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Wondering how to find cheap flights on Skyscanner? You’re in the right place – I consider myself somewhat of an expert. Back when I was a full-time university student on a minimum wage job, cheap flights were the backbone of my travels.
I became borderline obsessed with finding good deals. I studied Skyscanner inside out (probably to avoid me having to study my actual degree!), testing different techniques to uncover ridiculous deals (we’re talking long-haul flights for the price of a night out).
This is how I landed deals like £48 flights to Jordan and £300 flights to Ecuador — both from the UK. The Jordan flight was carry-on only, but that’s part of how I kept the cost so low.
So in this post, I’m breaking down my exact strategy for finding cheap flights using Skyscanner – and how you can do the same. And if you fancy upgrading the experience, I’ve also put together a guide on how to find cheap business class flights.
Why Use Skyscanner to Find Cheap Flights
Skyscanner is my go-to for finding cheap flights because it compares hundreds of airlines, booking sites, and travel agencies in one place — saving you hours of time searching.
One of the biggest perks, in my opinion, is that it allows you to be flexible with your travel dates and destinations, which can make a huge difference in finding a bargain.
Plus, features like “Everywhere” search, “Whole Month” view, and price alerts make it super easy to spot the best deals, whether you’re planning well in advance or booking last minute. Don’t worry, I’ll go through how to use all these features in more detail.
Top Tip: One trick I use is checking Expedia for package deals—bundling flights and hotels can seriously cut costs. I’ve scored deals like a weekend in Amsterdam with flights and a 4-star hotel for just £265pp.
Top Tips for Finding the Cheapest Flights on Skyscanner
Use the ‘Explore Everywhere’ Search Feature
If you’re the adventurous type who doesn’t mind where you go, you just need a holiday to anywhere, then you need to be utilising Skyscanner’s ‘Explore Everywhere‘ feature. It’s an absolute game-changer and one of my favourite Skyscanner features.
It’s super simple to use! On the Skyscanner website, when you’re selecting your destination, just open the drop-down menu and choose ‘Explore Everywhere’.
Next, enter your travel dates (more on how to choose these later!) and hit search. Skyscanner will then show you a range of countries you could visit, along with the lowest prices to each. You can also choose whether you want to see the cheapest flights, direct flights, or flights suggested for you.
Click on a specific country, and you’ll get even more options: possible cities to fly into, prices, and whether flights are direct or include stop-overs.
You can even book your accommodation through Skyscanner. Although I’ve not personally done that, feel free to comment below if you have and if you’ve found good hotel deals using it.
💡 Proof that it works: My friends and I relied on the ‘Explore Everywhere’ feature on Skyscanner to choose almost all of our trips while we were at university – including Thailand, where we found return flights from Edinburgh for around £300.
Try Different Departure Airports
If you’re lucky enough to live near multiple airports, make sure to search flights from all of them — you might be surprised at the difference in prices. One airport could have significantly cheaper flights than the others.
For example, I can fly from either Glasgow Airport or Edinburgh Airport. While Edinburgh usually offers the better deals, I always check both airports just in case.
In one example, a direct flight from Glasgow to Dubrovnik in September was £351, whereas the same flight from Edinburgh was just £212 — that’s a saving of £139! Definitely worth the extra check.
Just remember to factor in the cost and convenience of getting to your chosen airport. If travel to the airport is expensive or tricky, that cheap flight might not be such a bargain after all.
I’ve been caught out by this before. I once booked a cheap flight from Glasgow Prestwick Airport to Barcelona, thinking I’d found a bargain. But when we landed back, there was no public transport running, so we had to get a taxi to Glasgow (around a 50-minute journey for context). It completely blew our budget and made the “cheap” flight not so cheap after all.
Use the ‘Whole Month’ View to Spot Cheap Dates
If you can be flexible with your travel dates, Skyscanner’s ‘Whole Month’ view is fantastic for finding cheap flights.
Instead of entering specific dates, this feature lets you see flight prices across an entire month, making it easy to spot the cheapest options.
To use it, simply click on the departure date and switch from ‘specific dates’ to ‘flexible dates’. You can then choose any month in the current or upcoming year.
You’ll know you’re in whole month view when your departure and return dates appear as a month instead of individual days.
Hit search, and Skyscanner will display a full month of flight prices to your destination. Keep in mind, prices can fluctuate slightly when you select a specific date, so it’s worth double-checking before booking.
It’s worth remembering that the cheapest travel dates usually fall in the off-peak season, so the weather isn’t always ideal. It comes down to what matters more to you – better conditions or a lower price. Personally, my cheapest flights have always been off-season, like when I went to Thailand during monsoon season, but I still had the most incredible time!
💡 Proof that it works: Using the ‘whole month’ view on Skyscanner, I managed to find £30 return flights from Scotland to Brussels, and then went from Brussels to Bruges.
Include Stopovers to Find Cheaper Routes
This one’s a bit controversial because some people swear by flying direct and won’t even consider a stopover – and that’s totally fair. Stop-overs can be a hassle, so if that’s you, feel free to skip this tip!
But if you’re hunting for those insanely cheap flights, including a stopover can make a massive difference.
On Skyscanner, all you need to do is check or uncheck the ‘direct flights only’ box, depending on preference.
The savings can be huge, especially on long-haul journeys. For example, a direct flight from London to Chennai costs £557 – but include a stopover and the price drops to £347. That’s a saving of £210! You just have to decide if the extra travel time is worth it.
For pretty much all of my long-haul flights, I’ve included a stop-off, and every single time, I’ve found that it drastically decreases the price.
💡 Proof that it works: For my first time solo travelling, I was looking at flying direct from Edinburgh to Jordan, and it was going to cost me ~£300, but instead I included a 16-hour stopover in Warsaw, and this brought the price down to £48. It also gave me time to sightsee around Warsaw.
Take Advantage of Multi-City Search Options
Next up is Skyscanner’s Multi-City Search, and yes – you’ll need to do a little homework for this one.
First, decide which cities you want to fly to and from. Then, research the cheapest departure and return dates for each leg of your trip. For example, if you’re flying from London to Singapore, check the cheapest date to fly out. If your return is from Malaysia back to London, you’ll need to find the cheapest date to fly home as well.
Once you’ve got all that info, simply plug it into the Multi-City Search feature and watch Skyscanner work its magic (hopefully!).
💡 Proof that it works: I used this feature to book a flight to Quito in Ecuador and a return flight from Lima in Peru. I managed to get my flight for cheaper than flying direct to and from Lima, and it also allowed me to travel through two countries.
How to Set Price Alerts on Skyscanner
You can sign up for price alerts, which will notify you whenever your flight price goes up or down, usually on a daily or weekly basis.
This feature works best after you’ve figured out your destination and travel dates, so make sure you’ve completed all the top tips above.
Once you’ve searched for your flight, you’ll see the ‘Get Price Alerts‘ option in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Click it, and sign up to receive alerts.
Final Thoughts: Finding Cheap Flights on Skyscanner
It can take a while to find really cheap flights, but remember, a little research and planning go a long way. If you check multiple departure airports, consider stop-overs, you’re flexible with dates and destinations, and set up price alerts, the payoff can be huge. Combining these tactics can save you hundreds, sometimes even thousands, on flights.
Ultimately, Skyscanner gives you all the tools to help you find cheap flights. With these tips, you’ll be ready to book your next adventure without overspending — and maybe even find a flight that feels too good to be true (I know, that’s happened to me a good few times!).
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Thanks so much for reading – it means the world!
Kirsty x
