so you have to rework your plans. Or you might even discover an exciting destination and route that you’d never thought of.
Best websites to use to compare flights
Some of the best flight comparison websites are below. These are metasearch type websites which means they compare options from lots of different airlines. This helps you to see prices for different airlines and routes and then ultimately find the best flight for your trip.
WayAway
A relative newbie in the flight comparison market, WayAway offers a unique product in that you can even get cashback from your booking. This could pay for your first meal or an exciting excursion or activity during your trip. They also offer WayAway Plus, a service that comes with benefits such as cashback on both flight tickets and hotels, travel experts (available 24/7) that can help you with your trip, and more.
TravelAndDestinations.com
Next, our own cheap flights and hotels search tool, which allows you to find and compare the prices from hundreds of airlines around the world. You can adjust your criteria by adding filters such as airline, connections, departure and arrival times and lots more. Our tool also helps you to find and compare hotels for your trip.
Skyscanner
Skyscanner is one of the most well-known flight aggregate sites and offers a fantastic platform to help you find and compare flights. You can search for multi-destination flights routes too which can be great if you’re travelling around lots of different places during your trip,
Google flights
Google is of course one of the kings of online search, so it makes sense for them to have a top-notch flight search tool. Through Google’s flight search tool you can add tons of useful filters and quickly adjust your criteria for live results. With this tool you’ll likely find a flight that works for you in no time. Although Google’s tool is pretty nifty it’s also worth checking out a few other websites that we’ve suggested to also give them some support.
Momondo
What we like about Momondo is their beautiful site and design, as well as of course their functionality to help you to find the best flights for your travels. Along with the other suggestions here you’ll find plenty of helpful filters and options to narrow down your search to find a flight that’s perfect for you.
KAYAK
Part of the parent site that runs global accommodation site booking.com, KAYAK is another helpful online tool. KAYAK searches across hundreds of different travel services to help you to find the perfect flight option for you. It also includes plenty of filters to narrow down your search, as well as inspiration on where to go.
What to consider when comparing flights
Stops/connections
Whether your flight has stops/connections is one of the most important considerations when searching and comparing flights. Connecting flights can sometimes be cheaper, but a downside is that you may have a long layover, or you may even have a very short connection time which causes a risk (and stress) if you miss or almost miss a connecting flight.
Flight times
Of course, the departure and arrival times are a super important element when you travel. Early and late flights both offer different pros and cons, such as an early flight may allow you to arrive earlier at your destination, but this can be tiring and difficult to get to the airport early. Whilst a late flight could make it harder to continue your journey once you arrive as public transport may no longer be running. This may mean that you have to get a more expensive taxi as a transfer option (unless you’re on a package deal that includes transfers).
Flight duration
Another important aspect of your flight is how long it is. Long-haul flights can be quite tiring and tedious but would generally allow you to reach more distant destinations. Whilst a short-haul flight could be to somewhere more local. Possibly on the same continent. If you’re travelling with younger children then you should definitely consider flight duration when looking at flights.
Luggage allowance
If you’re going on a long trip (such as 1 week or more) then the luggage allowance that you get with the flight could be important. Luggage can add significant costs to your flights so it’s very important to consider this when comparing and deciding on the flights to book. With some flight comparison websites, they will provide information within the search to help you.
Included meals and snacks
Another consideration, especially for long-haul flights, is whether you get meals included. A lot of decent airlines should include this in long-haul flights but you should definitely check this is the case, or if it’s included as an extra fee.
On flight entertainment
If your flight is quite long then to save you from getting bored during the journey it will help if there is onboard entertainment. This is often included with dedicated screens on the seats, but on some long-haul flights it may not be, or you have to use onboard Wifi and your own device. This could be a pain if your device battery is low, there are no charging sockets, or you’ll need to use your device once you arrive and therefore need to be careful on how much battery you have.
Important tips and how to save when searching and comparing flights
Be flexible with your dates
Try adjusting the dates if you have some flexibility, including both for your departure and return. You may find a cheaper option even by switching by one or two days.
Remember to check connections/stops
Consider looking at flights with stops/connections as sometimes these are cheaper. You could also look for a flight with a long stayover which could allow you to spend a day at a different destination.
Remember to keep in mind luggage costs.
Not all flights (even long-haul) include this by default anymore and luggage costs can add a lot to your flight cost. These costs can sometimes be even more than the flight itself (more often the case with short-haul flights).
Use the different filters available when searching
Remember to use the different filters when comparing flights using comparison websites, and also check that there isn’t a filter that is suppressing some of the results that might be helpful to you.
Book through one airline if you’re getting connecting flights
If you’re booking a flight with a connection then it’s safer to book through one airline, as then they will be responsible to ensure you catch your connecting flight, or will be more obliged to help you if there’s a problem and you might miss it.
Try looking outside of peak times, such as around school holidays
School holidays can impact the costs of going away, including both flights, package holidays and hotels. So if you have the flexibility then be sure to try searching or comparing different weeks when doing your search.
Summary
These are some of our best tips to help you to find and compare flights for when you travel and so as to find the best and lowest airfare. Above are some recommended websites to start your search for flights. We hope that they help you to find a great flight deal for your next trip. You can also use the below search tool to start your search.
Image credits
Article main photos via depositphotos.com. Read more about where we source images.
