Many of the lowest fares came from regional and secondary airports rather than the country's largest hubs. That's partly because smaller airports operate a little differently, with lower costs, fewer delays, and more low-cost carrier routes. They're also less likely to see the sharp price jumps that hit major hubs as flights fill up, which helps keep fares steadier-even during busy travel periods.
To find these flights, the team ranked destinations by "typical low price and deal frequency," then it factored in gateway access, stability, and traveler value to surface the most "repeatable, real-world affordable destinations, not just the cheapest outliers." They also tracked when each destination tends to drop in price by month and by day of the week, so "you can book inside the sweet spot."
There are plenty of travel hacks for saving money out there. Book on a Wednesday, only travel on Tuesdays, spin around and touch your toes to get a 15 percent discount on your next booking. But much of the travel advice we hear is vibes-based, not built on cold, hard data. Fortunately, some sources do have access to the massive volumes of flight pricing information, and those sources can offer real insights to help you book flights as cheaply as humanly possible.