Best Flight Search Engines Review: How To Find The Best Flights

Planning for your upcoming trips can be so much easier if you have access to the best flight search engines. They can provide in-depth and comprehensive data regarding your arrival destinations, flight dates, and more.

As a result, we always recommend our readers to look at our list of the best search engines. Here, you can use the tools to look for your flights and end up with the right options.

List of the best flight search engines

1. Google Flights

Arguably the most accessible flight search engine, Google Flights, is available for worldwide users as long as they have access to Google. The powerful tool allows you to compare prices between many airlines, destinations, and certain travel periods.

You can access Google Flight’s dedicated website to use its search features. Or it’s totally possible to search your flights directly on Google, and the built-in flight search engine will display the results.

Here, the app provides a comprehensive and intuitive view of your search results, featuring a monthly view of flight prices and easy navigation. You can search your flights with specific dates and periods or consider options in different price ranges.

The different filters and sorting orders allow users to display flight results by airlines, durations, stops, and more. Thus, making it easier to look for the right flights.

Also, you can now keep track of flights and price alerts using Google Flights. The platform lets you save certain flights and follow their prices. You'll receive important updates if there are any changes in your flights.

And to make the services more convenient, Google Flights also comes with its mobile app. So you can have your cross-device experiences enabled on the go. Feel free to use the platform to search for flights on your smartphones, tablets, or laptops. Not to mention that the connected Google account will ensure seamless experiences between linked devices.

All in all, Google Flight is a great platform to search and compare flights on the go. Just keep in mind that a very small number of airlines will require you to book directly on their page instead of showing flight results on the search engine. To name just a few, they are Southwest Airlines, Air China, and Philippine Airlines.

2. Skyscanner

Founded in 2003 with only three IT professionals, Skyscanner has come a long way and is becoming the world's most travel search engine. Here, you can easily look up not just your flights but also hotels and car rentals.

The highlight here is their simple and user-friendly interfaces. All you need is to enter the destination or hotel name and then start searching for results. For more specific searches, you can use the advanced options, which will let you search for flights via certain dates, budgets, and more.

The intuitive UI will offer comprehensive views of your flights. And you can always use the filters to manage your results by the number of stops, airlines, departure times, and more.

If you’re interested in cheap flights to a certain destination, Skyscanner’s Whole Month Search feature can always help you. Use the search engine to bring up the entire monthly calendar, indicating all the different flights each day. Thus, making it easier for you to pick the most suitable options.

Along with flights, Skyscanner users can look for accommodations and car rentals on the website. The feature makes it a lot more convenient if you want to plan your entire experience.

Search your hotels by locations, dates, and number of guests. And look for car rental options via locations, dates, and durations, together with your preferred car types.

All the services on Skyscanner are free for all users. And the displayed prices are also final without any extra charges. So, users can always trust the search engine when looking for affordable flights, rental cars, and accommodations. 

3. Kayak

To ensure the best search results, Kayak offers its meta-search engine, which can collect data from many travel websites and airlines. As a result, you will always receive the best flight options available.

Here, the search engine lets you look for flights by destinations, dates, and budgets. Also, you can filter your search results by airlines, prices, travel periods, and layovers. Thus, making it easier to book the right options.

And to plan your trips more effectively, Kayak’s users can access its price forecasting feature, which is designed to help you get better deals. Through extensive AI studies and advanced algorithms, Kayak can predict the future prices of tickets. 

Depending on your preferences, it’ll provide suggestions on when or how to book your flight tickets. This is extremely useful if you're fine with flexible dates and want to save your money.

At the same time, the Explore tool is designed to help travellers who are indecisive about their destinations. Given a certain budget, the app will help you look for flights within that price range. You can use the Explore feature to look for the best possible destinations.

All in all, Kayak is a great tool for finding and comparing flights, thanks to many incredible technologies that are built into the search engine.

4. Momondo

If you want a powerful search engine that offers both flight and hotel searches, then Momondo is a good option. Here, you can look up flight pricing from different airlines and travel agencies, which will guarantee the best search results.

Users can use the Flight Insight tool to follow the price trends in any specific location. Use this feature to look for the best time to fly, so you can enjoy flexible and affordable trips.

At the same time, Momondo’s Mix & Match is another to plan more effectively while also saving money. Here, the platform lets you combine flights from different airlines, so you can find the best options for your outbound and return flights.

And finally, the website will feature an info section where audiences can access many blog posts and articles. Here, you can learn about travel tips and guides, together with many recommendations.

5. Expedia

The well-known and well-established travel booking website has been around for years. And its capable flight search engine is always trusted by users when looking for the best deals.

Here, you can search for your flights using a variety of options for the airlines, travel destinations, and arrival dates.

The intuitive UI offers a comprehensive view of search results and easy navigation for all users. And you can always use the provided filters to narrow down your list via pricing, airline, and more.

Also, you can get more details on your flights, including accurate travel time, potential layovers, and the number of stops.

And to make the search results completely transparent, Expedia only displays the total cost of the flights with details on taxes and fees. So, you'll be getting the final price without any extras.

All of these allow Expedia users to always make the right choices, using well-informed flight information.

And if you are interested, the platform also offers hotel booking and car rental options. Similar to flights, you can use all the convenient search and sort options, thus, making it extremely easy to plan your entire itinerary.

6. CheapOair

Many people trust CheapOair to provide affordable prices for their flights. Here, the popular online search engine allows you to enable flight searches and compare their prices.

By having partnerships with many airlines, CheapOair let users look for results from many sources. Plus, they’ll always offer the best deals when you’re searching for flights on the platform. With useful filters, you can easily manage your list of results by pricing, airline, dates, and other criteria.

Along with flights, there are also hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, and other options on the website. Thus, allowing users to have the most convenient booking experience.

You can now plan and prepare for your next trip in one place. And with the impressive prices, it’s quite easy to maintain your budget. Just keep in mind that the cheap booking options will come with certain service fees.

7. Hopper

Also, the included price watch feature will let you monitor certain flights most comfortably. Simply select your flights to receive instant alerts and notifications upon any changes.

Hopper users can enjoy the impressive Price Freeze feature, which will allow them to search for travel services and lock in their prices. The freeze period will last for up to 14 days, enough for you to make up your mind. When you return, you’ll have the option to either pay for the locked price or the updated and lower price.

At the same time, the website will ensure your comfortable travel experiences, in case of any mishaps. Now, if your flights are delayed, cancelled, or rescheduled, the platform will automatically rebook your trip to another suitable flight. All the extra costs will be covered by Hopper, and you’ll have the option to accept the changes or get your refunds.

And finally, the platform is intuitive and easy to use, so you won't have any trouble searching and navigating your results. Also, have access to filters with different criteria that would help you find the right flights.

8. Priceline

As a popular online travel agency, Priceline also offers its built-in flight search engine for customers. Here, you can look up flight options depending on your travel dates, destinations, passengers, and more.

Similar to other engines, it’s possible for Priceline users to narrow down their flight lists. Here, you can enable filters to look for the best flights by airlines, dates, stops, and more.

By partnering with many establishments, Priceline is able to provide impressive deals for your accommodations. Enjoy the Hotel Express Deals, where you can enjoy impressive prices on hotels, resorts, and private homes. 

All in all, it’s a capable flight search engine that also comes with many unique features for travellers to explore. 

9. Travelocity

If you want to look up options for the entire vacation, then Travelocity will have you covered. Here, the popular search platform lets you look for flights, hotels, rental cars, and even cruises. 

Its Price Match Guarantee option is a staple feature for travellers. Here, people can look for prices of certain travel-related services on other websites and match them with prices on Travelocity.

If you can find a lower price on another platform, then the website will immediately match your new price and refund the difference. Thus, ensuring that you’re always getting the best prices.

You can start by entering your destination, together with the travel dates and number of passengers. The search engine will then quickly provide the results for you to consider.

Feel free to use the available filters to choose your flight lists via many criteria, including airlines, time periods, number of stops, price, and more. Also, the flights will come in full detail, including their flight durations and layovers. Thus, making sure that you're most comfortable with your choices.

With the built-in price alert system, Travelocity users can enable price alerts for their certain flights. The platform will consistently provide you with updates regarding prices and flight operations. You can also sign up for Travelocity's newsletter to receive the latest deals regarding your preferred destinations.

And when it comes to the entire travel packages, you can customise your entire itinerary with hotels, rental cars, and cruise search engines also available. Thus, making Travelocity a great all-in-one booking platform for travellers.

10. Orbitz

When looking for flight deals, travellers often trust Orbitz, thanks to its reliable search engine and many available rewards.

Users can access the Orbitz website or use the app version to look for flights, accommodations, and other travel-related services, using the powerful search engine. The intuitive UI and easy navigations allow you to compare search results most effectively.

And if you want better searches, it's possible to use the advanced search options in Orbitz, where you can manually change your airlines, departure time, budget, and more. This will make sure that you’re getting the right searches.

Orbitz users will also have access to its reward program, where you can earn points through each booking. Use them to redeem your vouchers for discounts and bundles, so you can spend less while travelling with Orbitz.

Search engine tips for cheap flights

Along with the good engines, you also need useful tips when interacting with them. And based on our travel experiences, here are the most important things to keep in mind.

Use the app to search for the best flight deals. Photo by Vlada Karpovich on Pexels.

Always use incognito mode

Many airlines use cookies and your previous browsing history to present personalised experiences for customers. And most of the time, their purposes are to raise the price as much as possible.

So, what you want to do is to use incognito mode when browsing airline websites. You should also use the option when searching with engines, so your Internet activities won’t be recorded.

Use an engine with price compare features

You'll need to compare multiple flight options when searching for the best deals. So, make sure that your engines come with the option. Most of the time, they'll let you compare flights using certain criteria, and you can easily adjust your comparisons.

Travel with a flexible time period

To get the cheapest flights, you’ll need to make certain compromises. And most of the time, if you’re willing to go with a flexible flight date, then you can easily get much more affordable options. Also, make sure to book as soon as possible since you'll be more likely to receive cheap tickets before they run out.

Consider budget airlines

One of the simplest ways of getting affordable flights is to travel with a budget airline, especially if you’re only travelling a short distance. Nowadays, there are many options for passengers, including Ryanair, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, etc. So you'll have no trouble finding one.

Sign up for the newsletter and consider loyalty programs

The best way to get cheap tickets from any airline is to befriend them. Most of the time, airlines will frequently give out special deals for their loyal customers as long as they stay committed to them.

Also, it’s also highly recommended that you sign up for the airline’s newsletters. This will make sure that you’re getting the latest updates on travel deals and ticket discounts.

Always use search engines to have the best flight experiences

When looking for flights, you'll need the best search engines to gather all the results and provide comprehensive comparisons. So, make sure always to consider our list of the best flight search engines.

And at the same time, feel free to consider our booking tips when using the search platform. These will ensure that you have a happy booking experience.

Nguyễn Kim Vương