How to Find the Cheapest Flight Tickets: 10 Ways to Find Cheap Flights
- Arron Goh
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Flights are usually one of the biggest expenses when travelling.
But after travelling more often, I've realised that finding cheap flights isn't really about discovering some secret website or waiting until exactly 2AM on a Tuesday.
It's mostly about how you search.
If you're wondering how to find the cheapest flight tickets, here's the simple method I use when planning a trip.
1. Start With Flexible Dates
This is probably the biggest one.
Don't search:
Kuala Lumpur → Tokyo 10 October → 15 October
and immediately assume whatever price appears is what the trip costs.
Try moving your dates around.
Leaving one day earlier or returning one day later can sometimes produce a completely different fare.
When I'm planning a trip, I'll usually check several combinations before deciding on the exact dates.
Airfares constantly change depending on demand, availability and route, so there isn't one guaranteed day where flights will always be cheapest.
2. Search the Entire Month
If your dates are flexible, this gets even better.
Instead of searching for one exact date, look at prices across the whole month.
You may discover something like:
Monday — RM850
Tuesday — RM620
Wednesday — RM590
Thursday — RM790
Same destination.
Same week.
Very different price.
Many flight search platforms provide flexible-date or calendar views specifically for this reason.
3. Compare Before You Book
I almost never assume the first price I see is automatically the cheapest.
Search your route across a few flight comparison or booking platforms and compare the final price, not just the number displayed initially.
One of the platforms you can check is Trip.com, which searches flights from multiple airlines.
I like doing this because it gives me a benchmark.
Once I know roughly what the flight should cost, it's much easier to recognise whether I'm looking at a genuinely good fare or an expensive one.
4. Check the Airline Directly Too
Here's another important step.
Once you've found a cheap ticket, search the same flight directly on the airline's website.
Compare:
Flight + baggage + seat selection + payment fees + any extras you actually need.
Sometimes the booking platform wins.
Sometimes the airline wins.
The goal isn't to be loyal to one website.
The goal is to find the best total price for the flight you actually want.
5. Check Nearby Airports
This works especially well in cities with multiple airports.
Instead of only searching for one airport, check whether there are alternatives nearby.
For example, depending on your destination, flying into a different airport and taking a train into the city might be cheaper overall.
But always calculate the full cost.
Saving RM100 on the flight isn't really saving RM100 if you need to spend another RM120 getting from the airport to your hotel.
6. Compare One-Way Tickets
Most people automatically search for a return ticket.
Try searching for the two flights separately too.
For example:
Kuala Lumpur → Shanghai
could be one airline.
Then:
Shanghai → Kuala Lumpur
could be another.
You aren't always required to fly the same airline both ways.
Mixing airlines can sometimes create a cheaper combination, particularly when several carriers operate the same route.
7. Set a Price Alert If You're Not Ready to Book
If your trip is still months away, don't check the flight every morning like it's the stock market.
Set a price alert.
Flight tracking tools can notify you when the price changes, allowing you to watch the route without constantly searching manually.
This is especially useful when you already know:
where you're going + roughly when you're going + what you're willing to pay.
Then you can wait for a fare you're comfortable with.
8. Don't Believe the “Cheapest Day to Book” Too Much
You've probably heard things like:
“Flights are cheapest on Tuesday.”
“Book at midnight.”
“Never search on weekends.”
I wouldn't plan an entire trip around these rules.
Airline pricing is dynamic, and there isn't a universal weekday that guarantees the cheapest ticket every time.
Instead, focus on things you can actually control:
Flexible dates, comparing prices, checking different airports and monitoring the fare.
Those usually matter much more.
9. Check Budget Airlines — But Look at the Final Price
A RM300 flight isn't necessarily cheaper than a RM450 flight.
Why?
Because the RM300 ticket might become:
RM300 flight
RM100 baggage
RM25 seat
RM30 meal
other charges
Suddenly you're paying RM455.
Meanwhile, another airline might include baggage or other benefits in the original RM450 fare.
So whenever I compare cheap flight tickets, I look at the price I'm actually going to pay, not just the cheapest number in the search results.
10. Know When a Cheap Flight Is Cheap Enough
This might be the most important lesson.
You probably aren't going to buy every flight at its absolute lowest historical price.
And that's okay.
The goal isn't:
“Did I buy this at the cheapest price anyone has ever paid?”
The better question is:
“Is this a good price for the dates, destination and flight I want?”
If you've compared different dates, airlines and booking platforms and the price looks good, sometimes it's better to book it rather than spend the next three weeks trying to save another RM30.
My Simple Method for Finding Cheap Flights
Whenever I'm planning another trip, this is basically my process:
Search the destination with flexible dates.
Look at prices across several days.
Check Trip.com and other flight search platforms.
Identify the cheapest suitable flights.
Compare the same flight directly with the airline.
Check baggage and other additional costs.
Search nearby airports if the destination has them.
Compare return tickets against separate one-way flights.
Set a price alert if I'm not booking yet.
Book once I find a fare I'm happy with.
It isn't really a “flight hack.”
It's just a better way to search.
Find Cheap Flight Tickets
If you're currently planning a trip, you can start by searching your destination and comparing the available flights.
👉 [SEARCH CHEAP FLIGHTS ON TRIP.COM]
Trip.com also offers flight search, flexible-date options and various travel promotions depending on the route and booking period.
Compare the options, check the final price and then book whichever flight makes the most sense for your trip.
Because travelling more doesn't necessarily mean spending more.
Sometimes you just need to get better at finding the flight.
*Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If you book through one of our links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
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