How to Find Cheap Flights: Best Tips for Irish Travellers 2025
Anyone who has watched Dublin–London fares climb week after week knows the pain of booking at the wrong moment. Cheap flights from Ireland are mostly a system, not luck.
Average saving using comparison sites: up to 40% vs booking direct ·
Cheapest day to book: Tuesday, 1:00 PM UTC ·
Skyscanner scan coverage: 1,200+ airlines and agents ·
Flexible dates saving: up to 30% cheaper ·
Price drop frequency (popular European routes): every 2–3 weeks
Quick snapshot
- Flexible date search can cut costs on popular routes (FlightsFinder IE)
- Booking in advance — roughly 6–8 weeks — is the reliable window for European fares (Expedia UK)
- Momondo’s Price Calendar shows the cheapest travel dates at a glance (Momondo.ie)
Whether VPN searches consistently show cheaper fares · whether clearing cookies actually resets prices · hidden city ticketing is a legal grey area with airline penalties that vary.
- Spring or autumn travel can save up to 40% (Vagabond Tours of Ireland)
- Search the Whole Month grid to spot the cheapest week (Skyscanner Ireland)
Re-run the search on a second engine before booking · check fares on surrounding dates (Iberia) · set a price alert and wait for a drop.
Seven numbers sum up the cheap-flight system from Dublin; the pattern is that comparison tools and flexible dates do more heavy lifting than any secret booking hack.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Cheapest booking days | Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday (Going) |
| Best booking window for Europe | 6–8 weeks before departure (Expedia UK) |
| Seasonal saving | Up to 40% in spring or autumn (Vagabond Tours of Ireland) |
| Flexible date saving | Up to 30% on popular routes (FlightsFinder IE) |
| Surrounding-date search | Cheaper fares on adjacent days (Iberia) |
| Whole Month search | Scan a full month of fares (Skyscanner Ireland) |
| Price alerts | Catch drops automatically (Expedia UK) |
What is the cheapest website to find cheap flights?
There’s no single cheapest website — the cheapest fare moves between engines depending on route, date, and how flexible you are. The practical answer for Irish travellers is a shortlist of comparison tools used together.
Best flight comparison sites for Irish travellers
- Skyscanner.ie — widest coverage among Irish users, with flexible-date and Whole Month tools.
- Momondo.ie — real-time price search with a clean calendar.
- Kayak.ie — compares hundreds of travel sites in one search, a solid all-rounder for route-wide checks.
- FlightsFinder IE — flexible calendars show whether departing on a different day is cheaper, and the site advises comparing at least four engines before booking.
The pattern across all four: flexible-date coverage is what separates a cheap-fare tool from a booking portal. The engines that show you a whole month of prices are the ones that save real money.
Skyscanner vs Kayak vs Momondo vs FlightList
None of these engines has a monopoly on cheap fares. Skyscanner has the widest network, Momondo’s calendar is fast, FlightList’s date-range search is sharp, and Kayak is the safe all-rounder. Running two searches takes two minutes and regularly surfaces a fare the first engine missed.
The trade-off comes down to coverage versus clarity. Skyscanner’s network of airlines and agents is the widest of the four, which is why it usually leads the search; the smaller engines occasionally find a fare the big ones miss, so a quick second check pays for itself.
What this means: the cheapest website is whichever two you compare today. Keep Skyscanner.ie as the base, add one alternative, and repeat before every booking.
How can you get really cheap flights?
Really cheap flights are the product of three habits: flexible dates, a sensible booking window, and price alerts that do the waiting for you. None of them requires a “secret” — they just require consistency.
Top tricks for finding cheap flights
- Use flexible dates. Skyscanner Ireland recommends using its Whole Month tool and flexible dates to find the cheapest month or day to fly from Ireland.
- Book in advance, but stay flexible. Expedia’s advice to book ahead is the most repeated tip in fare guidance for flights to Ireland.
- Compare at least four engines. FlightsFinder IE says the cheapest fare rarely shows up on the first search.
- Travel in the shoulder season. Spring or autumn trips can save up to 40% — the figure Vagabond Tours of Ireland puts on seasonal fares.
Use flexible dates like a pro
Flexible dates are the single most effective cheap-flight tool for Irish travellers, because Dublin’s route network rewards shifting by a day or two. The same Dublin–Berlin fare can swing by tens of euros depending on the day of the week.
The mechanics are straightforward. On Skyscanner’s Whole Month view you enter the departure and destination cities, choose Flexible dates, then select Cheapest month or a preferred month to see a grid of fares across the year. Momondo’s Price Calendar shows the cheapest travel dates in a similar one-glance view, and Expedia’s flexible dates link compares prices for similar time frames side by side.
The booking window matters too. Expedia’s booking-in-advance advice aligns with the historical pattern on European routes: the lowest prices typically appear 6–8 weeks before departure, not in the final two weeks and not six months out.
Set price alerts and track changes
The cheap fare you found on Monday can be gone by Wednesday. Price alerts exist because fares on popular routes move every 2–3 weeks — a set-and-forget alert is what turns a good search into a good booking.
Most comparison engines include alerts. After you search a route, switch on the price alert and the service emails you when the fare drops. Combined with flexible dates, alerts are the closest thing to a repeatable cheap-flight system out of Dublin.
The implication: really cheap flights are found in the gap between knowing what a route should cost and waiting for the price to dip — not by refreshing one site all week.
What is the trick to finding cheap flights?
Most “tricks” in forums fall into two buckets: genuinely useful search habits, and grey-area workarounds with real risks. Knowing which is which saves you money — or saves you a headache.
Private browsing and cookie clearing
- Private browsing stops the search engine from using stored cookies to adjust the fares you see.
- Cookie clearing does the same thing: reset the browser, re-run the search, compare the prices.
- The dispute: whether this actually changes prices is heavily debated, and the effect is hard to verify. It costs two minutes, so try it once and keep or drop it based on what you see.
The catch: because the effect is inconsistent, “incognito mode saves money” is not a system — it’s a coin flip that occasionally lands in your favour.
Hidden city ticketing explained
- How it works: booking a flight with a connection, then ending the trip at the connection point — a trick that can be cheaper than booking direct to that city.
- The risks: airlines can penalise the practice, checked bags will not continue to your actual destination, and the return leg of a hidden-city fare is usually forfeited.
- The verdict: high risk, occasional reward, and poor odds once the airline’s terms are factored in.
The trade-off: the only tricks worth automating are the boring ones — flexible dates, alerts, and comparing multiple engines. The exotic ones carry enough risk to cancel out their savings.
Is Skyscanner cheaper than booking direct?
Short answer: usually, on pure price. But the comparison-site-versus-airline question has a longer answer, because “cheaper” can mean different things.
Price comparison: Skyscanner vs direct airline booking
Comparison engines usually beat booking direct on headline price, because they surface fares a single airline’s website never shows. The trade-off is handling: if the flight changes, a direct booking gives you one clear party to deal with.
Skyscanner’s strength is coverage — a network wide enough that it regularly catches fares the airline’s own site doesn’t advertise. Momondo runs a similar search across a different set of partners, which is why searching on both is a cheap and effective habit.
When booking direct can be cheaper
- Fare rules: direct bookings sometimes include better cancellation and change terms — worth more than a small fare difference if plans might shift.
- Bag fees: budget carriers like Ryanair show low base fares, but bag fees add up fast. The total matters more than the headline.
- Final price check: compare the all-in price, including bags and seat selection, on both the aggregator and the airline before you commit.
What this means: use Skyscanner to find the cheap fare, then check the airline’s own site for the same flight with fees included. Pick whichever total is lower — usually the aggregator, sometimes the airline.
How can I reduce my flight ticket price?
Beyond the tools, the price you pay is shaped by when you book, who you fly, and which airport you start from. Dublin’s route network gives Irish travellers more options than they often realise.
Best time of day and day of week to book
Cheapest day: Tuesday ·
Cheapest time window: around 1:00 PM UTC ·
Best booking window: 6–8 weeks before departure
Historical fare data repeatedly flags Tuesday around 1:00 PM UTC as a cheap slot to book. The pattern is simpler than the lore: Going notes airfare is usually cheaper on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays than on Fridays and Sundays. Combine that with booking in advance, and the routine is clear — search midweek, book 6–8 weeks out, and fly midweek.
Using budget airlines like Ryanair intelligently
Ryanair’s base fares from Dublin are typically €10–50 cheaper per one-way ticket than a full-service rival on the same route. The catch: add a bag, a seat, and airport check-in, and the gap narrows fast.
The intelligent way to fly Ryanair is to price the flight with the bag included from the start. Skyscanner’s Dublin page applies the same flexible-date logic to the airport that carries most of Ireland’s short-haul traffic — a useful check before you celebrate a headline fare.
The right comparison is total price, not base fare. A Ryanair €25 fare with a €30 bag is a €55 fare — still often cheaper than a full-service carrier, but the gap is smaller than the headline suggests.
Booking international flights from Dublin
- Use Dublin-specific search tools: the flexible-date advice from comparison engines applies as much to Dublin Airport as to any big hub.
- Check alternative airports: Vagabond Tours of Ireland recommends comparing other Irish airports when you’re hunting cheaper fares.
- Factor in the journey: a regional airport fare can look great until you add the cost and time of getting there.
Does using a VPN actually make flights cheaper?
VPN searches can reveal fares from other markets, but results vary by airline and destination, and some airlines block VPN traffic. Treat it as a two-minute test, not a guaranteed discount.
The idea is to connect through a different country and re-run the same search to see whether the fare changes. It works in some markets for some airlines, but the results are inconsistent enough that it belongs in the “test it yourself” category, not the “always works” category. The one thing it will not do is fix the cost of bags — so compare the total price, not just the headline.
That is why the VPN trick is a coin flip, not a system: it costs two minutes to test, but it does not replace flexible dates or a price alert.
Cheapest flight websites compared: Skyscanner vs Kayak vs Momondo vs FlightList vs direct
Five ways to search, one useful pattern: the wider the network and the sharper the flexible-date tools, the more likely you are to beat the standard fare.
| Tool | Best at | Flexible date tools | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skyscanner.ie | Widest coverage of airlines and agents | Whole Month and Cheapest month views | Third-party agents sit alongside airlines in results |
| Kayak.ie | Comparing hundreds of travel sites in one view | Flexible date grid on most route searches | Interface can feel dense for quick checks |
| Momondo.ie | Real-time price search with a clean calendar | Price Calendar highlights cheapest travel dates | Smaller network than Skyscanner |
| FlightList.io | Date-range search for savings across a window | Whole-month and date-range search | Smaller brand, fewer filter options |
| Booking direct | Fare rules and customer service clarity | Usually limited to a single date | One airline’s prices only |
The trade-off: comparison engines win on price discovery; direct booking wins when fare rules and changes matter. For a no-refund cheap fare you plan to take as booked, the engine is usually the better pick.
Comparison sites vs booking direct: pros and cons
The choice isn’t about loyalty to a brand; it’s matching the booking method to the trip. A fixed summer holiday with no bags is a different decision from a flexible business trip.
Upsides
- Wider network: comparison engines surface fares airlines don’t show on their own sites.
- Flexible calendars expose cheaper days automatically (Momondo.ie, FlightsFinder IE).
- Price alerts turn fare drops into a waiting game you don’t have to watch.
- Usually cheaper than direct booking on pure headline price.
Downsides
- Direct booking sometimes includes better cancellation and change terms.
- Ryanair’s low base fares can be outweighed by bag fees if you price the flight without them.
- Aggregator results mix airlines and third-party agents, so fare rules need a careful read before paying.
- You still need to check the airline’s site for the all-in total before booking.
The pattern: price wins for most trips, but cancellation terms and fees win when plans are uncertain. Match the booking method to the trip, not to habit.
How to find cheap flights from Ireland: a step-by-step routine
This is the system that combines everything above into a single repeatable routine. Run it in order, and the cheap fare mostly finds you.
- Search wide. Start on a comparison engine — Skyscanner.ie or Momondo.ie — rather than a single airline’s site.
- Flip on flexible dates. Use Skyscanner’s Whole Month view or Momondo’s Price Calendar and pick the cheapest week, not the most convenient one.
- Check surrounding dates and alternative airports. Iberia’s fare search shows the cheapest flights on surrounding days, and Vagabond Tours of Ireland recommends comparing other Irish airports.
- Compare at least four engines. FlightsFinder IE says the cheapest fare rarely appears on the first engine you try.
- Set a price alert. Vagabond Tours of Ireland recommends flight alerts so fares move without you watching.
- Book 6–8 weeks out, midweek. Expedia UK advises booking in advance, and Going notes Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are usually cheaper days to fly.
The upshot: this routine takes about ten minutes per trip. Ten minutes of comparison work is what separates a decent fare from a great one.
What’s confirmed, what’s still unclear
Not every cheap-flight claim online survives contact with reality. Here’s the honest breakdown, with the balance tilted toward what’s unproven.
Confirmed facts
- Tuesday 1:00 PM UTC is the commonly cited booking sweet spot, and the weekday pattern is clear: airfare is usually cheaper on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays than on Fridays and Sundays.
- Comparison sites routinely find lower prices than direct airline booking.
- Flexible date search is the most reliable way to cut costs on popular routes.
What’s unclear
- Whether VPN searches consistently yield lower fares — results vary by airline and destination.
- Whether clearing cookies or using private browsing actually resets prices — the effect is disputed.
- Hidden city ticketing legality and airline penalties are uncertain, and the risk can erase the saving.
- Whether Tuesday 1:00 PM UTC is the universal sweet spot on every route — patterns shift by market and season.
The balance: the reliable savings sit on the confirmed side — flexible dates, midweek travel, and a 6–8 week booking window. The unclear side is where “too good to be true” tricks live, and most of them stay there.
What the fare experts say
Two sources capture the core of cheap-flight thinking: let the calendar decide, and respect the weekday pattern.
“Flexible travellers can look for one-way flights, multi-city flights, and use the Price Calendar to see the cheapest travel dates.”
“Airfare is usually cheaper on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays than on Fridays and Sundays.”
The common thread: the cheapest fares are found by people who let the calendar do the deciding — flexible dates plus a midweek flight pattern covers most of the work.
The takeaway
Cheap flights from Ireland aren’t a secret stash that you find once — they’re a routine you repeat. Search wide with Skyscanner.ie and Momondo, flip on flexible dates, check surrounding days and alternative airports, compare at least four engines, and let price alerts do the waiting. For Irish travellers, the choice is clear: build that ten-minute routine into every booking, or keep paying the difference when you book on the wrong day.
Related reading: Skyscanner Ireland recommends using its Whole Month tool · Momondo says flexible travelers can look for one-way flights, multi-city flights, and use its Price Calendar
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should I book cheap flights from Ireland?
Expedia UK advises booking in advance and being flexible with travel dates to save money on flights to Ireland. For European routes, the reliable window is roughly 6–8 weeks before departure; booking too close to the travel date usually means paying a premium.
What is the cheapest airline from Dublin to Europe?
Ryanair typically offers the lowest base fares from Dublin — often €10–50 cheaper per one-way ticket than full-service carriers on the same short-haul routes. Budget for bag fees and seat selection, because the total all-in price is what matters. Compare the final price on a search engine before booking.
Do flight prices go down closer to departure?
Generally not. The historical pattern for European routes is that the best prices appear 6–8 weeks before departure, and Expedia’s guidance is to book in advance rather than wait. Holding out for a last-minute drop works occasionally, but it is not a strategy.
Can I get a refund if my cheap flight is cancelled?
It depends on the airline’s fare rules and where you booked. Comparison engines pass through the airline’s terms, so booking directly usually gives you one clear party to deal with if the flight changes. Read the fare rules before paying, especially on no-refund budget fares.
Is it safe to book with third-party aggregators?
Comparison sites like Skyscanner, Momondo and Kayak are established search platforms that pull from the same airline inventory you’d see elsewhere. The safest approach is to treat them as search tools: verify the airline, read the fare rules, and book through a channel you recognise. If the price looks too far below the airline’s own fare, check the fine print.
How do I set up a flight price alert?
Search your route on a comparison engine such as Skyscanner.ie or Momondo.ie, then switch on the price alert or “track prices” option. The service emails you when the fare drops, which is why fare alerts are a standard recommendation for anyone shopping flights from Ireland.
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