The first thing I do when I begin planning a trip is start by researching airfare. A cheap flight keeps my budget open for the rest of the trip, which includes accommodation and excursions. Finding a cheap flight is not always easy but if you know where to look it can be done.
Example of Ultra-Low Fare
Last night Emirates had a massive fare sale. I was looking for flights to Sri Lanka for an upcoming conference in November.
The flights had been hovering between $850 and $1,200 the past few weeks with stopovers in a couple of cities I wanted to visit. I like to book multi-city flights to make the most out of trip, return somewhere for the day, or just for the hell of it. It is something I try to do on every trip and adds little or nothing to the ticket price.
When I searched for flights that afternoon fares on Kuwait Airlines were $950 and Emirates was offering the same flight for $1200. Emirates is my favorite airline so it was tempting to pay a little extra to avoid an airline I’ve never flown but I resisted.
Later that evening I searched again only to find a massive fare sale. I thought there had been a mistake but confirmed it on Twitter soon after.
Flights were between $200- $500 from the U.S. to India and other countries in the region!
And as you can see this flight from Los Angelas to Mumbai was only $325 round-trip (photo via the Flight Deal)
I searched NYC–>KWI–>CMB (Sri Lanka) and found a flight for $468. This would have been less without the stop in Kuwait. I also wanted a long layover in Dubai since there is always something fun to do there.
As you can see CheapOair still had this flight for the afternoon price of $1212.
There were a lot of options for this flight. The cheapest of course was the extremely long return flight of 32 hours which didn’t work for my schedule. However, for an $800 savings I am willing to hang out in a city or airport for a long layover.
How to Find Ultra-Low Fares
You’ve seen my example of almost a $1,000 swing in airfare in 12 hours but how do you know when ultra-low fares will become available?
Follow The Flight Deal on Facebook and Twitter
I discovered this deal on my own but usually I don’t get that lucky and don’t have time to endlessly search for flight deals. Their site is dedicated to finding incredible deals and they do it a lot. Just take a look at their Flight Deals page to see what I mean.
The Flight Deal on Facebook and Twitter
They will post deals on their Facebook page before most people know about it. They posted this deal at 12:51AM and the deal was dead by 3:20AM. I found this deal at 12:25AM so I was incredibly lucky to find it. Relying on The Flight Deal is a much smarter idea (unless you’re like me and enjoy searching for flights all day).
Of course not every deal will be available from your home airport or for your desired destination but they post frequently enough something is going to interest you.
Forget About the Destination
I have said this many times in the past but forget about where you must go next and fly to the most desirable place with the cheapest airfare. For example, had this deal to India come up last night and I had more freedom in my schedule I would have booked it immediately. I am no rush to visit India but when the time is right just book it.
I was searching for Sri Lanka so that is what I booked. Some people even reported the same deal from Boston to Bangkok so you never know what you will find but be ready to book it. The lowest fare found was $200 from Houston to Mumbai.
Another example would be if you wanted to fly to Europe but were not set on the city.
Take a look at sites such as Kayak Explore (one of my favorites to search the world with) and Skyscanner. These sites allow you to set your departure city with no destination in mind. Simply explore the world or filter by region to find the cheapest destinations worldwide.
Set Fare Alerts to Track Fares
Sites like Kayak, Hipmunk, and Airfarewatchdog all offer free fare alerts. Fare alerts will monitor your flights daily and notify you by email when they fall under a price cap you have set.
Keep in mind a fare alert likely won’t notify you for a fare sale. The frequency of alerts can be set but it is likely short sale windows will be missed. Fare alerts are most useful when planning a trip many months in advance and tracking airfare.
The best way to stay on top of fare sales is by following sites like The Flight Deal on Twitter and Facebook.
Read more about how fare alerts can help you find cheap flights.
The Keys to Booking Ultra-Low Fares
- Be ready to book at a moments notice when you find an amazing deal
- Set fare alerts for your flights
- Be flexible with the destination and consider nearby airports
- Learn how to hack a flight without miles or points
- Follow The Flight Deal on Social Media (trust me they are awesome)
More Travel Resources
The Art of Travel Hacking: Learn How I fly for Free
Join the Travel Hacking Cartel and Earn More Miles
