Flight prices are a service, not a physical product — I cannot recommend them as a purchase item. However, I can point you to the tools and strategies that actually save money on airfare.
Where to Search (Free Tools)
- Google Flights — set price alerts for your destination. Google will email you when fares drop. Plot your search on a calendar view to see cheapest days to fly.
- Skyscanner — filters by stops, duration, and airline. The 'Whole Month' view shows which days are cheapest.
- Kayak — price prediction tells you whether to book now or wait (surprisingly accurate).
- Directly from airlines — Air Canada, WestJet, Flair Air, and Swoop often have sales not advertised elsewhere. Check their sites weekly.
Strategies That Actually Work
- Fly Tuesday-Thursday — weekend and Monday flights from YEG cost 20-40% more. Tuesdays are cheapest.
- Book 2-3 months ahead for domestic, 2-4 months for US, 4-6 months for international — prices rise sharply within 3 weeks of departure.
- Be flexible on airports — flying from Calgary (YYC) instead of Edmonton can save $100+, especially for US routes. Check both.
- Flair Air and Swoop are genuinely cheap — they nickel-and-dime you (carry-on only, no seat selection), but the base fares are 30-50% lower. Budget them properly and compare total cost, not just ticket price.
- Search incognito mode — airlines track your searches and can inflate prices if you visit repeatedly. Open a private browser window each search.
- Set a price alert and wait for a dip — fares drop randomly. A $400 ticket might drop to $250 for no reason. Google Flights alerts catch these.
Pro tip: The cheapest flight is useless if it has a 12-hour layover in Winnipeg. Factor in time cost and connection risk — a $50 more expensive direct flight often saves you 4 hours of your life and eliminates missed connection risk. Use Skyscanner's 'Duration' filter to see the real time cost.