There are dozens of flight search websites out there, but honestly, you don’t need to use all of them.

I use Skyscanner most often, but there are a few other tools I think are worth knowing about because they do certain things particularly well. Google Flights is great for understanding whether a price is actually good, Aviasales makes it easy to compare the details of different fares, and Kiwi.com can uncover unusual flight combinations you might not find elsewhere.

So rather than telling you to search five different websites every time you book a flight, here’s what each tool is actually good for and when I’d use it.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links. If you book through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools and services I believe are useful.

If you asked me which flight search website I actually use, I’d say Skyscanner. It’s simple to use, gives you plenty of options and is particularly useful when your dates or destination are flexible.

One of my favourite features is Whole Month, which lets you see how prices vary throughout an entire month rather than checking one set of dates at a time. If you have some flexibility with your annual leave, this can make a huge difference.

You can also use Everywhere if you know when you want to travel but haven’t decided where to go yet. Enter your departure airport and dates, and Skyscanner will show you destinations that fit your search, starting with the cheapest options.

Then there are nearby airports. If you’re travelling from the UK, checking alternative airports can sometimes open up completely different routes and prices.

You can also set up price alerts if you’re not ready to book yet.

What I like

It’s flexible, straightforward and makes comparing lots of possibilities really easy.

For someone trying to make limited annual leave go further, I think that’s particularly useful. You can play around with your dates, destination and departure airport without having to run dozens of separate searches.

I also like that Skyscanner shows ratings for many of the airlines and travel agents in its results. These are based on traveller feedback and can help you avoid choosing an unreliable third-party provider simply because it has the cheapest price. Some providers also receive a Recommended Provider badge based on factors such as booking reliability and price accuracy.

When there’s only a small difference in price, I’d much rather choose a well-rated provider than save a few pounds and risk a poor booking experience.

The downside

Skyscanner isn’t necessarily the best tool for understanding whether today’s price is actually a good price historically. That’s where I think Google Flights has an advantage.

→ Compare flights on Skyscanner

Google Flights is the tool I’d turn to when I want more context around the price I’m seeing.

One of its most useful features is price history and price insights. It can help you understand whether the fare you’re looking at is typical for that route, higher than usual or lower than usual.

And honestly, this is useful because it’s hard to know whether £500 is a good price for a flight if you have nothing to compare it with.

Google Flights also has a useful date calendar and price graph, so you can see how changing your dates affects the price. You can compare alternative airports and set up price tracking for a route or particular flight.

What I like

The price context. Rather than simply telling me that a flight costs £500, Google Flights can give me a better idea of whether that’s a reasonable price for the route.

The downside

I don’t personally find it as convenient as Skyscanner when I’m exploring flexible destinations and dates. For me, Google Flights is more of a price research tool, while Skyscanner is the one I actually use most when searching for my flights.

→ Search flights on Google Flights

You could also use Aviasales if you want another way to compare the actual flight options available. Aviasales is a flight metasearch engine that compares flights from airlines and travel agencies rather than selling the tickets itself.

One reason I think it’s worth checking is that it can compare a large range of airlines and travel agencies, including some smaller or more local providers that you might not come across on other search engines. This means it can occasionally surface a fare you haven’t seen elsewhere.

It’s also particularly good at comparing what you’re actually getting for the price. You can see whether baggage is included and compare direct flights with flights involving a stopover, rather than simply looking at the cheapest headline fare. You can filter flights by things like number of stops, departure times, airlines, airports, journey duration and baggage, making it easier to narrow down the flights that actually work for you.

Another useful detail is that Aviasales can show how many seats are remaining at a particular price, which can be helpful when you’re deciding whether to book or keep looking.

What I like

It’s good for comparing the details, not just the price. I also like that it can bring up different travel agencies and fares that you might not immediately see elsewhere.

The downside

For me, it isn’t a tool I would necessarily use for every trip. Skyscanner already does most of what I need, so I’d see Aviasales as a useful alternative rather than an essential part of every flight search.

→ Compare your flight options on Aviasales

Kiwi.com is a little different from the other tools on this list. While Skyscanner and Aviasales mainly compare flights that are already being sold, Kiwi can actually create new combinations by putting together flights from airlines that don’t normally offer a connection between them. Kiwi calls this Virtual Interlining.

For example, instead of one airline offering: London → Bangkok

Kiwi might combine: London → Doha with one airline / Doha → Bangkok with another

This can open up cheaper or more unusual routes that you wouldn’t necessarily find through a standard search.

Kiwi also has features such as Nomad, which can help find a cheaper order for a multi-city trip by testing different combinations of destinations. This can be particularly interesting if you’re planning a longer trip with several stops. But there’s an important catch: a self-transfer is not the same as a normal connection. With separate tickets, you may need to collect and re-check your luggage, pass through immigration or customs, and allow considerably more time between flights. You also need to check whether a transit visa is required.

If you use Kiwi, I’d always check:

• How long the connection actually is
• Whether you need to collect and re-check your luggage
• Whether you’ll need to pass through immigration
• Whether you need a transit visa
• Which airports you’re connecting through
• What protection is included with the booking

Kiwi offers additional protection on some eligible self-transfer itineraries, but don’t assume a self-transfer works like a normal connection on one ticket.

What I like

It’s the one I’d look at when a normal flight search isn’t giving me a sensible option. It can be particularly useful for unusual routes, multi-city trips or when the saving compared with a conventional itinerary is significant.

The downside

Self-transfers add complexity and risk. If I’m travelling for a short trip and have only five days away, I wouldn’t choose a complicated itinerary just to save £50 or £80. The whole point of limited annual leave is to maximise your time, not spend it worrying about whether your next flight will work. I’d consider Kiwi when the saving is significant or when it offers a much better route than the conventional options.

→ Search flights on Kiwi.com

Whichever search tool you use, there’s one thing I think is more important than finding the lowest price:

The cheapest flight isn’t always the best flight.

When you have limited annual leave, your time has value too. A £350 flight that gets you into your destination at 9pm might be a much better choice than a £300 flight that arrives at midnight and takes another two hours to get into the city.

Before booking, I’d look at:

• Departure and arrival times
• Total journey time
• Number of stops
• Length of layovers
• Departure and arrival airports
• Baggage included
• Seat selection
• Airport transfers
• Whether it’s a normal connection or a self-transfer

Sometimes I’ll happily pay a little more for a much better journey. If you’re only going away for five days, losing half a day to an awkward flight is a much bigger deal than it sounds.

Once you’ve found the flight you want, I’d always have a quick look at the airline’s own website before booking. Sometimes the price will be exactly the same. Sometimes it won’t.

I’ll compare the:

• Final price
• Baggage allowance
• Seat selection
• Change and cancellation conditions
• Flight times
• Any additional booking fees

If the difference is small, I’d generally rather book directly with the airline. It’s not about assuming every third-party booking site is bad. It’s simply about knowing exactly what you’re buying and who you’re buying it from.

There isn’t one flight search tool that’s best for absolutely everything. They each have their strengths.

Flight tool	Best for
Skyscanner	Best overall & flexible searches
Google Flights	Price history, price insights & tracking
Aviasales	Comparing fare details and flight combinations
Kiwi.com	Unusual routes and self-transfers
Airline website	Checking the final price and booking conditions

But if I could only choose one?

Skyscanner. It’s the one I use most often because it makes it so easy to play around with dates, airports and destinations and quickly see what works.

I don’t think you need to spend hours checking every flight search engine on the internet. More tabs don’t necessarily mean a better deal. Use the tool that suits what you’re actually trying to find. And most importantly, don’t obsess over saving £20 if it means choosing a flight that wastes half a day of your holiday.

The best flight isn’t always the cheapest one. It’s the one that makes the most sense for your trip. And when you only have a limited number of annual leave days, your time is worth protecting too.

More Flight & Travel Planning

→ How to Travel With Limited Annual Leave

→ How to Build the Perfect Travel Itinerary

→ The Best Travel Apps You Should Have on Your Phone

→ The Best Travel Money Apps: How to Avoid Currency Conversion Fees