I am constantly being asked in emails from people wanting to come out to tenerife how to get cheap flights. As some one who has to fly frequently to the canaries I can always get cheap fares without much hassle. The golden rule is to research, the internet is a powerhouse for super-speedily finding the cheapest flights, yet which site to use depends on your plans.
Screenscrapers
Screenscrapers don’t all search the same sites, so always use at least two, my top picks are:
Kayak for power, speed and ease. Kayak's*
range of options, accuracy and ease of use are unbeatable. Enter your
travel details, and it searches all the eligible flights. Yet it's
after this it shows its strength. Once you have the results use its
tool bar to filter out the right trip for you. It also has the benefit
of allowing multi-destination searches; so if you want to, you can fly
from Manchester to LA, drive to Las Vegas and fly back from there.
Travelsupermarket for range. While Kayak only searches main airlines, Travelsupermarket* includes many budget airlines and flight brokers too giving it the greatest range. It's easy to use, though the results are a bit clumsy, and annoyingly select 'direct flights only' and it still lists flights with stop-offs.
http://www.travelsupermarket.com
The more screenscrapers used the better; if possible have them all searching in multiple windows: SkyscannerSidestep, Foundem (which is fast), Kelkoo*, Momondo and Mobissimo . For long haul especially, it's also worth checking the Flightbrokers below, most importantly Expedia* and Travelocity, which screenscrapers commonly miss. is multi-optioned and especially good for budget flights, plus there's also
Screenscrapers make money from lead fees, meaning if you go to a flight website from them they're usually paid a small fee. This isn't really a problem, except occasionally they will try and push unmerited 'sponsored' links, so do keep an eye out for this
The sites above focus on scheduled flights; those operated on a regular timetable by main and budget airlines. The alternative is charter flights, which are specially arranged, usually by package tour operator owned airlines, to carry customers to their destinations. Occasionally these have spare capacity, and offer very cheap flight-only deals. The website Flights Direct has a charter airline search; though avid bargain hunters should also call up travel agents to check it out too
You can also checkout these sites as well., although each individule operator may not fly from your regional airport.
