Student Flights: How to Find Cheap Plane Tickets

Every traveler knows the disappointment of finding the perfect getaway, only to be discouraged by the high cost of airfare. Flying has become increasingly expensive. However, with the right strategies and tools, budget-conscious travelers can still find last-minute flight deals. Thanks to a growing number of tech-centric resources that use data-driven prediction tools, it’s easier than ever to know when to buy a ticket (or wait). By following proven guidelines, snagging a good deal can be easier than you think.

Leveraging Technology to Find Deals

Before diving in, understanding how airlines determine ticket prices can be helpful. Airlines use dynamic pricing, a model where prices fluctuate based on market conditions. This means the same seats on the same flight can be sold for different prices. Tech tools can help track these price fluctuations.

Several platforms feature data-driven technology that can help you save significantly. Hopper is known for its prediction tools. Through its "Price Prediction" tool, passengers can choose to "book now" or "watch this trip." Hopper also has a "price freeze" feature where travelers can "freeze" the price of a flight for a fee. If the price increases before purchase, Hopper covers the difference; if it drops, you pay the lower price.

Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) delivers flight deals straight to your inbox. Going has uncovered millions in flight savings, with even free-tier members saving hundreds on round-trip tickets. Expedia launched its new Flight Deals feature, customizing deals based on the traveler’s home airport and finding deals significantly lower than typical prices. Travelers can filter deals by destination and month to find the best option.

Google Flights offers price-predicting power backed by trends data. While specifics depend on the destination, flying to Europe during the summer is almost always more expensive than during the fall or winter (except around Christmas). Similarly, many Caribbean destinations see a surge in visitors during the cold weather months and Spring Break, from December through April.

Read also: College Football Ticket Savings

Skyscanner offers a “Whole Month” search feature that allows travelers to find the most affordable dates to fly within a specific month. According to Laura Lindsay, global travel trends expert at Skyscanner, travelers can also expand their search to include nearby airports. Flexible travel dates and off-peak seasons can lead to significant savings on flights and accommodation. Lindsay also reminds travelers to extend their searches to hotels, as conventions or concerts can cause rates to soar.

Traveling during the offseason can lead to more affordable flights, hotels, and a less crowded experience.

Destination Flexibility

Travel experts often advise checking if flying a day earlier or later, or from a nearby airport, results in cheaper fares. For bigger savings, consider extending your flexibility to the destination. If your dates are fixed, browse options on Skyscanner, which allows users to select “explore everywhere” as the destination and scan for the best value over a certain timeframe.

When flying to Europe, remember that your ultimate destination doesn’t need to be your first stop. If direct flights to Paris are pricey, consider routes to Brussels. Huw Owen, cofounder of TravelLocal, advises looking at “secondary and tertiary cities” throughout Europe. Instead of flying into Rome, consider Naples or Perugia; in Spain, Girona or Reus can be cheaper alternatives to Barcelona. In Germany, flying into Nuremberg instead of Munich can save money while still providing easy access to Bavaria.

This is a great option for those doing a week- or two-weeklong itinerary where the exact arrival airport isn’t critical, and a local operator can pick you up. Competition from low-cost airlines has made secondary cities the new gateways to popular destinations.

Read also: Budget Travel for Students

Waived Change Fees

Many airlines have eliminated change fees. If you see a deal that’s too good to pass up, grab it. If you end up changing it, you won’t take a big hit. If the fare drops after you book, you can rebook it at the new price and get the difference back in flight credit.

Strategies for Booking

Searching for a single seat, even if you’re flying with a family, can lead to savings. Airlines’ automated pricing systems look for multiple seats at the same price, resulting in a higher quote. If there’s a seat in a lower fare class, the system will overlook it in favor of consistency. Searching by single seat will find the cheaper seat. Just make sure to link the reservations together after booking.

Always check one-way flights alongside returns, especially on domestic trips. Stitching together an itinerary by taking one carrier outbound and another return could turn up savings. Airline systems struggle with piecing together the best round-trip options, especially when using points and miles.

If you’re looking at different seat prices within the same class, keep in mind that airlines' systems struggle with combining different classes on the same itinerary. Book each leg separately to avoid being forced into a higher category to reflect the difference.

The 21-Day Rule

Generally, the best prices tend to drop off once the flight is less than three weeks out. If it’s 21 days before you plan to travel and you haven’t seen a deal to your destination, go ahead and book. Airlines’ automated fare systems are configured to treat later bookings as last-minute business traveler flights and price them accordingly.

Airfare is incredibly volatile, going up and down seemingly at random. The 21-Day Rule is one of the few times you can know with virtual certainty that airfare will get more expensive.

According to Google Flights, the best time to book flights from the US to Europe is at least 72 days prior to departure. Flights to Europe tend to increase over time, especially about 10 weeks prior to departure.

Last-Minute Rewards Search

Last-minute flights can be a smart time to use frequent flier miles, as airlines sometimes release unsold seats as cheaper mileage tickets. Most major credit cards offer significant sign-up bonuses several times a year. All major airlines have their own credit card, and most major banks also offer travel-specific cards that can offer savings on flights.

Fifth Freedom Flights

Fifth freedom flights, in which an airline offers service between two countries outside of its home base, can be a boon to budget-minded travelers. They’re often serviced by larger aircraft on popular international routes, which means more competition and lower prices. They also sometimes offer overlooked frequent-flier availability.

Hidden-City Booking

Consider "hidden-city" booking. Book a flight with a layover where you stop flying at the connecting city. Booking a longer flight with a layover can be cheaper than a direct flight. However, this tactic is strictly prohibited in many airlines’ contracts of carriage, so if they catch you, it can mean trouble.

Snagging a Last-Minute Upgrade

Complimentary upgrades are not as common as they used to be. However, it’s still possible to score one, though you’ll likely have to pay something for it.

One way is to bid on one, an option that some airlines offer to economy passengers when their premium cabins are fairly empty. However, passengers should never rely on this option as a guaranteed way to move into a higher cabin.

The strategy of buying a fare in a lower class of service and then trying to get an upgrade at check-in is always a possibility, but travelers have to be comfortable with sitting in their original class of service. If there are seats available, upgrade offers will often be out there, but you never know if seats will be available.

You can also try a more human approach. You never know. More times than not, asking for things that seemed crazy has worked.

Additional Travel Hacks

Book During the Right Time of the Month

If you book on your credit card, pay attention to your cash flow.

Book During the Right Time of the Week

Book flights in the middle of the week, Tuesday - Thursday. FareCompare.com suggests Wednesday at 3PM ET is the best time to book flights.

Find Off-Peak Flights

If you have flexibility, fly home off-peak hours. Use the +/- 3 days button on Kayak.com to see what day is cheapest.

Search Other Destinations and Buy a Connecting Flight

If you are flying to Bali, first research flights that fly in to the Bali’s DPS airport. Then, compare those prices with flying to other cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shanghai. Search a local carrier like AirAsia to get you the rest of the way there.

Superhack: Search for your flight to Bali and then see what airports the cheapest flights connect in.

Take Advantage of Free-Stopovers

Arrange a longer stopover and have a blast. Icelandair offers up to seven days free stopover if you connect in Reykjavík.

Watch the Price Predictors

Many sites including Kayak and Bing Travel use data from past flights to predict the prices of upcoming airfare.

Buy Travel Insurance ASAP

Protect yourself against flight cancellations or unforeseen circumstances.

Find the Right Credit Card for You

Pick a credit card that gets you free checked bags on domestic flights. Get perks to speed through customs and the TSA security line! Know about TSA Pre-Check, Global Entry, and Clear!

Know Your Frequent Flier Alliances

Sign up with one of the big three airline frequent flier groups, Star Alliance, One World, and Sky Team. Try to book with them, even if they are a little more expensive.

Know Your Booking Sites

Use sites like CheapOair, Airfarewatchdog, Skyscanner, and Google Flights. You want to watch the flights for a little while, but in general, the earlier you book, the better.

Superhack: Put it all together. Search Kayak for the flight you want, and check the price predictor. If the flight is more than 3-4 months away, set a fare alert and watch the price. On a Tuesday or Wednesday at the beginning of the month, after your credit card is on a fresh billing cycle, check the flight on the search engines again and then head over to American Express Travel, where you can pay with as many points as you have, bringing down the fare, and put the rest on your card.

Booking Windows

When deciding whether to book airfare, use the Goldilocks Window, which is a range of time when fares are most likely to be low. For domestic off-season flights, book one-to-three months out, or three-to-seven months for peak summer or holidays. When flying internationally, widen that period to two-to-eight months off season and three-and-a-half-to-nine months over peak periods.

For international flights, prices are the lowest 49 days or more before departure, but that number changes slightly based on the destination. While 50 is the sweet spot for Mexico and the Caribbean, you may find low prices between 26 and 79 days prior to departure.

There is no singular best day out of the entire year that is going to be, in 100 percent certainty, when the flight you’re looking at is at the absolute cheapest.

Airlines used to load their schedules onto the internet once a week so that Tuesday myth might have been true then, but these days, algorithms are so much more sophisticated.

On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, you’ll find better prices as less people are traveling.

Cheaper Months to Travel

The best times to fly at the start of the new year are in late January and February due to a dip in demand following the busy holiday travel rush. January and February are peak months for securing great deals on Caribbean and Mexican beach getaways. Planning early means locking in the lowest prices and the widest choice of options.

Spring break is technically a shoulder season, and it’s not the same week for every state or school district.

Sandwiching the summer is the key. Prices are lower in early June and late August. Late August offers the best combination of affordability and smaller crowds for both domestic and international travel, as peak summer vacations wind down.

For domestic flights, August 19 and August 25 are the cheapest days to fly, and August 25 and 26 are the best days to avoid crowds. For international flights, aim to travel in mid-to-late August for the best prices.

Flights That Always Cost More

Last-minute fares are expensive. Business travelers often need to book at the last minute and are insensitive to prices, since their company is paying and the trip isn’t optional. Airlines know this and take advantage by raising their prices as the departure date of a flight approaches.

If you’re traveling abroad, book as early as possible. Prices only tend to rise the closer you get to takeoff, so there’s usually not much benefit in waiting.

Airlines don't need to come out of the gate with super cheap prices because they have all year.

Flexibility is Key

A ‘good’ flight combines convenience, comfort, and value. A $90 flight isn’t necessarily a good deal if it includes three layovers or takes four times longer to get to the destination than normal.

The best tried and true method of getting low airfares is to travel to destinations at lower demand times when fewer people are clamoring to go to the same place. If you’re willing to be the brave soul that travels to places where others aren’t, you can score some excellent flight deals.

Student-Specific Discounts and Strategies

Student Universe/Student Beans

ScholarTrip has discounted airfares for students, travelers under 26 and teachers. Student Universe is renowned for cheap student flights. They have an easy-to-use search engine and knowledge about which airlines are best for students.

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