What are the best ways to find and book cheap flights?

With Eid-al-Adha long weekend and summer school break approaching, travellers are busy planning their holidays. Since flight prices are usually high during such peak periods, we always look for the best bargain deals.

However, prices might not cost a fortune if you know how to search for the best prices at the right time. Ayoub El Mamoun, social media manager at global travel marketplace Skyscanner, shares tips on how to find the best deals on flights.

Be price smart: Searching by multiple dates and airports will give you the best chance of a bargain. Setting up price alerts will ensure you’re the first to know as prices drop with any additional discounts or added supply. You can mark a flight you’re interested in and our website will email you whenever the price goes up or down.

Consider all options: The last few years have seen new destinations rise in popularity as corridors shone a light on some surprising gems. Swapping your usual break in Greece for for the Albanian Riviera could be an unexpected delight.

Match to make big savings: Not just a summer fashion trend, mix and matching the airlines you choose to fly with can seriously cut costs. Fares don’t have to be booked as returns, look at flying out with one airline and back with another to save money. You can easily compare prices on our website’s cheapest month tool.

Use the whole month tool to find the best deals: Flight prices are all based on supply and demand. Because some dates are more popular than others, prices will vary. The ‘whole month’ search tool allows you to see cheap flights at a glance and pick the right deal for you. Consider traveling a day before or a day after your original departure dates, flying on less popular days of the week is always cheaper.

Flex is the word: In the past being flexible with travel might have meant flying at anti-social times to get a good price. But now with a constantly changing travel landscape, it’s important to know what the change policies are on flight tickets and accommodation. These policies are highlighted on our searches, so booking travel can be changed easily.

Skyscanner has also compiled a list of the top booked destinations for UAE and Saudi travellers this summer. According to the company, top trending redirect (booking) destinations for UAE travellers this summer are Manila, Cairo, Amman, Mumbai and Istanbul. While the top trending redirect (booking) destinations for Saudi travellers are Cairo, London, Bangkok, Baku and Hyderabad

Read: Travel trends: More than 50% people in UAE and Saudi Arabia are seeking new experiences

Additionally, Saudi bookings for travel this July and August increased by 325 per cent in May compared to the previous month and UAE bookings up by 156 per cent for the same period.

“As travel restrictions have eased, we have witnessed a travel revival with travellers waiting to enjoy their much longed for trips again. Setting up price alerts on Skyscanner is a great way for travellers to be the first to know as prices drop with any additional discounts or added supply,” said Ayoub.

Recently, Dubai-based carrier flydubai has said that it expects three million passengers to travel across its network this summer. An average of 8,500 monthly departures are scheduled across the carrier’s network from July to September this year, posting an anticipated 43 per cent growth in available seat kilometre compared to the same period in 2019.

Also read: Three million passengers are expected to travel across flydubai’s network this summer