What are the best strategies to find cheap flights when ticket prices are high?

Booking flights 2-3 months in advance can save you up to 50% compared to last-minute bookings.

Flexibility with travel dates can lead to savings of 20-30% - flying a day earlier or later can make a big difference.

Choosing alternative airports near your destination can cut costs by 10-25%, as these tend to have lower fares.

Traveling during off-peak seasons like September-November or January-March can reduce ticket prices by 15-40%.

Signing up for airlines' loyalty programs and newsletters can provide exclusive access to flash sales and discounts.

Using credit card travel portals that offer points, miles or cash back can effectively lower your final flight cost by 5-15%.

Booking one-way tickets separately rather than round-trip can sometimes save you 10-20%, especially for international travel.

Being flexible on your routing and connecting through a hub airport can often yield savings of 8-15% compared to nonstop flights.

Combining a flight and hotel booking through a travel package deal can discount the overall trip cost by 12-18%.

Clearing your browser cookies and using incognito mode when searching for flights can prevent dynamic pricing from inflating fares.

Monitoring flight prices using a service like Hopper or Skyscanner and setting price alerts can help you catch sudden drops.

Flying with ultra-low-cost carriers like Spirit, Frontier or Allegiant can provide basic fares 30-50% cheaper than legacy airlines.

Considering red-eye or early morning flights can reduce ticket prices by 10-20% compared to peak travel times.

Booking flights departing on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Saturdays tends to be 12-18% cheaper than weekends.

Bundling your flight, hotel and car rental through a travel aggregator can unlock package discounts up to 20%.

Tracking historical flight prices using a tool like Hopper can help you determine the best time to book and save.

Joining airline-affiliated credit card programs can provide valuable points, miles and perks to offset flight costs.

Being flexible on your destination and searching for nearby airports can uncover savings of 15-25%.

Monitoring deals and error fares posted on sites like Scott's Cheap Flights can lead to finding flights 40-70% off normal prices.

Using a VPN to change your apparent location can sometimes bypass regional pricing differences and lower fares by 5-12%.