When is the best time to book USA flights?

For the best prices, you should aim to book international flights two to eight months in advance. But if you’re planning to fly during UK school holidays, we’d recommend booking even earlier.

Peak prices for UK to America flights typically fall from around mid-June to mid-August and between Christmas and New Year. Flights can also be slightly more expensive around big American public holidays like Thanksgiving and Independence Day. To secure the cheapest prices, it’s worth avoiding these peak periods or starting your search even earlier if that’s not an option.

For regional flights in America, you can leave booking until one to three months before departure, giving you more flexibility with your travel plans.

What is the cheapest day or time to fly?

Airfares are now adjusted to demand around the clock, so sadly, there is no longer necessarily a best day or time to fly to get a bargain. However, mid-week and Sunday flights do tend to be slightly cheaper than flights on Fridays and Saturdays.

Flights that depart or land in the middle of the night can often be cheaper too. So, staying flexible with your travel dates and times can improve your chances of finding cheap flights to the USA.

How do I find cheap last-minute flights?

Cheap last-minute flights are sadly a thing of the past. Nowadays, most flights get more expensive the closer you get to the day of departure.
Since the boom in booking flights online, many airlines have found business travellers who aren’t conscious about cost tend to book last-minute. This means airlines can increase their profits by hiking prices up a few days before departure.

If you’re planning a relatively last-minute road trip, there’s no need to panic, as it’s still possible to find good flight prices to the USA up to six weeks before your planned departure by using flight comparison websites.

How & where can I find cheap flights?

There is no foolproof way to find cheap flights to America, but by following some of our tips, you can increase your chances of finding a better deal, leaving you more money in the pot to plan the perfect road trip.

Stay flexible

Flexibility is our top tip for finding the best USA flight deals. It pays to be flexible with both your travel dates and your intended departure and destination airports. For example, flights from London to the US may be more expensive than flights from Manchester or Birmingham. Likewise flying into San Diego instead of Los Angeles could save you money.

The good news is that when you’re planning a road trip, travel is part of the fun, so flying into a slightly smaller airport can save you money and add to the adventure!

Many flight comparison websites like Google Flights or Skyscanner now allow you to search for flights from or to several different airports, allowing you to see where the cheapest deals are.

Avoid direct flights

As comfortable and convenient as they are, direct flights are often more expensive. So,if you want to save money, don’t let a stopover hold you back. Just be sure to allow enough time between your flights to collect luggage, check it back in and pass through security at your stopover airport.
Kiwi.com is a great place to look for cheap non-direct flights, as you can mix and match flights operated by different airlines.

Go incognito

Airlines often respond to demand, so if you keep searching for a certain flight at a certain time of year, chances are the prices you see will start to creep up. One way to combat this is to use a private browser or delete your browsing cookies to prevent airlines from tracking your searches.

Collect miles

Even if you are flying with others, it can be cheaper to search for tickets individually. Why is that? Airlines often only have a certain contingent of seats at a particularly low price. However, if there are not enough tickets left at this price for your requested group booking, it will not even be displayed. Each traveller should rather check and book individually, and split the difference if someone gets a bargain.

Book a solo flight

For a savvy way to save on group flights, check and book tickets individually and split the difference if someone gets a bargain.

Wondering how this top trick works? Most airlines only have a certain quota of seats at a particularly low price. If there aren’t enough tickets left at this price for your requested group booking, you won’t see these offers.

So, by searching and booking flights individually, there’s a bigger chance of bagging group savings.

Read the small print

The boom in budget airlines has paved the way for a new pricing system in which airlines charge separately for pretty much every aspect of a flight – from luggage to booking a seat.

Although international flights are less affected by these changes than budget flights to Europe, it’s still important to check the small print and ensure everything you need is included in your flight. Otherwise, those cheap USA flights you just booked might turn out more expensive than you thought.

Book a return time

Did you know that flights are often cheaper if you book a return flight? So, for a simple way to save, lock in your travel dates.

If you prefer to keep your plans more flexible, you can always choose a return flight with flexible booking conditions, as this is still often cheaper than booking two separate routes.

Set a price alarm

With many search engines such as Kayak or Google Flights, you now have the option of setting an “alarm” that informs you when prices drop. Simply enter when you want to fly and where, and you’ll receive an email when the price drops.

Error fares

Error fares are like the holy grail of flight search – very rarely seen, and everyone wants them!

Error fares are just a mistake in the price of an airline ticket because of a technical or human slip-up – and they are one of the best ways to bag cheap USA flights.

It’s worth registering with sites that share error fares to increase your chances of spotting one of these elusive bargains. And if you do hit the jackpot and spot one, book it asap, as airlines can correct their mistakes at any time.