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Travel Tips for Flights

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How to Find the Best Flight Deals 2025

One of our most frequently asked questions about travel is:

“What is the best way to book cheap flights?”

Honestly, my biggest secret to snagging truly affordable airfare is simple: FLEXIBILITY. Why should you trust my advice? I’ve been a Diamond Medallion since 2015 and hit Million Miler roughly two years ago in 2023 meaning, I achieved that milestone in less than 8 years. That’s a lot of buying & flying!

Before I even consider hotel or car rentals, I always prioritize securing my flights. Finding the right, least expensive flights at the best price is the foundation for an entire trip, allowing you to save money on travel from the start. Also, trying to find the right price in the DIP between the price going down and then back up again.

  • The ONLY caveat to this booking a “flight first” mentality, at least in the United States, is New York City. Their hotel prices are astronomical during parts of the year (e.g. September for UN General Assembly or December for Christmas). So you should be validating hotel prices well before you check airline prices when flying to New York City. You can read more here on “Best time to visit New York City” to save money on a dream New York City tour.
  • Are you trying to find more details about long haul International Flights? Read more about long-distance international flight savings using my tips & trick.

Now, lets break down how I book flights and we will go into detail on each topic:

  1. How far in advance should I book a plane ticket 2025?
  2. What is the Cheapest Day of the Week to Fly 2025?
  3. What is the Cheapest Day of the Week to Buy a Plane Ticket 2025?
  4. Searching Flights Using Flexible Dates
  5. Find Cheaper Flights by Searching Nearby Airports
  6. Leveraging Airline Loyalty to Book Reward Tickets
  7. Using Google Flights to Track

  8. Rebooking Your Flight If the Price Drops

  9. Why Airline Prices Change Suddenly

1. How Far in Advance Should I Book a Plane Ticket?

Short answer: You need to find the sweet spot, which typically means a half-filled plane.

Long answer: Booking flights to far in advanced or with to short notice can cause you to come across extremely high prices. So, take my personal advice to the bank here:

  • Booking too early means the plane is empty – airlines are going to charge higher prices.
  • Booking too late means the plane is full – airlines are going to charge the most to fill remaining seats.
  • Book in the right sweet spot – airlines are going to charge the least to fill the plane. This is the actual time frame you are searching for when it comes to step #2 below.
DestinationWhen To Book a Flight
U.S. Domestic Trips
3 weeks to 2 months in advance
U.S. to Mexico or the Caribbean
3 weeks to 3 months in advance
U.S. to Europe
2 – 6 months in advance
General International Travel
1+ month minimum in advance

2. Cheapest Day of the Week to Fly

Short answer: Mid-week and Saturday afternoon

Long answer: Finding the cheapest days to fly can significantly reduce your travel costs. Since most business travel is out Monday or Tuesday and back Friday, or personal travel for a weekend getaway is from Friday to Sunday to popular spots like San Francisco or Cancun, flying on any of these days come with a premium cost. To save money, consider being flexible with your schedule and shift your trip by a day or two, perhaps opting for a Thursday-to-Sunday or Wednesday-to-Saturday itinerary instead.

From my personal experience:

  • Domestic Flights: find that leaving on Sunday night, Tuesday evening, Wednesday, or Saturday afternoon typically offers the best flight prices.

  • International Flights: Leaving on Thursdays is almost always best for me, sometimes even Sunday night.

I’ll first look at how prices change based on the day of the week. Though the best days to buy plane tickets can vary (which I’ll discuss below), the day of the week you actually fly can make a big difference. For instance, Expedia’s data suggests flying on Saturdays often yields the best price when traveling within the U.S., while Thursdays are ideal for international flights. A Hopper study also found midweek departures (Tuesdays through Thursdays) are generally a better deal, especially within the United States. By focusing on these cheapest days to fly, travelers could potentially save approximately 15% on their tickets.

I think Hopper is a better result, at least for flights out of Atlanta on Delta!

3. Cheapest Day of the Week to Buy Plane Tickets 2025

Short answer: Wednesday’s & Saturday’s, 12:01AM-11:59PM

Long answer: When is the best time to search for flights? In my experience, it’s every day of the week you should be checking. However, when it comes to actually buying a ticket, I often still play the Wednesday buying game. I tend to purchase tickets after Tuesday midnight (12 AM on Wednesday), but before Thursday midday (12 PM). This timeframe is consistently when I see prices drop the most. While anyone can argue this, based on my weekly search and flying habits, Wednesdays are typically my #1 winner for finding the lowest fares, Saturday’s are good too, they align with Wednesday’s typically.

When not to buy a ticket? I rarely purchase tickets on Monday, Tuesday, Friday or Sunday.

4. Searching Flights Using Flexible Dates

Short answer: Search using flexible dates, don’t be so specific

Long answer: By being flexible with your travel dates, you can often find much more reasonable rates. For me, that means heading straight to Delta’s website (since I’m a loyal Delta flyer) and using their “My dates are flexible” option.

Here’s my process:

  • Analyze the Days of the Week: I’ll first look at how prices change based on the day of the week. Often, mid-week flights are cheaper than weekends (Friday/Sunday) flights. This is due to what I spoke about above, travelers and the obvious routines:

    1. Monday-Tuesday’s are full of business travelers filling up flights.

    2. Thursday afternoon-Friday during the day are business travelers returning home. 

    3. Saturday mornings & Sunday all day are filled with families and children or early business travelers ahead of the Monday schedule.
  • Search dates around the time you want to travel: If I want to be in New York City on October 15th, search by checking the box to “My dates are flexible” and entering in a few days before and after that date.
  • Check Flexible Dates: Lets try searching ATL to LGA on Oct 14-17.
    • Below, on the Flexible Dates depart & return calendar, I can see which flight is most affordable, which ends up being #1.
    • Problem with #1 is that I have to fly in and fly out on the same day for the cheapest (in green for $222) flight – that’s not happening.
    • But I can see that if I fly to LGA on Wed, Oct 14 (#2) and return from LGA on Thu, Oct 16 (#3), the flexible price calendar says the cheapest flight is now $272 (#4). This will work.

  • Check the Whole Month Price Calendar: If you just want to get to New York anytime in the month, toggle to the Price Calendar view. This is a game-changer! It visually highlights the cheapest days to fly within a broader timeframe. You can also toggle between upcoming months, maybe November or December or next year.

    • Side note, we can also see below that Wednesday’s & Saturdays are the most affordable days to fly to LGA from ATL during the month of October.
    • Why are Wednesdays cheaper? On Wednesday’s plane aren’t full due to slow business travel day & low family travel. Saturday is the same issue, not to many business or family travel to/from LGA after morning.

    • On the Price Calendar, you can adjust Time Length (#1), Show Non Stop or All Flights (#2) or Show Price In $USD or using Skymiles (#3).

5. Find Cheaper Flights by Searching Nearby Airports

Short answer: Check all airports within an hour or two of your destination, you might find cheaper flights.

Long answer: Beyond dates, the airport you fly into can significantly impact the cost of your plane ticket.

  • Target Specificity (NYC Example): If I’m heading to New York City, I actively try to book flights into LGA (LaGuardia) because I know it’s often the most convenient and closest airport to Manhattan.

  • Considering Alternatives (California Example): For a trip to California, I have multiple airport options. Since I’m flying from Atlanta, a major Delta hub, I’ve learned that SFO (San Francisco International Airport) is often the most cost-effective choice for me when flying Delta. Always weigh your options and consider which airport offers the best overall value for your specific journey.

When searching for airfare to major cities, don’t limit your search to just one airport. By checking surrounding airports, you can often find significantly cheaper tickets. These smaller, secondary airports are frequently served by budget airlines and can be a great way to save money on your next trip.

Flying to LA? Don’t just search Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), try Burbank Bob Hope Airport (BUR) or John Wayne Airport (SNA) . SNA is excellent if staying more toward Orange County area. 

To help you find the best deal, here are some major city airports and the nearby alternatives you should always consider.

Los Angeles (LAX) & Southern California Airports

Flying into Los Angeles? While Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the main hub, it’s often more expensive. For a more budget-friendly option, check flights to Burbank Bob Hope Airport (BUR) or John Wayne Airport (SNA). SNA is particularly convenient if your destination is in the Orange County area.

  • LAX Airline Hubs: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines.

  • BUR & SNA Primary Airlines: Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines.

New York City (NYC) Airports

New York City is served by three major airports, and prices can vary dramatically. Always check all three for the best rates.

  • John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

  • LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

  • Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)

Each of these airports serves as a hub for major carriers, so your best option may depend on which airline you prefer.

Miami & South Florida Airports

If your destination is in South Florida, broaden your search beyond Miami International Airport (MIA). Often, you can find better deals by searching flights to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) or Palm Beach International Airport (PBI).

San Francisco Bay Area Airports

When flying to San Francisco, remember that the Bay Area is served by three major airports. Be sure to compare flights to all of them.

  • San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

  • Oakland International Airport (OAK)

  • San Jose International Airport (SJC)

SFO is the primary hub for United, but OAK and SJC are major operating bases for low-cost carriers like Southwest Airlines, making them ideal for finding cheap flights.

These are just a few examples. I personally have flown into Las Vegas and driven to Palm Springs! Identifying airline hubs can be helpful for travelers, as it often means more direct flights and a wider range of destinations from that airport. It’s important to note the difference between a hub and a focus city. A hub is a major connection point for an airline’s network, while a focus city is a smaller-scale hub with a high number of flights to specific destinations.

6. Leveraging Airline Loyalty to Book Reward Tickets

Short answer: Option #1, log into your favorite airline website where you earn miles and book directly with reward points (e.g. Delta SkyMiles). Option #2, log into your credit card (e.g. Platinum Card with American Express, Chase Credit Card) and book with your earned credit card points.

Long answer: Redeem your miles and points: How to search flight award availability for the major airlines.

Booking with your favorite airline where you have loyalty:

  • Check Flexible Dates: Similar to above when using cash, we can also search with miles. Select “Shop with Miles” & “My dates are flexible” to get started on your search. Below I searched ATL to SFO.

Immediately I can see a price from ATL to SFO for only 28,900 Delta SkyMiles, that’s actually a pretty good deal! Due to my American Express Delta Credit Card, I get a 15% discount when using miles. So versus me paying 34,100 miles + $12 USD, I only have to use 28,400 miles + $12 USD. These discounts only apply to domestic flights.

To get these discounts, check out Delta SkyMiles American Express Credit Card offerings: 

  • International Check Flexible Dates: As mentioned above when using cash, we can also search with miles on international trips. Only thing is, with Delta, no Delta American Express Credit Card discounts work on International flights. So, again, select “Shop with Miles” & “My dates are flexible” to get started on your search.

We can see after a quick search, we have found a flight to Rome Italy, FCO, from Atlanta, ATL, for around 61,000 points + $90 USD. Not to bad!

7. Using Google Flights to Track

Short answer: After you book a flight, track the price using Google Flights. If the price drops, cancel your original flight then rebook it for cheaper. You will get a refund or eCredit from the airline for future travel from the difference saved.

Long Answer: To set up price tracking on Google Flights, navigate to Google Flights, enter your flight details (origin, destination, dates), and then toggle on the “Track prices” option, either for the specific flight or the route. You’ll need to be logged into a Google account to receive email notifications about price changes.

  1. Purchase a flight from your favorite airline.
  2. Validate the date and time from the flight you are taking, you can see from my itinerary below I am flying to Cancun (CUN) on October 4 and returning to Atlanta (ATL) on October 11. Pay attention to your DATE & TIME to align with Google’s website.
  3. No head to the Google Flights website and find those same flights. Make sure you filter out the airline you are using so the results are more clear.
  4. From here, there is no need to continue further on the Google Flights website. You only need to toggle on Track Prices.
  5. Once you click the toggle for Track Prices, you will now receive emails from Google Flights ONLY when the flight adjusts. By the way, be patient. You will see the flights go way up in price and drop down extremely far. The prices will be very volatile, so just be patient.
  6. Lastly, you can also track all flights for that same day.

8. Rebooking Your Flight If the Price Drops

So the price of your flights just dropped on Google Flights, what do you do?

Short answer:

  • If you used 100% points or partial points + cash, then you can cancel for a full refund and rebook your flights.
  • If you booked your flight with only money and no points, you will need to cancel your flights, collect an eCredit, and then rebook using the immediate eCredit from the airline.

Long answer: Lets go through a scenario. Read more on eCredit’s here.

  1. First we need to cancel our original flight. Go to your airline website, find your booked itinerary. From here, we need to cancel the flight.
    1. If you booked your flight within the last 24 hours, you will get a FULL refund — NOT an eCredit.
    2. If you booked your flight more than 24 hours ago, you will get an eCredit for the original price you paid for your ticket.
  2. Now that you flight is cancelled and you received an eCredit, you can now go back to the airline website & rebook your ticket direct.
  3. Find your flights you are looking for and at check-out under Payments, you will find eCredits listed to use.
  4. If you do not use the entire eCredit amount, e.g. you have a $1000.00 USD eCredit but the new flight is $600.00 USD, the airline will issue you ANOTHER eCredit for the difference in far (e.g. $400.00 USD).
Important Considerations:
  • Expiration: Delta eCredits typically expire one year from the date of issue. 
  • Taxes and Fees: eCredits can be applied to the cost of the new ticket and any associated taxes and fees. 
  • Other Options: You can also redeem eCredits at Delta ticketing locations, but additional fees may apply. 
  • Combination: eCredits cannot be combined with mileage redemption (e.g., Award Travel or Miles + Cash tickets). 
  • Number of eCredits: You can use up to five eCredits per passenger. 

9. Why Airline Prices Change Suddenly

Last top here. Lets discuss one last thing and that is why flight prices constantly fluctuate. Mainly flight prices fluctuate due to a combination of factors, primarily driven by the principles of supply and demand and sophisticated dynamic pricing algorithms used by airlines. These algorithms constantly adjust prices based on factors like seat availability, time until departure, competitor pricing, and past booking trends.

I asked a friend of mine at Delta about pricing, and they shared a key insight:

“Airlines aim to maximize their revenue, but competitive pricing among carriers often helps keep fares in check. The presence of multiple airlines on a route generally prevents any single airline from setting excessively high prices.”