July 31, 2025, 4:45 am | Read time: 4 minutes
There are various myths suggesting flights become particularly cheap if you follow certain tips. But which ones are true? And what tricks should you actually consider if you want to get a cheap flight? TRAVELBOOK spoke with experts about this.
Let’s be honest: 2022 is not the year for cheap spontaneous trips. Last-minute vacations and flights are currently especially expensive. The reasons for this include not only the generally rising energy prices but also the high demand for vacations after two years of COVID-19, meaning the good deals have already been snapped up by early bookers. So, you need to be a bit creative if you want to save money on flights.
8 Tips to Save Money on Flights
1. Book Open-Jaw Flights
For short- and medium-haul flights, booking an open-jaw flight can be a cost-effective option. TRAVELBOOK explained this with Max Ibel, co-founder of the former flight search engine Tripcombi, now part of CheapOair. This means you don’t return to the airport you started from (e.g., Düsseldorf) but choose an alternative nearby airport (Cologne).
This is particularly interesting in areas with a high density of airports. Airlines often offer “train to flight” deals, which provide affordable train travel to the respective airport.
2. Flights Between Countries with Close Ties
According to travel expert Ibel, flight connections between countries with close cultural, economic, and/or historical ties are often significantly cheaper than if you list Germany as the starting point. Examples include connections between Spain and Spanish-speaking South America, as well as between Portugal and Brazil. Similarly, you can save some money on flights if you fly to various African countries from France. If you have ways to get to the respective departure location cheaply, it can be worthwhile.
3. Save Money with the Currency Trick
On many airline websites, you can specify different countries of origin for your booking. The ticket price is then displayed in the respective local currency. If you switch from Germany as the country of origin to, for example, Poland, the currency changes from euros to zloty, but the conversion may not be accurate. This means the price can sometimes be cheaper.
4. The Hidden Airports Trick
Hidden airports are so named because airlines do not display them in flight searches. This means there is no codeshare agreement. If you book a flight with a layover, only those airports with service agreements are shown. Various budget flight search engines take advantage of this knowledge by combining rival airlines for their customers. They find connections that combine different airlines, potentially offering cheaper options. If the layover is long, you might even use the stopover to explore the city.
5. Check One-Way Connections
Scott Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights, suggests looking for one-way flights instead of round-trip options, especially for domestic travel. Different airlines might offer cheaper one-way flights. However, Keyes advises against trying this trick for international flights, as a one-way flight can sometimes be as expensive as a round trip.
6. Save Money with Hidden City Ticketing
Sometimes, booking a flight with a layover and skipping the final leg can be cheaper. For example, book a flight with a stopover in São Paulo and let the last leg of the journey lapse. This trick works only if you travel with carry-on luggage, as checked bags will go to the final destination.
Read more on the topic here: How to Save Money on Airline Tickets
Can ChatGPT Really Save You Hundreds of Euros on Flight Bookings?
Are Flights Cheaper When Booked at the Airport?
7. Book Early
By starting to plan early, you can save a lot of money on flights, hotels, and package deals. With these early booking offers, you can often save up to 20 percent.
8. Choose the Right Day to Fly
Have you ever heard that Tuesday is the best day to book a flight? The price difference compared to weekend bookings is not significant. According to data from Google Flights, the average difference is not substantial. However, the day of departure matters. James Byers, group product manager at Google Flights, explains that flights departing on weekends are generally more expensive than those on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. He cites a study that analyzed flight data over five years (from Aug. 1, 2017, to Aug. 1, 2022). On average, you can save up to 12 percent by flying on these days instead of the weekend.
The German original of this article was published in September 2022.