10 ways to save money on flights

Flights are expensive, but our tips will help to soften the blow.

An average return trip from the UK to Europe cost £117 in 2010, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). But by 2025, long before the jet fuel crisis, it had more than doubled to £240. That's much more than inflation.

Luckily, there are still ways to pay less than this for your next trip to a Spanish beach, city break or any other European holiday.

Our research has found some easy ways to save, from choosing the right day to fly to giving yourself an excellent chance of being seated with your travel companions – without having to pay for seat selection.

Set up a flight price alert

While it's usually cheaper to book flights months in advance, the savings vary widely by destination. 

You're better off setting up a price alert through a flight comparison site such as Google Flights or Skyscanner. That way, you'll receive an alert when the price drops. As you'll see below, it's unusual for flights to be at their cheapest when they're first released, and an alert will tip you off when the airfare is reduced. 

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Check when it's cheapest to book flights

Predicting when to get the best deal is not an exact science. However, a Skyscanner tool that analyses when flights to some popular destinations were cheapest over the past 18 months provides the best data for making an informed guess. 

For example, it suggests that flights from London to Barcelona in October last year were at their cheapest 11 weeks in advance. If that's true, this year you'd need to book in mid-June. For London to Bangkok at Christmas, the best deals last year were around five weeks before departure, in mid-November.

You can try the Skyscanner tool here.

Flying short-haul? Choose January

For 13 out of 16 short-haul destinations we looked at last year, January was the cheapest month to fly. This is for obvious reasons: most people want guaranteed good weather on the Spanish Costas or Greek islands. However, you don't need hot sun to enjoy the food and culture of cities such as Barcelona, Lisbon or Seville. 

Average temperatures are likely to be much higher than in the UK, and you've got a good chance of getting a bargain.

Fly out on Saturday rather than Friday 

Google Flights and Skyscanner will show you a graph of the cheapest days to fly during your chosen month. Fridays and Sundays are typically the most expensive; Tuesdays are typically the cheapest.

Of course, Tuesdays aren't convenient for many people, but you will probably save money on a weekend break if you fly out on a Saturday and come back on a Monday rather than going Friday to Sunday. You miss the same amount of time at work but could save hundreds.

Ryanair vs easyJet – which budget airline should you choose?

Check school holiday dates – and consider a different airport

Even families can travel at cheaper times by checking school holiday dates in the rest of the country. 

Half term in London and the South East, for example, is often in a different week from northern England or the Midlands. That means if you live in Birmingham, you might find a cheaper flight from a London airport when London kids are still at school, although you'll have to factor in the cost of an extra hour and a half or so of travel. There are also big differences in the dates of school summer holidays between England and Scotland.

It's worth checking the Inset (teacher training) days at your children's school. These are often on a Friday or Monday, tagged on to a school holiday, and it will usually be cheaper to fly out on one of these days.

Which are the best airlines for short-haul and long-haul flights?

Consider a different destination airport

Budget airlines are notorious for flying to airports that are nowhere near your destination (Girona and Reus in Spain are both used for flights to Barcelona, despite being around 60 miles north and south, respectively).

However, if choosing a secondary airport results in a big saving, you might decide it's worth it. On the Costa Blanca, you can choose between Alicante and Murcia airports – there's about an hour's drive between them. In countries with fast, relatively inexpensive trains, you could consider spending a night in one town before heading to another. Italy is well connected by train; for example, you can travel between Verona and Venice in just over an hour.

Avoid being surprised by airline extras

Sometimes the airlines that appear cheapest on a flight comparison site are much more expensive than the initial price suggests. 

EasyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air will charge you for any luggage that won't fit under your seat. Last year, we found that this could quadruple the cost of the cheapest Wizz Air flights and more than double the cost of the cheapest easyJet and Ryanair flights. If you want to check luggage into the hold, you'll pay even more.

Airlines such as Jet2 and British Airways, which still don't charge for cabin luggage, may appear more expensive initially, but the price you see on the first page is likely to be what you'll actually pay.

Don't pay to sit together

Most airlines will automatically seat you with your travel companions without charging. The only major exceptions are Ryanair and Wizz Air. In our airline survey, we found they were much more likely to split up passengers than BA, easyJet or Jet2. 

Check how likely your airline is to seat you with your family.

Sign up for flight clubs

Travel Zoo was the best-rated holiday deal website in our ratings. It costs £30 a year, but our research suggests it offers real deals for members.

See all our best and worst-rated holiday deal websites.

Consider buying a package

If you plan to book hotel accommodation in a popular destination or resort, it's often cheaper to get a package holiday. In the past, we've found that seven out of 10 all-inclusive holidays are cheaper than buying flights and accommodation separately. You'll also have more legal rights if anything goes wrong – and you'll be refunded by Atol if your travel firm goes bust.

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