Compare flight prices
Flying will become more expensive in 2024. With a good flight search engine you can still find cheap flights for your next vacation. We compare the most popular travel guides.
1. 9.0 out of 10 points | 2.  8.7 out of 10 points | 3.  6.9 out of 10 points | 4.  6.3 out of 10 points | 5.  4.4 out of 10 points | ||
| to offer ❯ | to offer ❯ | to offer ❯ | to offer ❯ | to offer ❯ | ||
Multistop search | Multistop search | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes | ✘ No |
Flexible dates | Flexible dates | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes | ✘ No | ✘ No | ✔ Yes |
Flexible goals | Flexible goals | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes | ✘ No | ✘ No |
Advantages | Advantages |
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Disadvantages | Disadvantages |
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| Available at | Available at | to offer ❯ NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More info. | to offer ❯ NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More info. | to offer ❯ NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More info. | to offer ❯ NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More info. | to offer ❯ NETZWELT may receive a commission from the retailer for links on this page. More info. |
Especially in spring and summer, advertisements for flight search engines appear again and again on television. No wonder, the next vacation needs to be planned after all. However, anyone who books last minute will have to expect horrendous prices for flights from May 2024 due to rising air traffic taxes. So that you don’t pay too much for your return flight, flight search engines always show you the cheapest travel offers.
But there are now a few flight search engines and all providers promise that you will get the cheapest flights from them. But which provider can actually keep this promise? And what about the user-friendliness and service of the various flight search engines? We have compared the most popular and well-known flight search engines for you.
- Test field at a glance
This is how we compare flight search engines
Metasearch engine, travel agency and airline – differences
The best flight search engines: Our experiences with the test winners
This is what you need to pay attention to when searching for and booking flights
Alternative to flying: vacation with the 49 euro ticket
This is how we compare flight search engines
How do we test flight search engines?
Our testers first get an overview of the market and analyze all possible offers. In addition to market-leading providers, smaller representatives are also taken into account. From this large number of services, the offers that are relevant from the editorial point of view are tested individually. Test results are then compared with each other.
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Offers to choose from
In our comparison, we tested flight portals with which you can compare flight prices. Flight finders not only show you when the next plane to your destination will take off, they also let you compare several flights. This means you weigh up seats, travel time and, above all, costs.
Once you have booked your next trip, we will show you the right travel guide apps for a perfect vacation in a separate place. Before you book your vacation, you should also think about so-called “dynamic pricing”. With a few tips you can save money when booking your vacation.
Airline tickets are primarily sold by airlines. There are also online travel agencies that act as intermediaries. In addition to numerous flights from different airlines, there are also different prices for the same flights on the market. In order not to lose track here, there are price search engines for flights that essentially work in the same way as those for online mail order companies. If a search engine compares the prices of the same flight on numerous portals, it is a so-called metasearch engine.
However, if a portal sells its own tickets, there is usually no comparison with other providers. Then it may be an online travel agency. In addition, airlines themselves are of course providers of their flight tickets.
The best flight search engines: Our experiences with the test winners
We test every flight search engine extensively to determine its practical suitability. We attach particular importance to the speed, the quality of the search results and, if available, the surcharge on the actual flight price. Our overall grade results from all individual ratings for these points. However, the tester can upgrade or downgrade by one grade if one of the criteria is particularly outstanding in comparison with other providers.
1st place: Google Flights
The metasearch engine Google Flights shines in the test above all with high-quality search results, numerous options and enormous speed. However, some flights in the test could not be booked via Google Flights. To do this, we had to search for the respective flight separately again. If you don’t know the so-called “IATA codes” of your airports, you may have to look for them first so that Google Flights can find the right airport.
www.google.de
www.google.de
9.0
9.0 out of 10 points
With outstanding speed, above-average search results and numerous search options and filters, Google Flights completely impressed us in the test. Only weakness is…
- Multistop search: ✔ Yes
- Flexible dates: ✔ Yes
- Flexible goals: ✔ Yes
2nd place: SkyScanner
If you can’t get used to Google Flights, SkyScanner is a very good alternative, but you’ll have to live with a somewhat slower search. It is also important to be careful which provider you book your flight through, as SkyScanner not only forwards information to the airlines themselves, but also to other sellers.
www.skyscanner.de
www.skyscanner.de
8.7
8.7 out of 10 points
What particularly impresses us with Skyscanner is the numerous options for determining suitable flight destinations based on countries. Anyone who already has precise ideas about a flight route will find…
- Multistop search: ✔ Yes
- Flexible dates: ✔ Yes
- Flexible goals: ✔ Yes
3rd and 4th place: Swoodoo and Opodo
The portals Swoodoo and Opodo are in third and fourth place in our comparison, but with a large gap. In Swoodoo’s test, the filter functions of the flight search engine did not work reliably and you also have to expect additional fees when redirecting to travel agencies. At Opodo, the filters work perfectly, but you are offered additional services that are not particularly helpful and you have to expect additional fees.
Swoodoo
- Multistop search: ✔ Yes
- Flexible dates: ✘ No
- Flexible goals: ✔ Yes
to offer
Opodo
- Multistop search: ✔ Yes
- Flexible dates: ✘ No
- Flexible goals: ✘ No
to offer
This is what you need to pay attention to when searching for and booking flights
In general, we recommend always booking directly with airlines, unless, contrary to expectations, there is a significant price advantage by booking with an online travel agency. However, the previous use of flight search engines to compare prices does not exclude this approach. In general, you should pay attention to the following things when booking flights online:
Additional services
Both airlines and travel agencies usually try to sell additional services. For example, there is the Opodo seat reservation. There are also insurance or service packages. We would like to warn against such offers, particularly in the case of online travel portals. These portals make little or no profit from selling pure flight tickets and advertise their extras, which are often not needed, even more aggressively. Some examples:
| Performance | Condition |
|---|---|
| Service packages | Often contain “extras” that are a given when booking directly with airlines. |
| Elimination of change fees | These often refer to travel agent service fees; airline fees remain unaffected. If you book directly with the airline, you will receive the same service without an additional fee. |
| Health or luggage insurance | Often offered as a subscription. Depending on your travel habits, it may be worthwhile to take out a direct deal with insurance companies on a day-to-day basis. |
| Paid seats | You can usually select the corresponding booking class free of charge from 24 hours before departure. |
| Travel cancellation insurance | It may be worthwhile to take out a contract if there are legitimate concerns. Be sure to note the insured reasons for cancellation. In the event of unforeseen weather or natural phenomena, airlines usually allow free rebooking or refunds, even without insurance. |
Flight search engine services
The additional services are often associated with additional costs that you have to consider when booking your flight. Otherwise, the cheap flight will quickly become a cost trap and you will then pay more than with the premium hotline.
Means of payment
Some airlines and especially travel agencies have in the past charged fees for paying with credit cards, debit cards or PayPal. However, since January 1, 2018, charging such credit card fees has been prohibited in Germany. So you don’t need to worry about additional costs if you want to pay the bill for your flight.
Alternative to flying: vacation with the 49 euro ticket
With the introduction of the 49 euro ticket, the train has also established itself as a cheap travel alternative, at least within Germany. After all, you can use it to go to all places, sights and events throughout Germany for 49 euros a month. We’ll tell you what you should pay attention to and why you should definitely think of a good travel guide in our tips for city trips with the 49 euro ticket.
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