“Finding a cheap flight is a pain in the…,” said no KAYAK user ever. To illustrate how you’ll find the best price on the flight you want, we’ve put together the following 4 scenarios.
Scenario 1: You want the cheapest flight and it really doesn’t matter where you’re going.
Simple. With KAYAK Explore, you choose a departure airport, travel dates and a maximum budget. Within seconds, you’ll see a map of everywhere you can fly to on your budget (or less). Want to take it a step further? Factor on-the-ground costs like accommodations and meals into your budget and search the total trip cost. Just toggle from “Flight” to “Total Trip” to get a full picture of your travel costs. Learn more about Explore here.
Scenario 2: You know *where* you want to go, it just doesn’t really matter *when* you go.
If there’s one key tip to finding the cheapest flight, it’s being flexible. We know that’s not always as easy as it sounds — at least not until KAYAK entered your life. Go to KAYAK Flight Search and enter your travel details. First, check the “Nearby Airports” option then when you enter your travel dates, click on “Flex Date,” “Flex Week” or “Flex Month.” This will show you an organized view of all your travel date option with the least expensive flights highlighted in green.
Find one you want to book or play around with the dates for more options. Consider the price/date grid to be one giant filter: you can select and deselect dates that don’t work for you. Also, play with filters like flight duration and preferred airline to further narrow your search, so you’re sure you’re getting the exact flight you want.
Scenario 3: You can’t be bothered searching for flights, you just want to know when there’s a deal available.
The KAYAK Price Alert feature is your personal travel deal scout. To create a new alert, there are several ways in. If you know what flight or hotel you want to watch, simply sign in with your (free!) KAYAK account and head to “Email & Alerts.” Enter in the information for your flight or hotel and set to receive notifications on whatever days you wish. You can also set flight Price Alerts even if you don’t know your travel dates or destinations. Select “Flexible” or “Top 25 Cities” to create alerts for a general time period (Upcoming Weekends, February 2018) or are to KAYAK’s most popular destinations.
Hotel Price Alerts are a bit different. You can select a particular city or a specific hotel. Enter your intended travel dates, then set a maximum price you’d like to spend. You can opt to receive weekly or daily updates. Then, just press save and you’re ready to go.
You can also set Price Alerts by creating a Watchlist or saving a search. How do you do this? We’ve got your answers here.
Scenario 4: You’re not sure if you should book now or later.
So you’re all set to buy your ticket, but there’s that nagging fear – what if the price suddenly drops tomorrow? Should you wait? But then, what if the fare goes up? Lucky for you, there’s KAYAK Price Forecast. This tool helps you make educated decisions on when to book.
Here’s how it works: KAYAK data scientists have studied previous flight information to gain an understanding of the factors that normally affect price fluctuation. Based on that data, they make a recommendation about whether or not the flight price will go up or down in the next 7 days. Pretty brainy, huh?
Whenever you make a flight search, simply check the top left corner once the results have loaded. You’ll see a graph plus a message saying BUY or WATCH. If it’s a good time to buy, grab your tickets while they’re hot. If not, cool your jets and wait for the price to go down (and create a Price Alert to know when they do).
With all these features under your belt, you’re well prepared to find the best deals on travel. Now go forth and book that vacation.
