Forget the myths about cheap flights. Google Flights crunched billions of bookings and found the real hacks: book five weeks ahead, fly Wednesday, and skip the Tuesday ticket myth. Here’s what you need to know.
How to land the best flight deals
Spring break is around the corner, and Sundays are the best day to book trips, so let’s talk travel hacks. My dad worked for United Airlines, so I grew up on airplanes. I’ve explored 38 countries (and counting!) with plenty more on my bucket list. Let’s get you the best deals!
How to land the best flight deals
✈️ Check for 24-hour price drops: Booked a flight? Some airlines let you cancel within 24 hours for free. If you find a lower price, cancel and rebook. Easy savings.
🔔 Set up price alerts: Google Flights and Kayak will email you when prices drop. The best time to book? One to three months ahead for domestic flights and four to six months out for international. (Note to self: This means next week.)
📅 Fly on the cheap days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are usually the cheapest. Red-eyes and early morning flights also cost less and are less likely to be delayed or canceled.
🛫 Be flexible: Try Google’s Explore feature to spot budget-friendly dates. Skyscanner’s Cheapest Month tool is neat. Instead of choosing a date, click Flexible Dates and watch the prices fluctuate.
🛑 Hidden-city ticketing (use with caution): Skiplagged finds flights where your destination is a layover, which can save you cash. Just don’t check a bag. It won’t follow you.
VIP experience secrets
If “budget” is not in your lexicon, you can bypass many airport hassles.
PS (Private Suite) at LAX and ATL
- Get private TSA screening and a terminal with no lines. Think velvet couches and chilled champagne. Board via a private car on the tarmac and have a similar arrival service.
- PS costs about $4,000 for the first passenger. It’s an Amex Centurion cardholder perk, and that’s how I get to use it. I saw Kanye West and his wife about a month ago on my way back from Paris. Fortunately, she was clothed. I couldn’t bare it.
Airport Butler/Royal Airport Concierge fast-track service
Hold the phone: Do you love talking to robots on the phone? Have I got good news for you! Yelp’s rolling out two talking bots. A Host AI for restaurant bookings and Receptionist for business calls. They’ll handle everything from wait lists to “do you take dogs?” for about $99 a month per restaurant. Next up, a suggested 25% tip.
15 to 45 minutes
The extra time you’ll need if your boarding pass says “SSSS.” That’s “Secondary Security Screening Selection” (paywall link) aka the travel world’s scarlet letter. Why? TSA flagged your travel as suspicious: Think last-minute bookings, one-way cash flights, certain countries, sketchy vibes or just random luck. Congrats, you’ve unlocked the VIP experience nobody asked for.
The airline nightmare can get worse
Scammers are lurking in airline DMs, pretending to help upset passengers. Here’s how to spot the fake messages and protect your bookings and credit cards.
🥳 Airbnb’s anti-party tech: This summer, they’re once again cracking down on high-risk bookings. The system looks at length of stay, how close you live to the rental and whether it’s last-minute. If you get flagged, you’ll be blocked and sent to a different listing. Don’t believe it? Last year, they stopped over 50,000 people.
How to get cheap flights with expert Clark Howard
Money-saving guru Clark Howard is here, sharing his top-secret strategies to land the cheapest flights imaginable — and trust me, the airlines do not want you knowing these tricks. We talk about clever booking hacks, algorithms, hidden deals, and the perfect time to strike.
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