Here’s how Skyscanner works, why comparison matters and how we can help find you cheaper trip options.
Planning a trip means making choices: where to go, when to travel, how to get there, where to stay and where to book. Skyscanner brings travel options together in one place, so you can compare flights, accommodation, car hire, train journeys and packages easily.
70% of the time, there is a cheaper flight option on Skyscanner.*
*Based on a set of flight searches comparing the cheapest flight option found on Skyscanner with the same route search found on selected travel sites, from November 2025 to August 2026.
How Skyscanner works
We bring together flights, hotels, car hire, packages and train journeys from across the web, so you can compare your options in one place. We gather options across:
Airlines
Accommodation providers
Car hire companies
Rail operators
Holiday package providers
And other travel sites, such as online travel agents
This lets you compare options side by side without repeating the same search across multiple websites. Depending on your trip, you might be looking for:
A lower price
A direct flight
A multi-city journey
A particular layover destination
A more convenient departure airport
A hotel in a specific area
A shorter train journey
A fare that includes the extras you need
Find out more about how Skyscanner ranks and recommends search results.
How Skyscanner compares flight prices
For over 20 years, Skyscanner has worked with travel partners to help travellers compare a wide range of travel options in one place. Our aim is to make it easier to find the option that best suits your trip, including on price.
When we say there is a cheaper flight option on Skyscanner, we mean the lowest price found on Skyscanner for that specific route and date search was lower than the lowest price found on other travel sites. But it doesn’t necessarily mean the flight options are always like-for-like. They may differ in airline, airport, departure time, stopovers or connections, baggage allowance, fare type, travel provider or booking conditions.
Our current analysis covers selected economy return searches across 19 markets. In each market, we check 50 high-demand routes, 13 different periods between searching and travelling, two trip durations and one adult traveller.
For each valid comparison, we record whether the lowest-price option on Skyscanner is lower than, the same as, or higher than the lowest-price option on the selected travel search sites. We then calculate the share of comparisons where Skyscanner returned a lower-priced option and average the results across the selected travel sites. And in doing so, we find a cheaper flight option on Skyscanner 70% of the time.
Flight prices and availability can change quickly. That’s why we repeat our checks regularly and refresh the data that supports this claim. The current analysis covers price checks carried out between November 2025 and August 2026. The methodology was last reviewed in August 2026.
This is a comparison of the lowest prices found in these searches. It is not a guarantee that Skyscanner will always be cheaper, or that every flight option will be identical across sites.
The magic behind our method
For every price check, we compare the lowest-priced flight option returned by Skyscanner with the lowest-priced option returned by other selected travel sites. We use the same route, travel dates, how far in advance the trip is searched, trip length, cabin and traveller details on both sites. Then we compare the prices displayed in the search results at the time of each check.
The price includes the base fare, mandatory taxes and fees, and other charges already included in the initial displayed price. It does not include:
Optional or later booking-stage costs that are not shown in the original search result, such as additional baggage, paid seat selection and payment or card charges added later at checkout by the provider
Member or loyalty prices
How to use Skyscanner to find a great travel deal
Comparison gives you a clearer picture. Flexibility gives you more possibilities. And Skyscanner gives both without repeating the same search across dozens of sites.
Skyscanner brings flight options from airlines and travel providers into one search so you can see and compare what’s available without checking each site individually. You can also use it to search for a specific route and date, explore alternatives if your plans are flexible and filter the results around what matters to you.
Here’s a list of travel planning tools and booking hacks to help you find the best options for your trip:
How to… | Tool to use |
Track flight price drops and monitor changes in fares for specific journeys | Skyscanner’s Price Alerts tool |
Skyscanner’s Saved Lists feature | |
Identify the cheapest dates to fly across a calendar | Skyscanner’s Whole Month Search tool |
Find cheap flights to anywhere in the world | Everywhere Search on Skyscanner |
Compare flight prices from various airlines and booking sites in one place | Skyscanner.net |
Plan open-jaw flights or journeys with multiple stops | Skyscanner’s Multi-City Search feature |
Plan travel itineraries across different cities | Skyscanner’s Itinerary Builder tool |
Find alternative airports to consider for departures and arrivals | Skyscanner’s Nearby Airports filter |
Chose your layover destination to better tailor your fight search results to your needs | Skyscanner’s Layovers filter |
When to use Skyscanner
Search
Tell us where you want to go and we search options and prices from airlines, online travel agencies, hotels, car hire companies and other booking partners. And even if you’re not sure where to go yet, we can help with that too.
Compare
We bring those options together so you can compare them by price and the details that matter to your trip, from flight times and airports to accommodation and car-hire options. We also have a plethora of resourceful travel guides on airline luggage rules, passport rules, visa requirements for Brits and how to book a refundable flight ticket, to help inform your decision making.
Choose where to book
Once you select a fare, you’ll be taken to the provider’s website to complete your booking. This could be directly to the airline's or hotel’s website, or to an online travel agency or booking site.
Why does Skyscanner send me to another website?
Skyscanner helps you compare travel options from our trusted partners, so you can see your choices side by side and decide what works best for you.
We don’t sell the flights, hotels or car hire ourselves, so our focus is on helping you compare your options impartially.
Once you’ve chosen, we’ll take you to the airline, hotel or travel provider to complete your booking.
We’re the ones with the tools to:
Show you prices from a range of travel websites
Track those prices and let you know when there’s a change, so you can book the best deal with Price Alerts and Saved Lists
Highlight the most affordable days to fly with our Whole-Month Search feature
Uncover great-value destinations that fit your dates and budget with Everywhere Search
Once you have chosen the best deal that matches your needs, the provider selling that option takes over the booking process. You can expect the provider to:
Take your payment
Send your booking confirmation
Manage changes or cancellations
However, although the provider should be able to help you if you need help after the purchase, we also have a vast library of guides, playbooks and 101s designed to help you navigate situations when travel doesn’t go as planned, such as what to do if your flight is delayed or cancelled, travel insurance options, or simple finding the customer service number for your airline.
