One-way flights
Find the cheapest one-way flights from top search engines
Find the cheapest one-way flights from top search engines
Enter your requirements for one way flights and choose if you are flexible or have fixed dates
Save up to 20% by comparing multiple flight comparison sites using our intuitive dashboard
Find the cheapest one-way flight and book in confidence with your provider of choice
A one-way flight is simply an itinerary that flies you to your desired destination with no scheduled return flight. Passengers may require one-way flights for various reasons, including moving to another country or a long vacation with no return dates decided upon. Other reasons for booking one-way flights include giving you more flexible options with your travel plans, such as stitching together onward flights to explore different countries. Return flights are pretty limiting because you must return on a specific date, whilst one-way flights allow you to move around as freely as you desire.
Sometimes, booking two separate one-way flights on individual airlines can be cheaper, usually on low-cost budget carriers. For the long haul, booking a return flight rather than two separate one-way flights is generally more affordable. The best thing to do is to search for both options and see what is more economical using our search engine above.
The following five tips will ensure you get the cheapest one-way flight possible.
The best way to find the cheapest one-way flight routes is to visit our destination pages. They will show you the cheapest one-way flight routes within a particular country.
Another way is to check our flight deals carousel. This will give you a good idea of the cheapest flights from your destination country to anywhere in the world. Once you get a rough idea of cheap return destinations, you can then search for those destinations, one way to get an even more economical flight.
The best sites are undoubtedly the flight comparison sites. However, comparing many of them using our one-way flight finder would be wise to ensure you clinch the ultimate one-way deal.
Sometimes, Skyscanner will have the best price; other times, it will be KAYAK; on different occasions, it will be JetRadar or KIWI. This unpredictability makes it essential to compare all of them using our dashboard to ensure you get the best deal possible.
Below are some of the search engines we recommend for cheap one-way flights. Use the tools below to get a good idea of pricing, then come back to FlightsFinder to compare multiple comparison sites on those dates to get the most optimal price.
Some tools to search for one-way flights:
KAYAK's Explore feature shows the cheapest flights flying out of your local departure airport on an interactive map. You can filter options by departure time and length of stay and specify the type of trip you want, such as a city, beach, romantic, or family break. It is a good starting point for exploring your cheap flight options.
Visit - KAYAK Explore
KIWI also has a flexible one-way search tool. You can filter flights by price or popularity; price will show you the cheapest options, while popularity shows the most searched-for one-way routes. Other nifty features in their search are seeing prices after adding checked bags, searching for hidden city tickets (where the stopover is cheaper than the final destination), self-transfer tickets (i.e. catching a connection on two separate airlines), and checking throw-away tickets (i.e. booking a return trip but disregarding the return leg).
Visit - www.kiwi.com
Google Flights is, without a doubt, the fastest flight search engine. You can use their Explore feature to view the cheapest one-way flights from your departure airport on a map. You also have powerful filtering options like specifying stops, price, and layover length and only showing particular airlines if you wish.
Visit - Google flights explore
The best one-way flight search engines on the web are comparison sites or flight aggregators, and they search hundreds of places for you with one query. The only downside is that no one comparison site has the best prices every time. To get the absolute lowest one-way flight price, you must compare many comparison sites. The easiest way to do that is via our flight finder dashboard. We compare the best websites for one-way flights, including KAYAK, Skyscanner, momondo, Kiwi.com, JetRadar, etc.
Sometimes savings can be substantial, especially when comparing aggregators to one travel agent's prices. You can reach many more sites in seconds, whereas you have a limited selection of offers with one travel agent. You can save up to 20% off your one-way ticket by comparing sites. Enter your details, and we'll show you prices from the world's leading comparison sites.
Yes, KAYAK is one of the worlds leading comparison sites, and they have built a reputation for providing solid one-way flight results from hundreds of travel sources. However, the fact remains that KAYAK can be beaten on some occasions. The best way to ensure you're getting the best deal is to compare multiple sites alongside KAYAK using our flight finder.
Kiwi.com has developed a powerful flight search engine that employs a tactic known as virtual interlining. They compile one-way fares from multiple airlines that traditionally do not co-operate. They also offer a Kiwi guarantee should something genuinely unforeseen happen and you happen to miss your connecting flight. They will cover the cost of your flight in any such eventuality. You can compare Kiwi results using our search engine alongside other comparison sites.
Skyscanner is one of the world's best search engines to find cheap one-way flights. They search hundreds of airlines and travel agents in seconds to find you great deals. Once again, the only downside to Skyscanner is that other aggregators can beat their prices on occasion. The best way around this is to search Skyscanner alongside many other comparison engines that you can easily do via our flight finder dashboard.
Generally speaking, one-way tickets are relatively more expensive than round trip flights. The main reason is that the airline taking you there and back is usually the same with a return, and they can lock you into loyalty, whilst with a one-way ticket, that may not be the case. Occasionally, you can find bargains on one-way flights, especially when airlines promote certain flash sales. The best way to find these sales is to use our flexible dates search, which will give you a rough idea of cheaper days to fly one way.
Unsurprisingly, the cheapest time to book one-way airline tickets is during the off-peak season. Off-peak varies from country to country; however, generally speaking, it is a quieter time when school starts and families are less likely to getaway. The best way to find the cheapest times to fly is to use our flexible date calendar, which gives you price estimates in a particular month or the entire year.
Google flight search is a handy tool to find lower-priced one-way flights, and their calendar is convenient in locating the cheapest times to fly. However, Google prices are not always the most reasonable and can be beaten by Skyscanner, KAYAK, JetRadar and Kiwi.com. Our best advice is to use Google to find the best dates to fly (if you have a flexible itinerary) and then come to FlightsFinder.com and search those exact dates using our search engine to see if you can save any more.
To find flexible flights with no change fees, select the filter which says 'no change fees' on our primary search results. This will then show you those fares which incur no penalty should you need to amend or cancel your booking for whatever unforeseen reason. If you are looking for flexible flights because you are flexible with your dates, use our flexible search engine to give you a rough idea of the cheapest dates to fly.
Some travel hackers use one tactic to get cheaper priced one-way flights: buying a 'throwaway' ticket. This is when they purchase a round trip flight for less than a one-way flight and disregard the returning leg of the trip. It can work on occasions but does not come without risk. It may breach the airlines' terms of the contract, and you should be aware of this before engaging in such a practice. Another tactic that has recently become popular is to find hidden city ticketing. This is where a one-way trip with a layover at your destination is cheaper than flying direct; you disembark at the layover and forgo the rest of the journey. Again this is not without risk and may breach certain conditions with the airline, although no such penalty has been enforced. You can find hidden city tickets via Skiplagged, which you can easily compare using our flight finder dashboard.
This page's content was created and verified by Shahab Siddiqui, the visionary founder of FlightsFinder.com. Over 15 years ago, he pioneered the concept of a Meta-Meta flight search engine and continues to be a significant authority on international travel.
Shahab's expertise has been featured in numerous esteemed publications, including Business Insider, The LA Times, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, and The Huffington Post. Notably, he developed FlightsFinder.com while undergoing dialysis treatment for kidney failure. His inspiring story is detailed here.
To connect with Shahab, visit his LinkedIn profile.
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