Tips for finding cheap flights

There are several different factors that influence the price of a ticket, and airlines and their systems look at these to maximise the chance of making the most money on each flight. So, in short, there are certain flights that you simply cannot get for cheap. But if you're at least a little flexible and follow the rules below, your chances of finding a flight at a good price should increase significantly.

• Try to avoid travel dates in the 'high' seasons, which for flights are summer holidays, Christmas, the first week of January and Easter.
• Try to avoid travel on days that are traditionally popular for business travel - Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.
• There's no such thing as last-minute tickets, so buy them well in advance - at least three months in advance for long-haul flights and at least six weeks for European flights.