Finding the cheapest flights online takes a bit of research, but it’s worth the time. Here are 8 tips on how to find the cheapest flights to Spain.
Updated in October 2019
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1. Buy well in advance
It’s a myth that you should wait until the last minute to buy your flight ticket. Airlines set their prices according to how many tickets they have sold. That’s why the first airline seats are sold cheapest. So the earlier you buy your flights to Spain, the better chance you have of getting them cheap. A rule of thumb is to buy at least 4 to 8 weeks before you travel. When to buy your flight depends on which city you are going to in Spain.
If you are travelling from Kastrup to Seville, it is best to book your flight 34 days before departure. If you’re going to Palma de Mallorca, buy your ticket 42 days before departure, and if you’re going to Barcelona or Madrid, the cheapest ticket is 60 days before departure.
2. Buy your flight ticket on Wednesday
It doesn’t matter what day of the week you buy your flight tickets if you want the cheapest flights to Spain. Prices rise and fall in line with supply and demand. If many people search and buy airline tickets, the price rises, and it falls if fewer people search. Most people buy flights at the weekend, when they have most time to plan their holidays. And so prices rise. Fewer people buy tickets from Tuesday to Thursday, so you’re most likely to get a good deal on Wednesday.
3. Travel outside the high season
Demand for flights to Spain during the summer and school holidays is high, and airlines know it. That’s why the prices are too. If you can be flexible with the date and travel in the days or weeks right up to or after the high season, there’s money to be saved. If you can travel completely out of season, you can really save money.
Are you going on holiday in a big city in Spain, for example. Barcelona, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Seville or Málaga, then you should travel in January. July is the most expensive month to fly to Spain, with a few exceptions such as Madrid, which is most expensive in April.
On the major search engines, you can compare prices on the estimated price list, which is displayed for a 14-day period when you search. I always use Momondo’s search engine when looking for flights to Spain, which has also been voted the best by the consumer council Tænk. The airlines, including. Vueling, Norwegian and SAS have a monthly calendar where you can see which days are the cheapest to travel.
Best time to fly to Spain
From Kastrup
Cheapest day
Most expensive day
Cheapest time
Buy cheapest
Madrid
Friday
Sunday
Evening
60 days before departure
Barcelona
Tuesday
Sunday
Afternoon
60 days before departure
Málaga
Monday
Saturday
Afternoon
43 days before departure
Valencia
Tuesday
Sunday
Evening
51 days before departure
Seville
Saturday
Sunday
Afternoon
34 days before departure
Source: Momondo
4. Don’t fly on Sundays
Prices for flights to Spain often rise at weekends, and as you can see in the table above, in most cases the most expensive flights to Spain depart from Kastrup Airport on Sundays. The same applies from Billund. In some cases, this also applies on Saturdays, when it is most expensive to fly to, for example. Málaga, Alicante and Palma de Mallorca. If you fly from Aalborg, the picture is a little different. So make sure you check flights on different days of the week.
The best day of the week to fly depends on which city in Spain you’re flying to, but it’s usually on Mondays and Tuesdays, and occasionally on Fridays or Saturdays. So check the weekly calendar for the city you’re flying to in Spain too, if you can be flexible with the date of your departure.
Finally, be aware that you can save money if you fly at a specific time of day. It is often cheaper to fly in the afternoon or evening. These include Madrid, Malaga and Seville.
5. Check the price level
Prices for flights to Spain may be lower on search engines than they are on the airline’s website. This is because online travel agents, as middlemen, compete on price. However, this is by no means true in all cases. I have bought many air tickets directly from the airlines because it has been the cheapest option.
Be aware that low-cost airlines do not include baggage in the cheapest base fare, so be sure to add it in before you get the final price.
6. Buy single tickets
Check the prices of one-way tickets with different companies. You can save a lot of money if you fly Norwegian out and Vueling home, for example. If you use the search engine at e.g. Momondo, you’ll see the cheapest price, which could be a combination of one-way tickets on two airlines.
7. Use price agent
As airfares are constantly changing, it’s a good idea to set up a price agent if you know you’ll be travelling at a particular time. That way, if the price drops or there’s a promotion, you can grab it. The search engines have price agents that you can sign up for. You do a search on the city you want to travel to, for example. Barcelona, select the date and let the machine search. Then sign up for the price agent by entering your email. You will then receive a daily email with the prices of your chosen trip.
8. Strike a good price
Strike if you find a cheap price. It may have risen several hundred crowns the next day. If you buy a flight to Barcelona or Madrid for between 400 and 600 DKK, you’ve made a great deal. On the other hand, don’t worry if you pay between 500 and 1000 DKK for a ticket and the price drops by 100 to 200 DKK. It’s still a good price. I typically pay between 1000 and 1500 DKK for a return ticket to Spain, depending on which city I’m going to.
Finally, you should be aware of whether you have cancellation insurance. Otherwise, it might be a good idea to make one if you or a family member falls ill and the trip has to be cancelled. Otherwise you lose all the money.
Tips for your trip
If you need to rent a car in Spain, you’ll find car rental tips here.
Did you know that it doesn’t matter what you wear when you fly? Read why in the blog post here
Good mobile apps are very useful on holiday in Spain. Read the guide to the best travel apps .
