For backpackers and avid travelers, searching for cheap multi-city flights and direct flights whenever possible is a never-ending task.
Money saved on flights can be used on the ground at your destination, whether touring historic sites in Latin America, relaxing on a beach in Southeast Asia, or exploring food markets in Eastern Europe.
Many websites, apps, and tools are available today to help you find the best deal. In this article, I'll introduce you to Direct Flights and FlightRoutes.com, and guide you through their use.
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Booking Cheap Direct Flights
I always look for cheap direct flights when traveling in the United States. The time and energy saved by flying nonstop are worth the sometimes added cost.
Additionally, you're less likely to miss a connecting flight due to weather, system failures, or overbooking if you don't require one. If you're traveling with only a carry-on, you're also not at risk of lost luggage.
When you've got a connecting flight, there's less room for error, and given the soaring demand for air travel these days, it's best to minimize the odds of something going wrong.
Direct Flights offers the easiest way to search for more than 70,000 direct flights worldwide. Amazingly, you don't need to set up an account or log into the website.
Austin to JFK
As I write this story, I am researching direct flights from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) in Texas to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City. Entering those two airport codes gives me a wealth of data on the next screen (shown below).
I can quickly see that JetBlue (my preferred airline), American Airlines, and Delta all offer daily nonstop flights from Austin to JFK, with a typical flight time of 3 hours and 40 minutes.
A map shows the flight route from Austin to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). Scrolling down the search results page reveals specific flight times for all airlines, as well as additional information about airline alliances, plane models, and arrival terminals.
When I click the blue box labeled "Show Return Schedule," the return flight times for me to depart from JFK (New York City) to Austin, TX, are revealed. Clicking on any of the individual yellow boxes for a flight displays an information box with additional details.
If I click the green box to "check prices for AUS—JFK," a calendar appears, and I can select my travel dates, whether researching one-way flights or round-trip flights, the number of passengers, and the seat class (economy or business).
After entering my preferences, I click the green "check prices" button and am redirected to Kayak.com. There, I can see the cheapest flights and proceed to book the best option.
Why use Direct Flights?
The Direct Flights website is helpful in the early phase of flight research when you may only want to find out if there are direct flights between your departure city and destination.
It can be helpful whether you're looking for one-way tickets or round-trip tickets, and you don't even need to know the exact date(s). Additionally, it's free, easy to use, and doesn't require creating an account, which privacy advocates will likely appreciate.
Booking Cheap Multi-City Flights
International flights or journeys to smaller airports may require booking multi-stop flights. I needed to take this approach after a friend invited me to his wedding in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Although I've already booked those flights, I'll use them to demonstrate how to find affordable multi-city flights on Flightroutes.com.
Austin to Ho Chi Minh City
I first enter my departing airport (AUS for Austin, TX) and destination airport (SGN for Ho Chi Minh City). You can type the city name, and the airport options will be displayed accordingly. Knowing airport codes is optional.
When the city name appears, click on it to auto-fill the search field. Otherwise, you'll be shown a blank screen.
The resulting page shows that five airlines and three flights travel this route, each with one stop (layover). The minimum flight time is just under 24 hours.
A route map shows cheap multi-city flights that go eastward around the world from Austin and west across the Pacific Ocean. Either way, it'll be the longest I have ever traveled for a wedding!
Long-haul flights from Austin to Ho Chi Minh City (my final destination) include stops in:
- San Francisco with United Airlines and Vietnam Airlines (22 hours 09 minutes)
- London with Air France and Cambodia Angkor Air (23 h 20 m)
- Frankfurt with Lufthansa and Vietnam Airlines (26 h 15 m)
Scrolling further down lets me see each route's layover times and flight distances. If I want to learn more about the San Francisco option, I click the "Schedule" button, and a pop-up appears showing departure days and times.
Clicking on a specific day and time loads additional information about the route and flight numbers. If I click the green link for the flight prices and availability, I'm redirected to Kayak to continue researching those cheap flights.
Why use Flightroutes.com?
Flightroutes.com, run by the same Swedish company, Westcoast Digital AB, as Directflights.com, offers similar reasons for using it. The search engine provides a straightforward user experience and delivers fast results when researching a multi-city trip.
Booking cheap direct and multi-city flights isn't always enjoyable, but the best way to approach it is by finding efficient tools that can at least save you time. And if you're like me, discovering the best prices and the cheapest days to fly can offer a little thrill now and again.
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This story is brought to you in partnership with Flightroutes.com and Directflights.com.
