How can I find the cheap flights? As a travel writer I fly all over the place and I do not have a big travel budget, so for me finding the best deals on the cheapest flights is a must. Everyone asks the question what’s the best deal and they get so many different answers, even from me, as there are so many options and depending on your particular needs one deal will suit your needs better than another. A good place to start when looking for cheaper airfares is to define what is important to you.
Questions to ask?
Do I travel the route often or is this a one of flight?
Is scheduling important or are you flexible?
Do you travel with a lot of luggage?
Do you mind changing air carriers mid route?
Do you have a lot of miles on a particular Airline?
Is that airline part of a rewards program that includes other carriers like Star Alliance or World Points?
Can I take another mode of transportation?
I use different strategies for different flights. If it is a short flight I look in different places. Short flights almost always have a particular company that will be dominant consistently on a particular route, so it is when someone is trying to leverage them out that you will find the best deals
For long haul air travel I look in different places than I look for the short haul regional flights regardless of the destination I look for specials as many times promo rates are going to be the best bet and they also serve to have them included in future searches. For instance last year I flew from Bangkok to LAX on Asiana Air I found them as a advertised special and this year when I was looking again for a round trip from Bangkok to LA I looked at them, I did not use them but going forward I will look at their site to see if they have specials. I use to fly on China Air and Eva Air many years ago on this route and still today they are almost always the cheapest deal, but I don’t go strictly on price. I also look for Star alliance flights as the frequent flyer programs make this a better value if the price is close. My preferred carrier is United Airlines as they service the places that I need to go to regularly Chicago, Aspen & LA. Something I also like about United is that I can schedule trips around the star alliance program and do a stop in places like Honolulu Saigon Hong Kong Tokyo Seoul.
the Links below are cheap flights that I have found recently.
Sidestep.com and Mobisimo are two websites that I use regularly in adition to Kayak which you can click on the ad to go direct to their site. Hotels Combined is another program that I use for fing the cheapest hotels.