How to find cheap flights in 2024

While airfare prices are so confounding they can turn a rational person into a conspiracy theorist, there is still hope for the average traveler. Because like any sport or hobby, shopping for flights is a skill you can hone.

Unlike previous years where prices seemed to be skyrocketing, “you can see it very clearly in the data in fact, it’s gone the opposite direction,” said Scott Keyes, founder of the flight booking site Going. The travel booking app Hopper’s 2024 outlook shows the same, with domestic airfare remaining below 2023 — and pre-pandemic — prices for at least the next six months.

That doesn’t mean every flight you find will be cheap. “Averages don’t always translate to individual fares,” Keyes said. “But at the same time, with the way airfare works, today’s expensive flight might be tomorrow’s cheap flight and vice versa.”

For that reason, Keyes added, “it’s all the more critical to make sure that you’re getting the timing of your booking to get the best price.”

So how do you get the timing right? Here are our best tips, from price alert basics to a post-purchase hack.