10 Best Websites/Apps to Book Flights

Some time ago a friend was supposed to visit me from across the pond. As someone who has never flown before, he was naturally very confused about the whole process.

After explaining a few essential things about airplane travel, he asked me something that actually blew my mind:

“So, do I just head over to the airport and purchase a plane ticket there or what?”

Why, yes, he could certainly do that, but in this day and age, the process of physically going to the airport to purchase a ticket is pretty much redundant.

Why waste all that time and energy when there’s a plethora of apps and websites that will allow you to book a flight with a push of a button?

Not to mention that by booking flights online you get not only to compare prices but most likely find a discount or a really cheap deal on your next flight!

So, for my friend’s sake and for the sake of anyone else struggling to find the best flight deals out there, we give you the 10 best websites and apps for booking flights.

Momondo

Available on:

• Website
• Android
• iOS

Momondo was founded in 2006 as a part of Booking Holdings. If this doesn’t ring a bell, let’s just say that this is the company responsible for giving us Booking.com, Agoda, Kayak, Cheapflights and many other popular metasearch engines that we use whenever we’re in need of a cheap flight, hotel or rental car.

Since then, this travel fare aggregator has won the hearts of users all around the world by offering some of the best travel deals online.

How does it do it? Well, Momondo searches through more than a 1000 different airlines and other, much smaller OTAs in order to come up with the cheapest fares. The great thing about this metasearch engine is that it doesn’t use cookies, so you can alter and tweak your searches for as long as you’d like and the website won’t adjust or increase the prices as a result.

What we love about Momondo is that it offers plenty of helpful tips and suggestions for budget travelers by allowing you to search for places according to how much you’re willing to spend. You can also search by continents, specific time periods and even the types of trips you’d like to take. It’s even possible to adjust the search to see on which dates your flight will be the cheapest!

For those who like to keep things organized, you’ll be happy to hear that it also offers a personal planning tool where you can keep track of your travel details, bookings, updates etc.

And if you’re not quite sure where you’re heading next, delve into Discover, a collection of travel articles, tips, tricks and recommendations on some of the most breathtaking places around the globe.

How’s that for inspiration?

KAYAK

Available on:

• Website
• Android
• iOS

Another baby from Booking Holdings is the ever-so-popular fare aggregator KAYAK. Being constantly praised and named one of the best apps and websites for travelers, it sure lives up to its name.

KAYAK boasts plenty of great and handy features for travel-hungry individuals, but some of our favorite ones are Price Alerts and KAYAK Explore.

The Price Alert option allows you to get automatic price updates for your preferred flights, so you can keep an eye out for increasing/decreasing fares. This is one of the best ways to keep tabs on good deals, without having to check the website or app every few days or so.

On the other hand, KAYAK Explore gives you the option to explore destinations according to your own budget. You simply adjust the starting location, the amount you’re willing to spend and how long you want the flight to be and voila – you get suggestions based on your preferences. It’s simple as one, two, three!

One thing that’s quite unique to KAYAK is their hacker fares feature. Instead of splurging on a return or one-way ticket, this option allows you to combine multiple one-way tickets from different airlines to your preferred destination, potentially saving you quite a bit of money in the process.

It also features a blog section with various sections such as Best Travel Destinations in 2019 and Best Deals in June so you can never really run out of ideas for your next trip.

Skyscanner

Available on:

• Website
• Android
• iOS

The travel fare aggregator of our dreams was launched in 2002 and since then has grown to extraordinary heights. According to Wikipedia, Skyscanner attracts 60 million visitors to its website on a monthly basis. In 2017, it was bought by Ctrip, the largest travel company in China.

Some of the main reasons why Skyscanner has grown in popularity so rapidly are its simple interface and flexible search options.

Similar to KAYAK, you also have an option of subscribing to price alerts where you get direct emails notifying you of the changing fares. Another cool feature it offers is the ability to Search Everywhere. It will display the cheapest destinations around the globe during the period you’ve chosen.

You can also set up the starting destination and Skyscanner will make personal recommendations for where you could fly next. The search engine has plenty of different filters you can use to customize your search. For example, you can compare prices between your preferred airlines, search only for last-minute deals, explore daily flight deals, etc.

As well as flight tickets, Skyscanner also compares prices for hotels and car rentals.

Kiwi

Available on:

• Website
• Android
• iOS

Kiwi.com is a Czech travel agency that offers not just a metasearch engine, but also a fare aggregator and booking for flights, rooms and cars.

It’s known to be one of the biggest online ticket sellers in Europe and if you’ve ever used it, you probably already know why.

Its straightforward interface and a generous selection of filter options make it easy to navigate and choose a destination that will suit both your heart and your budget.

It allows you to check what kind of transport you plan using during your trip, be it just an airplane, a bus, train or the combination of the three. You can also filter results based on days, prices, baggage allowance and more!

But what Kiwi is most famous for is the so-called virtual interlining feature, which basically allows you to purchase flight itineraries from different airlines. Since recently it has added more amazing tools to its website, that nomads and wanderlust travelers are particularly fond of.

One such example is the nomad tool, where you can choose a bundle of different locations you’re planning to visit and Kiwi will suggest the best and cheapest possible route you can take. How awesome is that?!

Another handy feature is the things to do option where you can search destinations according to different activities and categories, such as family fun, beach, romance, nightlife, unusual etc. It’s a great option for indecisive travelers who love adventures!

You’re also able to search for flights and destinations based on specific landmarks or you can simply choose the option trending destinations and explore what places are popular among travelers across the globe.

Hopper

Available on:

• Android
• iOS

Hopper is a mobile-only travel app that allows you to book flights and hotels but also predicts the best deals, prices and fares and notifies you when is the most optimal time to make your booking.

They call themselves nerds, but we call them simply brilliant! The Hooper team uses prediction algorithms that process trillions of data points, which allows them to design precise and custom recommendations for each and every traveler.

What we love about Hopper is that it has a comprehensive blog and FAQ section where you can get informed about pretty much everything.

They boast a 95% accuracy prediction rate and will give you a heads up if the prices start fluctuating drastically. What’s especially amazing is that the app can predict whether the fares are going to increase or decrease in the future and will give you a nudge when it thinks you should make a booking.

Booking smart is the only way to book!

Hipmunk

Available on:

• Website
• Android
• iOS

With the motto of Don’t let travel planning drive you nuts, Hipmunk really goes all the way to alleviate the process of booking, planning, organizing and keeping track of your next adventure.

Just like other, similar metasearch engines, Hipmunk also scours the web, travel sites, airlines and hotels and compares the fares in order to bring you the best possible options out there.

Now what’s special about Hipmunk is that it offers a price graph where you can see what are the lowest round trip fares in the next three months. This makes planning an unexpected trip that much easier.

You’re also able to search for best deals according to your specific location. Simply enter your starting point and Hipmunk will show you the best flight deals it can find.

The website also features an amazing blog section, so you can search through a wide range of articles from general tips and tricks for safe travel, to destination recommendations to ultimate travel guides.

There’s also a specific section reserved just for savvy business travelers!

So, sit back, relax and let Hipmunk fo the work for you.

Expedia 

Available on:

• Website
• Android
• iOS

What do you get when you combine exploration and speed? Well, Expedia of course! And the name definitely gives it justice.

Expedia has been serving us faithfully for 22 years now, ever since it was born as a branch of Microsoft. Since then it’s grown to become an individual, very successful company aiming at helping travelers find the best possible deals in terms of airplane tickets, hotels, cars, cruises and other rentals.

The great thing about Expedia is that allows you to bundle up and combine different options so you get a significant discount on your joint booking. This means that if you’re in the process of booking a flight to a specific destination, you can also add a hotel, car (or both) to your flight and you’ll end up paying less than if you decide to book everything separately.

What travelers especially like about Expedia is it rewards program where you can earn miles and points on all booked activities. Another thing to keep in mind that Expedia itself doesn’t charge any additional fees if you decide to cancel or change almost any hotel reservation.

It has an option where you can keep track of your trips or create custom lists of your favorite searches and travel deals.

You can also apply for memberships and rewards cards that make you eligible for extra discounts and sales on your bookings and purchases.

Travelocity

Available on:

• Website
• Android
• iOS

Travelocity is an American online travel agency owned by Expedia. Given that, it’ll come as no surprise that both Expedia and Travelocity boast some pretty similar features on their apps and websites.

Nonetheless, Travelocity has become quite a popular engine for discovering cheap flights, as a result of some exclusive deals it offers.

For instance, one of the most favorable features you can find on this website/app is a price match guarantee, where Travelocity is willing to refund the difference if you manage to find a better deal somewhere else. It also allows you to change or cancel your plans without imposing any additional fees.

Another great thing about it is that it offers free cancellation on most flights during the first 24 hours.

Just as with Expedia, you’re allowed to bundle up your travel plans and book flights, car rentals and hotels together in order to get a better deal.

Since recently, Travelocity has launched a volunteer program where you can use an interactive map to search for volunteer opportunities across the US and you’re eligible for a $25 coupon code for your next hotel booking. The program is called Travel for Good and you can visit their blog to read inspiring stories about volunteer experiences.

Google Flights

Available on:

• Website
• Android
• iOS

Did you know that you could use Google to book flights? Not only that, but you can find hotels and full package tours as well! The service was launched way back in 2011 and it works as a metasearch engine allowing you to find the best tickets and deals from third-party suppliers.

What we find great about Google Flights is the ability to filter your search according to the airlines you prefer, the number of stops you’re willing to make, the amount of check-in luggage you have, duration of the flight etc. Basically, it offers a fair range of customizable options so travelers can find the cheapest, most favorable deal for themselves.

It’s also worth mentioning that it offers a price graph, which shows you the pricing trends for the route you selected. This way you can keep track of the cheapest dates, but if that’s too much hassle, you can always subscribe to price alerts that send you notifications once there’s a change in fares.

You can also choose the country where you’re starting from and Google Flights will show you an interactive map with price options for specific destinations.

It’s quite straightforward and simple to use and Google redirects you to the official website of the airline or a relevant OTA if you decide to make a booking.

CheapOair

Available on:

• Website
• Android
• iOS

CheapOair is a travel agency which allows you to compare and book flights, hotels, cars and whole vacations at the cheapest possible prices – hence the name.

What’s unique about this OTA is that it allows you to earn rewards by using their special CheapOair credit card. Once you receive your card, you can earn points every time you purchase something using the card or you book something through their app/website. The points can then be redeemed on future bookings on CheapOair.

Of course, while it does save you money, it doesn’t come for free, so we recommend reading all the details thoroughly before ordering it.

Similar to Travelocity, CheapOair also does a price match guarantee if you can find cheaper prices somewhere else.

Of course, what they’re really famous for is their exquisite customer service, for which they even earned a reward from the Customer Service Institute of America. This way you know that if you ever have any issues or questions about your booking, you can count on their reps to try and solve your problems promptly and without much hassle.

Their website offers plenty of useful and fun content such as a travel blog, local guides, online check-in and even customizable gift cards!

All in all, it seems that CheapOair really goes all the way in terms of service and the deals it offers.