cheap flight deals

Looking for cheap flight deals? Use the information and links below to find cheap scheduled and charter flights. (For no-frills flights click on the 'no frills flights' link in the 'related pages' section on the left).
The internet is a great place to look for cheap flight deals. You can quickly compare prices of no-frills, charter and scheduled flights, then pick the flight and the price that's right for you.
But picking flights by the best price alone is not the end of the story. In the checklist below we'll tell you what to look out for and about some hidden costs. For example, one low cost airline advertising flights to Copenhagen in Denmark actually flies you to Malmo airport in Sweden. You need to factor in transfer time and flexibility of transfers to some of these distant airports some low cost carriers fly you to.
So read on, and then click on the links to find cheap flight deals.

Where to find cheap flight deals
A quick note before we get started - make sure you compare the price of flights including taxes. Opodo quote fares including taxes, most of the other discount flight websites quote pre-tax fares, adding the taxes later in the process. Why? We don't know. But to make sure you are getting the cheapest flights make sure you are comparing the bottom line post tax-prices.
The airlines themselves sometimes offer discount flight tickets direct to the public. If you're travelling from the UK, British Airways, Air France and KLM are always worth a quick look, especially if you're travelling within Europe or to New York.
Also a group of airlines, including BA, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and Iberia, have joined together to offer discount flights via the Opodo web site (see below) to compete with the consolidators and discount flight specialists.
If you want a cheap scheduled flight, here's where to search
Start with a fares comparison website (or aggregator) - we like OpenJet or TravelJungle - to speed up your search. With these you enter your dates once and they compare prices across a range of airlines and websites. But bear in mind that these don't pick up every fare, and they don't include all of the companies we have included below. They do give you a good target to aim at though.
Then move on to:
ebookers - the online store for a 'pre-dot com' telephone based discount flight specialist - Flightbookers. The website's best feature is the discount flight search, but it also offers holidays, hotels, car hire and even last minute cruises.
Opodo - set up by a number of leading European airlines to sell their late availability seats direct, rather than through the discount flight websites listed here, this is a great website. On the home page, 'Opodo Offers' gives you a price target for certain destinations and the quick flight search lives up to its name.
OTC - a great place to look for cheap long haul flights, especially to America. It has a quick cheap flights search and a city breaks section where you can add a flight and hotel and get a discount on both.
Expedia - gets around 1 million visitors a month and is one of the UK's biggest online travel companies. The home page is a bit busy, but the site is easy to use and you can book flights and hotels together and get a great deal. They also offer holidays, hotels, car hire, etc.
Travelmood - if you are travelling to north America, Asia or Australasia, try this website. A good range of airlines and they tell you the total price (including taxes) when they quote.
Lastminute.com - always worth a look if you're going to to a main stream destination like Paris or New York. A bit hit and miss though.
Skydeals - owned by Thomson Holidays, this website has a fast and efficient cheap flight deals search. You can search by airline or by price across scheduled and charter flights, ideal if you're going to the med.
Travelocity - uses the SABRE reservation system used by traditional offline travel agents. If your looking for a discount flight, it's 'Best Fare Finder' tool is great. 'Fare Watcher' is also a useful, if addictive, tool.
About cheap scheduled and charter flights
(For 'no frills' flights, see the separate article link in the 'related pages' section above).
You will get the cheapest price on scheduled and charter flights if you shop around and can be flexible. Below we give you some tips on how to get the best deal.
The cheap flights checklist
These tips will help you get a cheap long haul flight. You might be lucky with a short haul flight but, the only way to consistently save money on short haul flights is to downgrade to a no frills airline (see our cheap no frills flights page).

Always search on more than one website. It's not unusual for different websites to have very different prices for tickets on the same flight - or for Opodo to be cheaper than Air France (who part own Opodo).
It's usually cheaper to book flights as far ahead as possible. There are sometimes last minute bargains, but the cheapest fares usually sell out weeks or even months before departure.
If the website allows it, use a 'city' in your departure and destination airport locations - such as 'London' and 'New York'. This provides the widest selection of flights.
Tickets to America are usually cheaper Monday to Thursday. Flights to Europe they are usually cheaper Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Try to avoid the busiest times of the day.
Flights on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday usually attract a weekend supplement. Avoid these days if at all possible.
If your trip includes a Saturday night, you will be classified as a 'leisure' traveller, which will significantly reduce the cost of your tickets. Increasingly airlines are removing this stipulation (which some travel agents would use 'back-to-back' tickets to get around), but adding a Saturday night can make a significant difference to some fares.
If you are only travelling one-way, check the return fares too. Similar to the 'leisure traveller' tip above, include a Saturday night.
Try to be flexible and check prices a day or two either side of your preferred dates.
If you need a hotel, check the cost of a flight plus accommodation package from Expedia and OTC. It is often cheaper to buy a 'package' than to buy them separately. (See our hotels page too).
Compare fares on all airlines. For example, if BA have a special promotion to Paris, other airlines on the route will usually reduce their prices to a similar level. If you can't get the promotional fare, look at prices with other airlines. The website of airport(s) you want to fly from will tell you who flies the route.
Read the terms and conditions of the discount flight ticket before you buy. Most low priced fares are usually non-refundable and non-transferable.
If you are taking a short break, don't forget to take out travel insurance. It won't cost very much, but travelling without it could (see our travel insurance page).