Any tips for cheap flights if my dates are extremely flexible?

UberTiger · 19 Jul 2012 at 17:46

I'm trying to travel from BHX (Birmingham International, UK) to IAD (Washington DC, USA).

If there's a big saving I can probably travel from Heathrow, would have to be at least £60+ savings to make it worth it though.

I can leave anytime in the next 7-14 days and I'm looking to go for 2 or 3 weeks.

Any tips for the best way to search for cheap flights over this period or to grab a last minute bargain? Are certain days cheaper to fly out on? Is it worth checking daily for cheap last minute deals leaving in the next 24-48 hours? Is it worth checking with carriers direct or just use price scraping sites?

I know this is probably the worst time of year to travel, most tickets I've found are close to £800, which is pretty insane

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.

Craig321 · 19 Jul 2012 at 17:48

Kayak.com?

Try the 'my dates are flexible' option.

MickeyFinns · 19 Jul 2012 at 17:57

Skyscanner is the best for UK flights.

POB · 19 Jul 2012 at 18:02

As you are planning on staying a decent amount of time, perhaps look at a few other US airports, such as Philladelphia or NYC.

Train or car hire between them would not cost much, if there was a large enough saving.

jon86 · 19 Jul 2012 at 18:10

I am flying to D.C. on company business in about 4.5 weeks (20th August) and will be away for a week. We managed to get flights from Heathrow for £600 return with United. That was the cheapest that we (and our travel management company) could find.

UberTiger · 19 Jul 2012 at 18:24

Thanks for the info so far guys, I might try some NYC or Philly flights to see if that makes a difference too.

Best price by a longshot so far seems to be Travelocity.co.uk, even after trying most of the scrapers and those recommended on Money Saving Expert.

Using their flexible +-3day option - getting much closer to £600, even if I was prepared to leave in the next couple of days, which surprises me.

joeyjojo · 19 Jul 2012 at 18:35

The ultimate IMO is Kayak. Choose "dates flexible" then "flex month". Pick the earliest date you'd consider going, tell it a range of how many nights you want to stay, and it searches a month of every combination of dates and shows it on a calendar. Really fabulous.

Skyscanner used to be my fave but kayak wins now I think. The trouble with skyscanner is that the monthly view only shows cached results. I.e. somebody else must have already looked for that combination of days for it to appear. That's why you often pick a day and the return flight you wanted mysteriously disappears.

[TW]Fox · 19 Jul 2012 at 18:54

Flying short notice in August is a recipe for ultra-high fares

UberTiger · 19 Jul 2012 at 19:02

joeyjojo said:
The ultimate IMO is Kayak. Choose "dates flexible" then "flex month". Pick the earliest date you'd consider going, tell it a range of how many nights you want to stay, and it searches a month of every combination of dates and shows it on a calendar. Really fabulous.

Skyscanner used to be my fave but kayak wins now I think. The trouble with skyscanner is that the monthly view only shows cached results. I.e. somebody else must have already looked for that combination of days for it to appear. That's why you often pick a day and the return flight you wanted mysteriously disappears.

Wow, that Kayak tool seems pretty ace - although Travelocity is still giving me some prices up to £200 cheaper.

[TW]Fox;22381317 said:
Flying short notice in August is a recipe for ultra-high fares

Tell me about it, if it wasn't for a family reunion during that period with lots of old people who might not be around this time next year I'd wait until the off peak.