If you’ve ever searched for flights and watched prices jump overnight, you’re not imagining it. Airfares change constantly, and there’s no single trick that guarantees a bargain every time. Learning how to find cheap flights is about using multiple strategies together, from airline sales and price alerts to AI tools and flexible planning.
Here’s what actually works.
Cheap flights cheat sheet
Want the fast version? Start here before you book.
- Sign up to airline mailing lists so you don’t miss flash sales
- Use flight comparison tools like Skyscanner, Trip.com or Google Flights
- Set price alerts months before peak travel periods
- Book within the “Goldilocks window” (not too early, not too late)
- Fly mid-week when possible
- Be flexible with destinations or nearby airports
- Use AI tools to brainstorm cheaper routes or stopovers
- Consider multi-city flights instead of simple returns
- Avoid school holiday peaks if you can
- Book when the price feels reasonable (if you chase the perfect price, you might miss out)
Our tip: A cheap flight isn’t always the best flight. Check baggage costs, layovers and arrival times before hitting purchase.
10 Smart ways to save on airfares
#1. Start with airline mailing lists
One of the simplest ways to hear about deals first is to subscribe to airline newsletters.
Most airlines run regular flash sales, limited-time fare drops, or early access promotions, and these often go to subscribers before they appear elsewhere. If you have a favourite airline, signing up means you’re not relying on luck when a sale drops.
#2. Use flight aggregator websites
When it comes to finding cheap flights, aggregator tools are still one of the easiest ways to compare routes and prices across multiple airlines at once.
Personally, I like using Skyscanner because you can:
- Search by price instead of destination
- See the cheapest months to travel to a particular destination
- See the cheapest flights from a particular destination
This is especially useful when you’re flexible and just want to know where your budget will stretch the furthest. Other popular options include Trip.com and Google Flights.
#3. Set price alerts early
If you take one thing away from this article, make it this: don’t just search once and hope for the best.
Flight prices move up and down based on demand, competition, seasonality and more. Setting alerts means you’ll know when prices drop instead of checking manually every day. Most experts suggest tracking flights months ahead, especially for school holiday travel.
#4. Understand booking windows but don’t obsess over “best days”
You’ve probably heard advice like:
- “Always book on a Tuesday”
- “Never search on weekends”
Most of that is outdated. Instead of focusing on a specific day, think in terms of booking windows. Domestic flights are usually cheapest 1–3 months ahead and international flights are often best priced 2–8 months ahead (sometimes longer for peak periods).
There’s no guaranteed perfect moment but waiting until the last minute is usually the most expensive option.
#5. Be flexible with travel dates
Flexibility is still one of the biggest money-savers. Flying mid-week (especially Tuesday or Wednesday) often costs less than weekends because fewer people are travelling.
You can also save by:
- Avoiding school holidays when possible
- Avoiding travel in peak summer
- Considering shoulder seasons
Sometimes shifting your trip by just a few days can make a huge difference.
#6. Let AI help you narrow down destination options
AI tools like ChatGPT won’t magically book the cheapest flight for you, but they’re surprisingly useful during the planning phase. Instead of scrolling endlessly through destinations, you can use AI to:
- Brainstorm affordable places based on your budget
- Identify cheaper months to fly
- Suggest multi-city routes you may not have considered
For e.g., you can ask ChatGPT something like: “I want good weather in August, departing from Brisbane, under 10 hours flying time, with food, beaches and shopping, and known for being family friendly.”
It will return a bunch of destinations that fit your brief, which will help you narrow down a destination before comparing flights. Think of it like a planning assistant rather than a booking engine.
#7. Try these ChatGPT prompts for cheap flights
If you’re wondering how to find cheap flights using AI, these prompts work well:
- “What are the cheapest international destinations from Brisbane in July?”
- “Which airlines fly from Australia to Bali and when are fares lowest?”
- “Plan a budget-friendly multi-city trip from Australia to Europe.”
- “Suggest stopover cities that reduce airfare between Perth and London.”
These prompts help you think differently about routes and sometimes uncover cheaper options you wouldn’t have searched yourself.
If you structure them strategically, round-the-world or multi-stop holidays can actually cost less than simple return tickets.
For example, flying Sydney → Bangkok → Athens → Singapore → Sydney may price differently than a direct return ticket. AI can help you experiment with different combinations before running the actual search through flight comparison tools.
#8. Know what AI can’t do (yet)
It’s important to know that ChatGPT doesn’t show real-time flight prices (yet). It can’t pull live airline pricing feeds by default. You’ll still need to use tools like Google Flights or Skyscanner to see current fares.
What AI can do is suggest routes and destinations, compare typical price ranges, help you decide when to book and build smarter itineraries.
#9. Book when the price feels right
Airfares change on any given day because airlines use dynamic pricing systems. This means the price adjusts based on demand, competition among airlines, seasonal trends, and the number of seats remaining on a flight. It’s why sometimes you look at a fare, and it’s $450, and then you look at it a few days later and it’s $800.
With this in mind, a common mistake is waiting forever for the “perfect deal.” If it fits your budget and feels reasonable, then go ahead and make that booking. Otherwise, you might miss out altogether.
#10. Think beyond the cheapest ticket
A super-cheap flight isn’t always the best value. Consider layover times, arrival hours (midnight with young kids is not fun), extra baggage fees and travel times vs cost. I once booked a flight with a six-hour layover to save $100 on a flight ticket. Do you know how much airport snacks cost for a family of four for six hours? More than $100!
When it comes to family travel, sometimes paying slightly more for a better schedule makes the trip far easier.
How to find cheap flights – is there one secret trick?
No. There really isn’t one secret trick to finding cheap flights. I’ve found it’s it’s about combining tools, flexibility and timing. Use aggregator sites to compare prices, airline newsletters to catch sales early, and AI tools to explore smarter routes.
And who knows, by the time you’re reading this, AI might even be pulling live fares. When that happens, it really might become every traveller’s new best friend.
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