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    Here're 16 Ways Totally Middle-Class People Find Cheap Flights

    Save yourself money for the in-flight snacks.

    Michelle No
    by Michelle No

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We asked the BuzzFeed Community for their best tips for booking flights on a budget. Here are their most useful responses.

    1. Fly Southwest and get two free checked bags and the ability to cancel flights for credit.

    NBC

    "I only fly to cities Southwest flies to. They give you two free checked bags and 'Wanna Get Away' seats are the bee's knees. They also offer credit on your account that lasts up to one year if you do need to cancel. I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than $250 for a round trip flight on southwest."

    —jessicarutht2

    It's true. According to Southwest's site at the time of publishing, "If you cancel your flight, 100% of your ticket can be applied to future travel for up to 12 months" for all three fare categories.

    2. Book on Black Friday or Cyber Monday (November 29 and December 2, for this year).

    NBC

    "We book on Black Friday or Cyber Monday for our big annual vacation. There are deals on air travel, not just retail items. We flew five people round-trip from NYC to Amsterdam for less than $500 per person in 2018. This year, we were able to book a first-class trip from NYC to Paris for $3,000 total. $3,000 certainly isn't cheap, but we'd never flown first class before and it was an opportunity we didn't want to pass up."

    —vavavroom

    3. If you're in Europe, use Omio to scan all modes of transport in one go.

    omio.com

    "It scans all modes of transport including flights, buses, and trains headed toward your destination and finds you some pretty good deals! For the best deal, you should always try and put in the nearest budget airport."

    —annab43dd3b0cf

    4. Unsure where you want to go? Let Skyscanner pick the cheapest travel destination.

    skyscanner.com

    "Skyscanner will leave the destination empty and it will search everywhere and return the cheapest results. This is great if you know when you want to travel, but not sure where you want to go. For example, last year my friend and I knew we each had a few extra days off work around Thanksgiving, and only knew we both wanted to go somewhere neither of us had been. So we searched for those dates, and ended up finding cheap tickets to Spain!"

    —kathyw410e2d4b7

    5. Don't book flights too far in advance.

    Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema

    "Booking closer to your trip is usually best. Don’t book 18 months out because not much will be sold, so everything will still sell at top price. But don’t wait too long! For flights less than a month away, prices start to rise."

    —meghanb4efb79fb1

    6. Use the Hopper app to scan flight prices on your phone, up to a year in advance.

    Hopper

    "I use the Hopper app. The cheapest flights usually involve a layover and it's sometimes cheaper to fly in on one airline and fly out on another but I've gotten one-way tickets for as little as $75."

    —google_117936397802870429917

    "You can always see when it's cheapest to fly to any location and get alerts on selected dates telling you the best times to book. I have gotten round trip flights as low as $97."

    —ashleyb48d6d4b5d

    7. Fly on major holidays like Christmas and New Year's Day.

    NBC

    "Fly *ON* holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Day for dirt cheap tickets. Tickets for flights that leave or arrive on a Wednesday or Thursday are generally cheaper too, because they’re the middle of the week."

    —jessicalynl

    8. Save on baggage fees by packing capsule wardrobes.

    emilylightly.com

    "Use a mini capsule wardrobe to fit interchangeable clothing in carry-on luggage. There are tons of examples that correspond with different cities and seasons on Pinterest."

    —jessicalynl

    Here's an example of a summer capsule wardrobe.

    9. Subscribe to Scott's Cheap Flights and get a newsletter that updates you on the cheapest flights from your nearest airport.

    Scott's Cheap Flights

    "They scour the internet for the cheapest deals (many short-lived and some "mistake fares") and can email you whenever deals pop up for your local airport. You can get a free membership or pay $40 a year for premium membership but I’ve easily saved at least $3000 on the last 8 international flights I’ve had from their deals."

    —elizabethh429dc547c

    "Scott's Cheap Flights! This is coming from someone who was able to buy several international round-trip tickets on the CHEAP (I’m talking round-trip ticket to Paris for under $375, Madrid for $400 and Peru for $500). Of course, you have to be able to buy spontaneously and it’s a $50 per year subscription, but I would have never gone on these amazing vacations without it."

    —melaniek17

    10. Plan for early morning departures.

    Disney

    "Be willing to take early, pre-sunrise morning flights, and search multiple airports."

    —laurenj4136e682c

    11. Fly out of large international airports, instead of local ones, even if it means driving a few extra hours.

    Triggerphoto / Getty Images

    "Fly out of the closest international airport. I’ve saved hundreds of dollars by just driving a few hours to the nearest big city and parking my car at a nearby hotel that offers free shuttles to the airport. Parking is usually free or at least super cheap. It’s kind of a hassle, but I do not live near any huge cities and this saves a TON!"

    —melaniek17

    12. Pay with credit card points.

    Lucas Cometto / Getty Images

    "Get a credit card that maximizes points earned on travel. Just make sure to pay your card off every month to ensure no interest is accrued. Personally, I got $900 towards travel on my last (international) flight from a sign-on bonus this year!"

    —namdjoker

    Don't have one? Check out this guide by The Points Guy to the best travel credit card for you. (Personally, I use Chase Sapphire and it's gotten me two "free" domestic flights in the last 1.5 years I've had it!)

    13. Speak up about any legitimate complaints, and get reimbursed with flight credit.

    14. If you'll be traveling within Europe, book one-way tickets instead of round-trip flights.

    Olena_znak / Getty Images

    "If you’re planning on traveling internationally, don’t book round-trip. You can find very affordable rates to travel around Europe (I’m talking $30-$50 to go from London to Paris, Paris to Rome, Rome to Barcelona) and then flying home from your final destination instead of spending a lot of money buying a pricier round-trip ticket."

    —stephene4634a5464

    15. Jack's Flight Club, Tui, and Thomas Cook are a few of the sites that are optimized for people living outside of the US.

    tui.co.uk

    "Jack's Flight Club emails you deals on flights — anything from £60 trips to Italy and £200 trips to New York. Check out late bookings and last-minute deals through big name companies like Tui and Thomas Cook. If you can be flexible with your timing, you can save hundreds. I booked a 4-star resort in Mexico for £650 per person for a week — An amazing value!"

    —cazboline

    16. And if you're a student, book through Student Universe.

    studentuniverse.com

    "Student Universe is a great website for students. I flew to Europe twice using that website and it saved me a ton of money."

    —sarahfelicityr

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    Some entries have been edited for length or clarity.