• We talk to air trip experts for their best tips to book a last -minute flight.
• Being flexible with its dates, destination, airlines and airports is key to finding affordable flights.

The air rate is often one of the largest travel expenses, but fortunately, there are still ways to save, even when reserved at the last minute. But before reading, it is important to define what we mean when we say “last minute.” In general, explains Melanie Fish, Public Relations Chief of Expedia Group Brands“We think of the last minute how to reserve zero to six days from the game. “In addition, while reserving a last -minute flight it can be stressful and expensive, Fish says Travel + Leisure that “there are some strategies that you can use to find cheapest rates.” Kyle Maltz, director of operations and partner at Dollar Flight Club, a travel membership service that saves members up to 90 percent on flights, echoes these feelings. “There are many methods to obtain last -minute cheap flights, but the strategy is to combine multiple methods and, if possible, get ahead of things sooner rather than later.” In general, says Maltz, “being flexible on dates, destinations and exit airports will give the best results.” With all this in mind, we have compiled a list of tips approved by experts to help you get last minute cheap flights.

Do not block on specific dates.

“If you are looking for highly discount flights, you must usually choose unpopular days to travel and travel outside the most demand seasons for its destination location,” Maltz explains.

Kayla inserts Deloache, expert in travel trends to the Kayak consumer, says he can pay to be flexible. His company and other travel sites, such as Skyscanner and Expedia, offer ways to search flexible flight offers. The first has a view of the calendar of flexible dates that “easily shows how flight prices are seen during the next week so that you can see the cheapest days to fly (in green) compared to the most expensive days (in red).”

Be open to different destinations.

A simple way to save more on flights? Keep your destiny flexible.

Airlines use dynamic prices, which means that rates can frequently fluctuate depending on availability and demand. Skyscanner’s global travel trends expert Laura Lindsay, previously told T+L, “since some dates are more popular than others, prices will vary according to maximum travel seasons, vacations and events.” Then, if a destination has a lower demand during its preferred travel dates, it can often find discount rates. Being flexible with your destination allows you to point to the best value options.

Fish hastened to call the Expedia flight offers tool. Available exclusively in the Expedia application, the new feature shows travelers to fly “by at least 20 percent less than typical rates.” Many travel platforms such as Kayak, Google Flights and Skyscanner have similar characteristics.

This flexibility helps travelers to maximize their budget and find spontaneous travel opportunities.

Use price alerts and fight offers services.

Deloache advises the use of flight prices alerts to remain in the circuit when prices fall “for all dates around the desired game.” Kayak offers free and easy -to -use price alerts, as well as sites like Google flights, Skyscanner, Airfare Watchdog and Expedia, which allow price and compare flights to find the best offer.

Maltz shares similar feelings: “Obviously we love this option because we work in space, but there are services and characteristics of the product that can do a lot of work to find highly discounted last minute flights that leave their origin airport. In a few words, these digital tools work by classifying through large amounts of data to identify the best businesses.

Power your air passage and accommodation.

For additional savings, consider reserving your flight and hotel together. “Companies as Expedia offer excellent packages of packages where your hotel group and flight can save money,” says Fish. Similarly, Christina Bennett, an expert in Prickly consumer trip, told T+L, “packing her travel reserves leads to the best offers, and group flights with hotels or hotels with rental cars helps maximize savings”, which, according to her, saves travelers an average of $ 240.

Find multiple airports.

According to Maltz, flexibility with airports can lead to significant savings. “Looking at flights to the same destination from multiple airports in your area can generate substantially different results in prices, and the same is true with your destination,” he explains. According to the PRO, “in general, there are some options in the main cities, and prices can change substantially based on their destination airport.”

Look for unidirectional flights.

“Reserve unidirectional flights can lead to lower prices, especially if you are open to mix different airlines for each section of the trip,” says Maltz. This approach allows travelers to take advantage of Flash sales, budget carriers and flexible routing options that may not appear in traditional round trip searches.

Be strategic about when reserves and when it flies.

According to Fish, “when you reserve and when you fly it matters” when it comes to saving money. To obtain the best aerial ticket savings, he recommends flying on Thursday, which can save up to 17 percent compared to flying a Sunday, based on the 2025 Expedia Air Travel Hacks Report.

Meanwhile, Maltz recommends booking flights in the middle of the week, specifically on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. “In general,” he explains, “the demand for flights is lower in the middle of the week, so prices tend to fall to encourage more reservations.”

With all this in mind, it is important to remember that airlines use dynamic prices, and prices can fluctuate due to demand at any time.

Opt for a red -eyed flight.

As mentioned above, the air rate is mainly driven by demand, and red -eyed fights can be the least desirable option, depending on the destination. As a result, these night flights, which leave late at night and arrive early the next day, can be an excellent option for travelers aware of the budget willing to sacrifice some dream for significant savings.

Add a scale or stop.

If you do not care about the additional travel time, leave your flight without stopping in favor of one with a scale or a stop (a longer connection that may require a stay at night), which are almost always cheaper. Since the latter may have potential accommodation costs to take into account, the scales are generally more profitable; However, be sure to leave enough time to take into account mishaps or delays.

It is also worth noting that many airlines have stop programs, offering travelers the opportunity to spend one or two days (or even more) at that stop destination without additional fee. Depending on the airline, this may include discounts on accommodation and attractions.

Look at budget airlines.

Although the main national airlines such as Delta, American, United and Southwest offer wide route and reliability options, economic airlines will probably provide cheaper rates. These carriers without luxuries, which include Spirit, Frontier, Allegiant and Breeze, among others, provide budget travelers with the opportunity to renounce extras such as selection of seats, control luggage and comforts on the flight in favor of the lowest rates. Just be sure to read the small print and understand the true total cost of your ticket (rates included) before booking.