Expert Tricks to Find Cheap Last-Minute Flights

Traveling on last-minute flight tickets is great for someone who might have dynamic travel plans, sudden pop-up opportunities to get away, or simply just don't want to buy tickets until they are leaving in a relatively short amount of time. However, it comes with one very large problem, the prices for booking last-minute trips are normally through the roof. I've seen last-minute tickets go for double, triple, and even up to 4 times the price I paid when booking a flight a month or two in advance. However, there is a strategy to combat this, and I'll tell you just how to do it based on what has worked for me in the past. 

Early Morning/Late Night Itineraries

Flying early and/or late is not the most pleasant experience for a traveler, requiring early wake-ups or long nights, but this is where low prices come into play. Because fewer people want to be awake at these undesirable hours of the day, flights tend to be more empty. Less full flights lead to airlines keeping prices lower for a longer period in hopes of filling the seats.

This strategy can be a bit tricky, as depending on where you are and where you're going, it can be hard to find a good itinerary to maximize the odds of a cheap last-minute flight. Smaller airports suffer from this problem the most, as their lower frequency service can render *usually* just a single early morning flight, and nothing in the late evening hours. 

Checking Prices Between 36 and 25 Hours Before Departure 

The last 12 hours before check-in is usually when airlines try to make their last-ditch efforts to fill up the plane before customers begin checking in at the T-24 hour mark. Once check-in begins, complimentary upgrades and non-revenue passengers can begin to process on the flight, resulting in lost revenue possibilities for the airline. They would much rather make $150 for a last-minute first-class purchase than a customer who gets the seat upgrade for free. 

Multiple Airports in Major Cities

If you have flexible travel plans, and intend on traveling to or from a major city with multiple airports, be sure to check all of the options within that metropolitan area. For example, if you want to travel to New York, but don't mind ending up at an airport within about 60 miles of the city, you can end up with the following options: New York-JFK, New York-LGA, Newark, Islip, New Haven, and White Plains. The more options you give yourself, the better the likelihood of one of these options having a well-worth-it deal.

Explore Every Airline Possible

This one is a bit more subjective to personal preferences, but if you tend to be a loyal flier to a specific airline, try to branch out and see what other carriers are offering in price. This especially applies if you are loyal to a legacy airline, as low-cost carriers can have significantly cheaper last-minute tickets. Also, evaluate the needs of your trip and see if you truly need the benefits of a full-service airline. For example, if I were to fly a two-day/one-night trip from Florida to Atlanta, I would probably look more to the LCCs as I don't need a carry-on or checked bag to make the trip work, and seat selection doesn't matter as much since the flight is so short.

Summary

Scoring cheap airline tickets last minute is without a doubt a battle in itself. Usually, I spend multiple hours combing the airline booking websites just to find exactly what I want. But, sometimes the hours searching come up empty-handed, and I must remind you that the tricks covered in this article are simply meant to help increase your chances of finding cheap last-minute flights, not guarantee you'll strike gold. There have been times where it's worked for me, and there have been times where it hasn't. My final takeaway to you, is to use every single option covered when looking for these last-minute flights, as leaving a path closed is a missed chance to find something that works for you.