Category Archives for Air Travel Hacks

The one tool I always mention when people ask me how to find deals on travel is Google Flights. This easy-to-use website can help you find the best possible price on airfare (and even hotels). It's one the biggest weapons in our arsenal at The Points Guy to help save money on travel. While TPG does offer deal alerts, if you are looking for a particular flight, destination, airline or routing, Google Flights is the way to find personalized deals.

Google Flights is where I almost always begin my search for new bookings, and I come back to it, again and again, to book trips and see if prices have dropped and if I can get a better deal.

Here's everything you need to know to use and master Google Flights.

What is Google Flights?

Google Flights is one of our favorite tools for finding deals on flights. It’s an amazingly powerful flight search engine, and the best part is that it's easy to use. Google shows you nearly all available flights for a given search but doesn't force you to book with them.

Unlike Expedia, Orbitz, Tripadvisor or Kayak, it's not an online travel agency. Google is simply showing you what's available. Once you find the flights you like, you “click through” to actually book. You can choose to book directly with the airline or via a third-party OTA, but not Google itself.

One frustrating note is that Google Flights does not show Southwest Airlines flights, so keep that in mind as you search.

The start of a new year means an entire year of trips to plan.

Let's face it, travel is expensive. While we aim to provide strategies for securing the cheapest airfare, your ability to find that elusive airline deal boils down to a few factors.

In a normal year, flights during the summertime and holidays are notoriously expensive. Now factor in that this is a year when inflation, limited flights and high travel demand have driven up the cost of air travel.

Have you ever heard that booking a flight on a certain day of the week will yield the cheapest results?Perhaps you're thinking of a cousin who claims he found a great deal when he checked on airfare prices at 12:01 a.m. on a Wednesday. Maybe you have a friend who swears by setting a reminder on her phone for 1 p.m. on a Thursday when she’s shopping for flights.Indeed, there is no shortage of rumors (and “studies”) out there, but does the time of day you purchase flights actually make a difference in what you pay? Could it help you save at a time when so many other expenses are piling up?TPG spoke to airfare experts about how timing influences airfare prices to help you maximize airfare savings this year.

If you have a flight coming up soon, then you might be considering rebooking it. An airplane obviously isn’t the most ideal place to be right now given coronavirus concerns. While rebooking your flight might give you some peace of mind, it can also help you save some cash.

Stuker also revealed his go-to tip getting great service. At the beginning of the flight, he tells the flight attendant:

“I think I've flown with you before and if that was you, I don't think I had time to say thank you, you were great.”

If you live on the north end, I have some very good news to share – travel to and from the airport just got a lot easier! When in comes to domestic air travel, no longer do you have to trek through Seattle to SeaTac International Airport. Now, you have the opportunity to book flights that leave directly from Paine Field in Everett. Also known as Snohomish County Airport, Paine Field is now home to a number of nonstop flights thanks to Alaska Airlines and United Airlines.